Thanksgiving – Salvaged Faith

Never Go Hungry

Posted on November 21, 2016Leave a comment

We are gathered here tonight, as one community of faith, to give thanks.

Throughout this month, I’ve been preaching about gratitude and giving thanks and one of the things that we have highlighted is that God wants us to give thanks for the differences among us. It is only by being grateful for someone you disagree with that you can ever move beyond those differences into community.

And our three churches probably don’t agree on everything. I think that’s a good thing. We all play a different role in this great big body of Christ. And we choose to view one another not as competitors, but as partners in the amazing mission and ministry of God in this world.

For that, I’m grateful.

We choose to gather around this time of year in particular because of our national celebration of Thanksgiving.

While the fuller history of this gathering is far more checkered and controversial, one thing is certain… there were at least three days of community and peace between the pilgrims at Plymouth and the Wampanoag Nation (Wahmp – uh nahg). The colonists had barely survived the first winter and it was only through the charity and hospitality of these Wampanoag people that this feast occurred. They made sure that they would not go hungry.

Our scriptures call us back to an earlier time of Thanksgiving, however.

Gary Roth draws the connection between the early pilgrims, dependent upon the mercy of the native peoples and the Israelites, who were utterly dependent upon the grace and mercy of God.

As our text from Deuteronomy reminds us – “My father was a wandering Aramean…” The Israelites were brutally oppressed in Egypt, and God heard their cries of distress. They were led out of the land of Egypt, sustained by daily bread from heaven, and eventually came to the land promised to them by the Lord. God made sure that they would not go hungry.

And these Israelites were called to give thanks and to remember that the land and everything it produced was a gift from God.

The first fruits of the land were set aside as an offering of thanks and the people were called to celebrate their blessings and to share them with all.

We, too, are utterly dependent upon God.

And we, too, have been blessed.

As Jesus reminds us in the gospel of John, those Israelites wandering in the desert relied upon manna, bread from heaven to sustain them daily.

We like to imagine that we are self-sufficient and don’t need anyone’s help, but that simply is not true.

Every breath of air that fills our lungs is a gift from God.

Every ray of sunshine and drop of rain that nurtures our crops is a gift from God.

Every grain of wheat is a gift from God.

And so is the bread of life… the love and mercy of God… the incarnation and death and resurrection of Jesus that provided the gift that none of us could even imagine… true life, eternal life, life with God.

Because of God, we will never go spiritually hungry. And so we must give thanks.

The question is, what does a thankful life look like?

What does it mean to live in gratitude, knowing that is only by God’s grace we are sustained?

In Deuteronomy, we discover that one way to live in gratitude is to pay the gift forward again and again.

The Israelites remembered that their father was a wandering Aramean… and then they looked out at the immigrants and refugees who were among them and shared the first fruits with those in need.

The book of Leviticus is full of instructions to leave the gleanings of the harvest and the edges of the field for those who were in need.

We live out our thanksgiving by making sure that others have enough.

Enough food.

Enough water.

Enough grace.

Enough love.

Whether it is spiritual or physical bread… God invites us to share it with others as a mark of our gratitude.

Talk about the DMARC / CWS offering for the Karin people… A Christian community from Myanmar/Burma that has found a home and a refuge here in the greater Des Moines area.

We can give thanks today by sharing God’s love and mercy and physical sustenance with these immigrants and refugees in our community. We can make sure that they will never go hungry.

But we also are challenged to think about sustaining gifts that go beyond immediate needs and create life-sustaining conditions. So the CWS offering will go to help the communities in Myanmar that are most at risk so that they don’t have to flee their homeland in the first place.

Let us give thanks to the Lord for all of our blessings.

And let us never cease to pass them on to others.

Amen.

Thank-You #NaBloPoMo

Posted on November 25, 2014Leave a comment

I am terrible about sitting down and writing thank-you notes.

But when my husband and I were married, we knew that it was something we needed to make a priority. We created special cards using our wedding photos and sat down one weekend to get them all done. I felt so proud of myself for following through on this important part of our wedding.

At the time we lived in Nashville and were coming home for Thanksgiving, so we wanted to hand deliver a few of those cards. We set them in a special place so we wouldn’t forget them.

A couple of years ago, Brandon’s grandma mentioned something about how she had never received a thank-you from our wedding gift. I knew we had made one for her. I was positive that she had simply forgotten or had somehow misplaced the card. Maybe she was thinking of someone else.

But two moves later, I found those thank-you cards. One for my husband’s grandparents and one for our brother and sister-in-law. They were right there, in their envelopes, but had fallen behind the shelf in our writing desk.

Six years after the gift-giving, these loved ones finally got their thank-yous.

Did they know we were grateful?

Of course.

But there is something about handing someone that card, that note, and actually articulating our gratitude that makes all the difference in the world. David Lose writes at Working Preacher that when we not only recognize our blessing but we articulate it we are doubly blessed.

