From the "Gracevine" Newsletter Article for Grace Lutheran Church in Thornville, Ohio, November 2022.
Thanksgiving
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17 ESV
Thanksgiving was never my favorite holiday as a child. I remember sitting in my living room one November in my early elementary years. I knew we were going to have a family gathering that weekend, but I didn’t quite understand why. Unlike Christmas, I knew I wasn’t getting any presents that weekend, and other than getting a couple days off from school, some turkey, and some pie, I felt there wasn’t much about which to get excited.
Thanksgiving as a national holiday has had a long an interesting history in our country. Though there have been days of Thanksgiving declared at different times in our history, the annual observance of Thanksgiving in November goes back to the Civil War. We have President Abraham Lincoln to thank for our current practice of the Thanksgiving holiday, which has become a part of the fabric of our national life.
As the secular part of our society becomes all the more vocal, I often wonder how Thanksgiving as a holiday will fare in years to come. After all, how can one be thankful if there is nothing, no God, to which to direct our thanks? Of course, get togethers among family and friends are a good thing for anyone at any time of the year, but that was not the original point of Thanksgiving.
Though not a specifically Christian holiday, the Thanksgiving holiday called for by Abraham Lincoln was meant to unify people in the dark days of the Civil War by directing them to give thanks “and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” His proclamation was general enough to include people of various religious traditions: different types of Christians, Jews, and others. His hope was that all people, however they expressed their faith, would take time to acknowledge their daily bread as coming from a transcendent source. This “civil religion” has been a part of our country for a long time, and even that is now beginning to dissipate. The spiritual element of Thanksgiving is easy to overlook. The fact that it is a national holiday leads many to view a Thanksgiving meal as an obligation to perform rather than a gift to receive with thanksgiving. I am guilty of this as much as anyone.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at this. We often hear of the call to “be more thankful!” But from a Lutheran point of view, we have the theological truth that thanksgiving does not come naturally to us. It is contrary to our sinful human nature. Being thankful means that we acknowledge God as the source of all things. If we did that all the time, then there would be no problem. We would not be sinners, and we would not need Jesus to be our Savior!
As Christians, we are a work in progress. As humans with a sinful nature, we are not capable of pure thanksgiving. But in the Bible, God continues to prod people to thanksgiving, directing them to Himself, the wellspring of life. Still, the burdens of life cloud our view. How much easier it is to dwell on the negative! We need constant reminders of what God has done for us. This is why it is important to engage in frequent and regular worship. This is why Scripture reading, devotional life, and prayer are so important. One thing that can help is keeping a prayer and thanksgiving journal. Each day, make note of the blessings you have received. And then think of how you can be a blessing to others.
We will also be resurrecting a tradition this November. The pastors in our community have agreed to hold a community Thanksgiving service the evening before Thanksgiving. That Wednesday, we will gather for this worship service at Grace Lutheran at 7:00 PM. This year, the new pastor at Thornville United Methodist Church, Victoria Burgoon, will preach, with the rest of us filling different roles. As you prepare for the following day, join us here at Grace that evening in giving thanks!
As far as Thanksgiving memories go, ten years ago, my wife Theresa was still in her first year serving Grace Lutheran Church in Menno, South Dakota. I was still working on my doctorate and at the time did not have a congregational call of my own. I remember being thankful for having landed in that place earlier that year. I wanted to contribute to the congregation somehow, so I sang a solo for their evening Thanksgiving service. I’ve talked before about my love of the hymns of the Swedish Lutheran hymn writer Lina Sandell (“Children of the Heavenly Father,” “Day by Day,” and “Thy Holy Wings”). One of her lesser-known hymns is titled, “O Jesus, Let My Eyes Be Opened” (Swedish: O Jesu öppna du mitt öga). I shared this song that night in 2012 and felt it was appropriate for a Lutheran understanding of Thanksgiving, asking that God would continue to open our eyes to His blessings: our life, our daily bread, and especially our salvation. Though you can’t hear the tune on the printed page, I invite you to meditate on these words:
O Jesus, let my eyes be opened, so I can see what I've been given, that I've a Father in the highest whose Father's heart would give my heaven, whose Father's heart would give me heaven.
I have a brother high in heaven at God's right hand, who cares for me, he sends his grace, so overflowing as wide as God's eternity, as wide as God's eternity.
I have a solace for my sorrow, a comforter and help for good, I have eternal life forever, eternal peace in Jesus' blood, eternal peace in Jesus' blood.
I have a life, yes life abundant, the richest grace, yes, it is true, I have a crown of life more glorious, a heritage that's always new, a heritage that's always new.
O Jesus, come make clear my vision so I can see your glory shine, and never lose your great salvation all you have given to make it mine, all you have given to make it mine.
