November 2024 Newsletter

November has a very important holiday in which families gather, football games are watched, holiday or extraneous shopping occurs, and we tend to make lots of food and overeat. It’s Thanksgiving! There are historical and cultural roots to this holiday, but as Lutheran Christians – and as I always focus on the “worship” aspect of Christian life – I want to talk about the THANKS in Thanksgiving.
As children, when someone does something nice, we were usually taught or teach our own children, “What do you say?” to prompt them to respond with “Thank you”. Our daily interactions with family, friends, and strangers can be rushed, and maybe we forget to say “thank you” occasionally, but I’m betting that most of us will still say “thanks” to the gas station clerk, the store employee, and others. Maybe we’ve had someone help us with a large project or support us physically or financially. We might show our gratitude to the helper with words of thanks, or even a return gesture such as a card or gift. Yet, to our heavenly Father, His perfect Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, who helps us and guides us – how do we show our thanks?

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