So say thank-you.

Write that note.

And don’t forget to deliver it 😉

Best Buy Lines or the best buy you could ever make… #GivingTuesday

Posted on November 26, 2012Leave a comment

My family has often splurged on Black Friday. I remember vividly one Black Friday back in 2000 when my brothers, boyfriend and mom all got up super early and stood in line in the cold at Best Buy. Brandon and I were both building new computers and there was a large hard drive (probably only 40 GB back then) for sale for an amazing price. My brothers thought they could get one also to save for when they headed off to college. We weren’t at the front of the line, but we were there crazy early. We were huddled with layers of clothing and had a thermos of hot cocoa we kept passing around. It was fun and exciting and the best part was that we actually were spending time together as a family.

The doors opened at 6am and we rushed in to the store. Of course, there were no directions or maps, just a general sense of where things might be in the store. We headed to the computer accessories aisles and scoured the shelves for what we wanted. It was no where to be seen. But we were young and smart and had way too much caffeine for that early in the morning. One of us spotted on the super high top shelf a small little stockpile of these coveted hard drives. We called an associate over and he had to drag out one of those step ladder things. And then one by one, he started handing them down.

We made quite a commotion and so others came by to see what we had found. Soon a crowd had formed, but I was right there at the front. With people pressing in, the sales guy handed me one, and I would quickly pass it behind me to a waiting sibling. I’d grab another and pass them back. One by one, we each got the hard drives we had so coveted.

Ten years ago, a forty gig drive was stupendous. Today, my husband is investing in terabyte drives for his work computer. What we thought was so amazing is not worth anything today. We spent all of that money, probably loaded the drive with songs downloaded from Napster, and have nothing to show for it today.

On Thursday night, we started going through what has become a routine. The newspaper was purchased and the ads were laid out on the dining room table. I saw lots of things I wanted, but I realized nothing that I really needed. There was nothing there I could live without. There was nothing that I needed to spend my money on.

As parents and siblings have begun requesting Christmas lists, I have nothing to put on them.

In my new position with Imagine No Malaria, I have spent a lot of time listening to stories. Stories of people who have experienced malaria personally and stories of families who have sacrificed everything to try to save the life of a loved one.

Last week, Paul Wilcox shared with me this story:

12 years ago I visited El Salvador, a small country nestled away in the heart of Central America. I met there a young woman, named Carmen. She had lost 3 of her 4 children to phosphorescent bombs during El Salvador’s brutal civil war. Her remaining child survived only because Carmen carried him in her arms as she ran. She showed me the burns on her arms from that terrible night. Despite her heart-breaking loss, Carmen was a strong and resilient woman who was quick to smile and loved to dance! Her only son was the delight and joy of her life. Several days later my group returned to Carmen’s village and I was shocked to find Carmen sitting outside her hut, looking completely spent. She was sweating and weak and literally waiting to die! “What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “Paradismo” she answered—the Spanish word for malaria. Carmen was fully expecting to die. She had already “given” her son to her sister to raise. I asked her if she had been to a doctor. At that, she pulled from her pocket a doctor’s prescriptions for quinine. She was preparing to die because she lacked the $20 to fill the prescription. It took exactly 30 seconds to raise that much money from our group to save Carmen’s life, but how many others like Carmen; strong, resilient, and ready to rebuild their families and their communities, are reduced to shadows of themselves, weak and dying by this thief called malaria. When I returned home from this place where $20 can mean the difference between life and death, I realized to my shame that I spend that much on coffee in a week. It underscores for me what incredible power even a small gift can have in a world haunted by malaria.

K8792 — Damiba Dorcas, 3, smiles at her mother, Djelita Noali, as she emerges from beneath the new insecticide-treated mosquito net at her home in Samo, Cote d’Ivoire. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

I have a roof over my head. I have family that loves me. I stuffed by belly with turkey and ham and stuffing and potatoes this week. There is nothing in this world that I need. But there are people out there who are in such need. With such a little bit of money, I can help to provide life and opportunity and health and joy to not only a child, but all of the people whom that child will one day impact as they grow and thrive and learn and share their life with others.

As I looked through those ads, I started to circle things and think about what I wanted to buy… but my heart wasn’t quite in it. Tradition was all that really kept me looking. But you know what, my hard drive has long since been recycled. And I was already spending time with my family. If instead of buying more stuff I don’t need, I give today to make a difference in the life of a family struggling to overcome a battle with malaria – that money is going to have an impact far beyond ten years… it is going to transform communities and countries and an entire continent. That is what I call a best buy.

If you are looking for something to buy me for Christmas, start here: http://nc.iaumc.org/inm . This is our conference donation portal for Imagine No Malaria and you can not only make donations, but also give gifts in honor of people that you love. Spend a little less this year… and give a whole lot more.

