Celebrating Thanksgiving Like Jesus
This season, He is our comfort food.
We all know the story of the Pilgrims giving thanks to God after surviving their horrific first winter in New England. But, I wonder, why did the people responsible for instituting the Thanksgiving holiday in America select Thursday as the day to celebrate it? Could they have had Maundy Thursday in mind; the church "high day" commemorating Christ's Last Supper? Whether or not that was the case, there are powerful applications and similarities between Jesus and the dinner He shared with His disciples and the dinner we Christians will be sharing with our friends and families this week. (Last Supper by da Vinci - Wikipedia)
Most of us come into this holiday season fatigued, or apprehensive about the future, or with any other number of personal issues. Some may still be grieving the loss of a loved one, whether by death or divorce. For them, Thanksgiving may seem a cruel test of their faith. Others, isolated by age or health restrictions, will have their loneliness greatly, painfully magnified. For whatever reason, the holidays somehow cause us to focus inward, and therein lies the rub. There, in our vulnerable minds, lurks that lying voice of the tormenter telling us we're unloved, or alone, or washed-up, or...pick your poison.
I'm sure Jesus heard those voices too. He did in the desert when He was tempted after 40 days of fasting. If ever there was a time in Jesus' life when fear came rushing in like a stealth bomber on a secret mission to search and destroy, it was that night He was arrested after sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew full well what the following day would bring, and yet, at the dinner table—flanked by weak friends, some of whom would betray and deny Him in short order—[He] "took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them." (Luke 22:19). Later, he even washed their feet, telling them "I am among you as One who serves." (Luke 22:27).
Take comfort and courage then, my Breaking Christian News friends, as we enter this beautiful and extremely sensitive season. I know it's easier said than done, but Jesus led the way for us. We may not know what tomorrow holds for us, but it couldn't be worse than what Jesus faced. If He could receive power from God to overcome the obstacles facing Him, to the point that He could serve His friends and give thanks to His Father, in the face of the sacrifice of the Cross He was about to bear, then I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever we can access that same grace as well. And who knows but that surrender to such grace will not only strengthen us for the race we run, but give us unsurpassing peace and joy.
May that joy be yours this Thanksgiving.
