Rev. Thomas Shepherd
Stuart United Methodist Church
“Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13).
It’s November and many of us are thinking about Thanksgiving, if we haven’t already. When I think about Thanksgiving, I think about my Grandma Ayers. I remember growing up, I always enjoyed Thanksgiving Day as we would go to my maternal grandparents for the day. We would get there early, and Grandma was already busy in her tiny kitchen making final preparations for our lunch gathering. The kitchen was off limits to everyone except maybe my mother or one of my aunts. The rest of us would either go hunting or visit with aunts, uncles, and cousins. This was grandma’s treat and she wanted it to be special for her family.
My grandparents were in no case wealthy; they lived on a small farm in an old farmhouse which I remember when I was younger had no bathroom. But when we went to grandma’s, we knew that we were going to eat and eat well. She would put out a spread of a feast fit for royalty which to grandma her family was royalty.
After eating a feast for lunch, the family would gather in her small living room and talk for hours while drinking coffee or sodas and eating desserts. I can remember going back and forth between the living room and the dining room, trying to at least taste every one of the various desserts the grandma had made. Grandma Ayers was a wonderful cook and obviously enjoyed feeding her family. She did it all from simplest item on the buffet to the roasted turkey or ham (or both!) to the fine desserts. It was her day to provide for her family. This happened at Christmas too! I will go to my grave fondly remembering her gift of love for her family during these special holidays.
During this season of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to pause and think about what you are thankful for. Even with all the problems and struggles we each face in this fallen world, we have one thing we can be thankful for, even if we don’t have a close-knit family. The one thing we all have is a God who loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us through His Son Jesus Christ.
So, this Thanksgiving, and every day, I encourage you to give thanks what the Lord has done for you in offering you His salvation. If you have not received Christ’s gracious offer of salvation, I encourage you to receive it today, then no matter what befalls you here in this world, you will have the greatest thing to be thankful for, Salvation in Christ Jesus and life eternal.
I leave you with these words, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15).