FF: Give Thanks

Posted on November 20, 2009Leave a comment

The Cure

Lying around all day

with some strange new deep blue

weekend funk, I’m not really asleep

when my sister calls

to say she’s just hung up

from talking with Aunt Bertha

who is 89 and ill but managing

to take care of Uncle Frank

who is completely bed ridden.

Aunt Bert says

it’s snowing there in Arkansas,

on Catfish Lane, and she hasn’t been

able to walk out to their mailbox.

She’s been suffering

from a bad case of the mulleygrubs.

The cure for the mulleygrubs,

she tells my sister,

is to get up and bake a cake.

If that doesn’t do it, put on a red dress.

–Ginger Andrews (from Hurricane Sisters)

–What is your cure for the “mulleygrubs”?–

My first instinct was to respond how I wallow when I have the “mulleygrubs.” I put on pj’s and light some candles and curl up in a blanket in front of the television. Then I wait for them to go away. But the cure… probably putting some upbeat piano and vocals (like the Gabe Dixon Band) or some funky beats (like Black Eyed Peas) and getting my groove on while I clean. There is nothing like getting my house in order to shake me out of the mulleygrubs.

–Where will you be for Thanksgiving?–

Thanksgiving Eve: out to dinner and a friends house. Thanksgiving: hosting hubby’s mom’s side at our house (I don’t even have to do anything in the kitchen!). Thanksgiving Friday: my brother’s house with my side of the family. Thanksgiving Saturday: my father-in-law’s for that side of the family.

–What foods will be served? Which are traditional for your family?–

We do pretty simple traditional things. Turkey, canned cranberry jelly =), stuffing (my mom always makes Rachel Ray’s stuffin’ muffins), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmellows, green bean casserole, sweet corn (that was frozen at the end of summer), pumpkin pie. But there are also some not so traditional things: sauerkraut and a wild rice/mushroom dish.

–How do you feel about Thanksgiving as a holiday?–

I think its a terrific holiday. It’s a great chance to get together with your family and celebrate one another and the blessings of another year. My church doesn’t really do a thanksgiving service – although we did move Laity Sunday to last week and our theme was creation and abundance and thanskgiving… we sang lots of great old hymns and it was a nice way to kind of bring Thanksgiving in. I don’t like that all of our secular holidays make it into the church year. So we are sticking with Reign of Christ this Sunday.

–In this season of Thanksgiving, what are you grateful for?–

I’m grateful for my church which has always given me the opportunity to try new things, even if we fail miserably at them. I’m grateful for people across the world who are living out their faith in creative and authentic ways. I’m grateful for my close family and that we are finding new ways to support one another. I’m grateful for my husband and the ways that we keep muddling through this crazy thing called marriage.

–Bonus: What is Aunt Bertha’s Thanksgiving like?–

I’m not entirely sure, but I found that picture of a cake up above and I think that’s the kind of cake pan she would have and the kind of cake she would make. Nothing fancy – just sweet and warm and delicious. I picture her red dress being a little worn and faded, because it’s her favorite and she wears it over and over again. I picture a table heaping full of food from the garden, things that were canned and saved away over the summer and fall. I picture a turkey perfectly cooked – maybe a little overdone – that is far to big for her and Uncle Frank to eat. And I hope that someone shows up at their house to eat with them.

the kitchen smells WONDERFUL!!!

Posted on November 25, 2008Leave a comment

My husband and I are making our first turkey EVER this week! We have always done the circuit of parent’s and grandparent’s houses, and while we are still doing most of those, his mom’s side is coming over to our place.

And I am WAY excited. I started making a few things already… well, for other purposes as well. I baked two loaves of banana bread (from the bread and honey blog!) and the cranberries are on the stove as we speak. I also made some of Rachel Ray’s stuffin’ muffins for our church potluck tomorrow… my hubby isn’t so keen on all of my crazy recipes for the big T-day.

He’s excited as well… I think. At the very least, he keeps taking dishes away from me =) lol… So far, he is in charge of the turkey and the sweet potatoes and the glazed carrots. I’m doing the rolls and corn and mashed potatoes and cranberries. And then of course, there are others who are each bringing a dish. It is going to be so entirely yummy, that I simply cannot wait.

I think that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year, but my favorite chuch season is definately Advent, and in my mind it is no coincidence that they are right next to one another =) This morning I planned our worship services for the season and I am really excited about our wreath litany (from the UCC) and the song that is leading us through the season – “I want to walk as a Child of the Light.”

What I have discovered so far in my life as a minister is that it is really hard to plan far enough in advance to truly accomplish all of the things that you want to in a church season. I found that for Lent, I simply did not have enough time from the day I started at the church to get ready properly. And Advent has come up just as fast and I feel just as inadequately prepared – at least to really add all of the smells and bells in that I want to. Not smells and bells per se, but I really did want to work on making worship more multi-sensory and participatory. It’s not quite there yet. But then again, if I tried to do everything I’m dreaming about all at once, then I would’t have anything new to do next year!