"The Color of Thanksgiving"
Our five senses are very powerful. They are tied directly to our emotions and can trigger responses at any time. Take, for example, the sense of smell. We walk into a home with fresh bread baking, and you immediately feel warm and welcome. Another door we walk through may have an aroma that transports us back to our childhood and grandparents’ home. In moments like these, emotions and sensations that we have forgotten for years wash over us in compelling ways. Some are gentle. Some are not.
The same is true for what we touch, taste, hear and see. Each of these senses by themselves demands a response from deep inside our being. Think how you respond to fingernails on a chalkboard. What kind of sensation do you experience from the taste of a warm chocolate chip cookie? How about the response to touching a hot pan? Our senses are given to us by God to enhance life and protect us from things that can harm.
Fall is a time of year filled with opportunities for our senses to be engaged. The coolness of the approaching winter chill on our skin, yet the warmth of the sun on our face. The smell of the harvest season filled with good things baking. There are the sounds of leaves underfoot and the flocking of migrating birds. And, of course, there are the good things to taste and enjoy that accompany a Thanksgiving meal.
It is at this time of year I want to challenge you to see Thanksgiving as a “brown holiday.” This allows Thanksgiving to be very different from the frenzied red and blinking lights of the secularized Christmas. Or Easter with the boldness of white, a symbol of purity and beauty as seen in the pedals of the lily. And very different from waving the colors red, white and blue to celebrate the 4th of July. Thanksgiving comes in peaceful, earth-toned colors, reminding us of fallen leaves, dried stalks of corn, and landscapes at rest following the harvest.
A peaceful color like brown is appropriate for the day. Other than a busy trip to the grocery store ahead of Thanksgiving, there is no frantic shopping season. For this we can thank God. There are no office parties, not much decorating, and no exchanging of gifts. More than any other special day, Thanksgiving remains a family celebration. It is also a joy to proclaim, “no one has taken the thanks out of Thanksgiving.”
I have never heard that complaint. Even the most stubborn person must say that undeserved blessings have come their way. Some may say that it has been their “good luck” or a “great opportunity”, but these things have truly been “blessings.” Still, the fact remains that the majority are aware during this season that life graces us with gifts we’ve done nothing to earn.
For most of us, the meaning of Thanksgiving was learned in elementary school, as we portrayed Pilgrims in construction paper hats or Native Americans with cardboard feathers. These scenes were all colored with crayons, in the muted tones of fall. It is during these years that we learned Thanksgiving was a day for offering thankful gratitude.
As Christians, the meaning of this special day was solidified in our lives as we gathered around a table and home, family and close friends. With the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of our family celebration fresh in our minds, we learned the benefit of our perspective. We learned to whom we give our thanks. This was a day for giving God thanks. Our faith provides us a perspective that enables us to see any gift or bounty was not owed to us, but truly gifts and blessings from a loving God. Christians even understand that in hard times, when the obvious blessings seem scarce, we are abundantly graced with life. This is truly a wonderful gift to cherish. Life is a gift to be thankfully lived out in the abiding presence of God.
As you offer your gratitude to God this Thanksgiving season, may your senses be calmed by the peacefulness of the color brown. Let this peace flood your soul with an overflowing sense of gratitude. And from that abundance, share with your family, so they will learn the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
Give thanks to the LORD for He is Good.
Pastor Steve