Carolina Sandell-Berg (1832-1903); trans. Gracia Grindal (1943-)
Pr. Tom Jacobson
Thanksgiving
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17 ESV
Thanksgiving was never my favorite holiday as a child. I remember sitting in my living room one November in my early elementary years. I knew we were going to have a family gathering that weekend, but I didn’t quite understand why. Unlike Christmas, I knew I wasn’t getting any presents that weekend, and other than getting a couple days off from school, some turkey, and some pie, I felt there wasn’t much about which to get excited.
Thanksgiving as a national holiday has had a long an interesting history in our country. Though there have been days of Thanksgiving declared at different times in our history, the annual observance of Thanksgiving in November goes back to the Civil War. We have President Abraham Lincoln to thank for our current practice of the Thanksgiving holiday, which has become a part of the fabric of our national life.
As the secular part of our society becomes all the more vocal, I often wonder how Thanksgiving as a holiday will fare in years to come. After all, how can one be thankful if there is nothing, no God, to which to direct our thanks? Of course, get togethers among family and friends are a good thing for anyone at any time of the year, but that was not the original point of Thanksgiving.
Though not a specifically Christian holiday, the Thanksgiving holiday called for by Abraham Lincoln was meant to unify people in the dark days of the Civil War by directing them to give thanks “and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” His proclamation was general enough to include people of various religious traditions: different types of Christians, Jews, and others. His hope was that all people, however they expressed their faith, would take time to acknowledge their daily bread as coming from a transcendent source. This “civil religion” has been a part of our country for a long time, and even that is now beginning to dissipate. The spiritual element of Thanksgiving is easy to overlook. The fact that it is a national holiday leads many to view a Thanksgiving meal as an obligation to perform rather than a gift to receive with thanksgiving. I am guilty of this as much as anyone.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at this. We often hear of the call to “be more thankful!” But from a Lutheran point of view, we have the theological truth that thanksgiving does not come naturally to us. It is contrary to our sinful human nature. Being thankful means that we acknowledge God as the source of all things. If we did that all the time, then there would be no problem. We would not be sinners, and we would not need Jesus to be our Savior!
As Christians, we are a work in progress. As humans with a sinful nature, we are not capable of pure thanksgiving. But in the Bible, God continues to prod people to thanksgiving, directing them to Himself, the wellspring of life. Still, the burdens of life cloud our view. How much easier it is to dwell on the negative! We need constant reminders of what God has done for us. This is why it is important to engage in frequent and regular worship. This is why Scripture reading, devotional life, and prayer are so important. One thing that can help is keeping a prayer and thanksgiving journal. Each day, make note of the blessings you have received. And then think of how you can be a blessing to others.
We will also be resurrecting a tradition this November. The pastors in our community have agreed to hold a community Thanksgiving service the evening before Thanksgiving. That Wednesday, we will gather for this worship service at Grace Lutheran at 7:00 PM. This year, the new pastor at Thornville United Methodist Church, Victoria Burgoon, will preach, with the rest of us filling different roles. As you prepare for the following day, join us here at Grace that evening in giving thanks!
As far as Thanksgiving memories go, ten years ago, my wife Theresa was still in her first year serving Grace Lutheran Church in Menno, South Dakota. I was still working on my doctorate and at the time did not have a congregational call of my own. I remember being thankful for having landed in that place earlier that year. I wanted to contribute to the congregation somehow, so I sang a solo for their evening Thanksgiving service. I’ve talked before about my love of the hymns of the Swedish Lutheran hymn writer Lina Sandell (“Children of the Heavenly Father,” “Day by Day,” and “Thy Holy Wings”). One of her lesser-known hymns is titled, “O Jesus, Let My Eyes Be Opened” (Swedish: O Jesu öppna du mitt öga). I shared this song that night in 2012 and felt it was appropriate for a Lutheran understanding of Thanksgiving, asking that God would continue to open our eyes to His blessings: our life, our daily bread, and especially our salvation. Though you can’t hear the tune on the printed page, I invite you to meditate on these words:
O Jesus, let my eyes be opened, so I can see what I've been given, that I've a Father in the highest whose Father's heart would give my heaven, whose Father's heart would give me heaven.
I have a brother high in heaven at God's right hand, who cares for me, he sends his grace, so overflowing as wide as God's eternity, as wide as God's eternity.
I have a solace for my sorrow, a comforter and help for good, I have eternal life forever, eternal peace in Jesus' blood, eternal peace in Jesus' blood.
I have a life, yes life abundant, the richest grace, yes, it is true, I have a crown of life more glorious, a heritage that's always new, a heritage that's always new.
O Jesus, come make clear my vision so I can see your glory shine, and never lose your great salvation all you have given to make it mine, all you have given to make it mine.
Carolina Sandell-Berg (1832-1903); trans. Gracia Grindal (1943-)
Pr. Tom Jacobson