Message from the Pastor - Archive
November
For every event that we want to keep alive in our collective memory, for every issue we want to emphasize, there is a designated day. There is Aids Day, Earth Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Day and many others. And each of us takes these days more or less seriously, depending whether we are personally invested, or not.
I guess a Veteran will observe Memorial Day differently than a person who doesn’t share the same experience; Christmas Day is in the first place meaningful for Christians. Each of these “days” has a certain target group for which it is relevant. For others it might mean nothing but a day off.
Thanksgiving is in a league of its own. It does not have a limited target group, except that it is an American holiday. Outside of the US hardly anybody will eat a turkey on November 26. But other than that Thanksgiving has a rather wide basis. In that perspective a day for giving thanks is actually a great idea. What a concept to sit back for a while and reflect on our blessings, on all the things we have reason to be thankful for.
At the same time, Thanksgiving is so commercialized. Everything about it is predictable and perhaps overwhelming. We know that the day before Thanksgiving will be the busiest travel day in the country. We know that families will overeat and then probably collapse in front of the TV.
Making Thanksgiving truly a day of giving thanks needs a conscious effort. Thanksgiving is a good time to think about the basics of our lives and to sort out the essential from the non-essential; the important things from those, which only appear to be important. Making Thanksgiving actually a day of giving thanks is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to talk with others about life, what makes it meaningful and what is important.
I hope that we all will enjoy your Thanksgiving Day in good company, not having too much stress and many reasons to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!