Thanksgiving
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”
Psalm 9:1
Is Thanksgiving a secular holiday or a religious holiday? The answer to that question is, “Yes.” Thanksgiving Day is both a secular and a religious holiday. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we read of the call to feast and celebrate in thanksgiving for what God has done, whether it is an abundant harvest or victory in battle. The current American holiday owes its origin to both of those reasons for giving thanks. We know of harvest celebrations held by the Pilgrims in Massachusetts in the 17th Century, and history tells us it was the Continental Congress who called for a celebration of thanksgiving in 1777 after the victory over the British at Saratoga in the Revolutionary War. However, it is Abraham Lincoln who established the fourth Thursday in November as a national holiday when he issued a proclamation in the midst of the Civil War in 1863, as the tide began to turn in favor of the Union after years of death and destruction.
Yet, our faith is grounded in the act of thanksgiving. The very word of our primary worship, Eucharist, comes from the Greek word, eukharistos, meaning to give thanks. Our worship of God is our offering of praise and thanks for the extraordinary gift of merely being and for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. When we look at our lives in this way, every day should be Thanksgiving Day.
I doubt the debate over whether Thanksgiving is a secular or a religious holiday makes much difference, but the act of being grateful, of giving thanks, does make a difference. Psychologists and neurologists have been studying the effect of gratitude on the brain and on mental health. Gratitude is a strong antidote for stress, and supports sleep quality and cardiovascular health. Gratitude develops new neural pathways as tendencies toward positive emotions grow through regularly expressing thanks. Gratitude fosters connection and builds intimacy in relationships.[1]
So, giving thanks to God naturally deepens our relationship with God. It is one of those spiritual disciplines that, when practiced consistently, becomes a way of life for us. The more we give gratitude to God for all that we have and for all that we are, the more gratitude we have to share. When that happens, well, that touches others’ lives, and the Good News is spread as we tell of the “wonderful deeds” of our God through the gratitude expressed in our own lives.
Make today’s practice of giving thanks to God for all the blessings you have received from God this year become a daily practice!
