Dear Family and Friends of Union Church,
We head into Thanksgiving week anticipating a wholly unfamiliar holiday season. Most of our Thanksgiving tables will have fewer place settings than usual. Annual travel plans to visit family, or have family visit us, have been put aside for this year. Some of us find ourselves in uncharted territory having to cook a Thanksgiving meal for the first time, leaving us anxious for ourselves and those for whom we will be cooking! Our capacity to love our neighbor is being stretched as governing and healthcare authorities challenge us to curtail our liberty in the interest of serving the good of the community.
The good news for the Thanksgiving Holiday is this: despite the number of challenges we encounter, there is always more for which we may be thankful. In Jesus Christ, our Lord has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and welcomed us into His Kingdom of Light! Even though we were enemies of God, Jesus has reconciled us, making us a friend of God and a fellow heir with him of an eternal inheritance. Indeed, the Lord welcomes us to his banquet table, inviting us to join all who have trusted the Lord over the years at the marriage supper of the Lamb! When we gather for worship around the Lord’s Table, we are given a snapshot and reminder of the Lord’s promise of the coming feast. I would also suggest that as we gather this Thanksgiving day, even if the numbers around our table are few, even if the meal isn’t what we are used to expecting, our heavenly Father is providing a little glimpse of the table in the Kingdom to come.
This week in worship, we will take a look at the way that Jesus describes the family table of the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:22-30; Revelation 19:6-9). I invite you to look at those passages beforehand. Let’s let these words about the coming banquet shape our Thanksgiving celebration. In that vein, I offer these practical suggestions for the Thanksgiving week ahead. Take some time each day to literally count your blessings. Make a list of the gifts of God that bring you joy in life, that make your life rich and full, then make a point to share that list with loved ones. Let that list inform your prayers of thanks on Thanksgiving Day.
Secondly, find a few moments to get online Thanksgiving week to expand your understanding of the worldwide body of Christ. You might start by exploring the websites of our mission partners in Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica and elsewhere. You will also find some helpful resources at Pastor Billy’s and my Alma Mater, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/. A vast number of resources for exploring the global character of the body of Christ may be found at https://www.lausanne.org/. I encourage you to peruse these websites so that you have the faces of our brothers and sisters to the east, west, north and south of us in your mind as you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. Even better, if you can find the names of some of these fellow disciples, make note of them. Call their names to mind on Thanksgiving Day. Most surely, when the great banquet of the Kingdom arrives, these brothers and sisters will be seated next to you, and across from you!
Please know that at the present time, there are no changes to our plans for worship in person and via live stream. We would simply remind those who gather in person to observe the guidelines for social distancing in the sanctuary – make sure to spread yourselves out sufficiently – and wear your mask and wash your hands frequently. We will keep you updated should government and healthcare leaders require differently of us.
On behalf of Pastor Billy and the rest of the Union Staff, I want you to know that we are thankful for you! Your faith in Jesus Christ and partnership in the Gospel blesses us and encourages us. We pray that the Lord will fill your Thanksgiving Holiday with joy as you offer the Lord thanks and praise!
Peace,
Tom
