Dana Reardon - Thanksgiving in a dangerous time

Thanksgiving in a dangerous time

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I have been thinking about the families and friends that will gather this week for Thanksgiving. Some of them are more in the mood to give thanks. Some will meet grandchildren for the first time or the new fiancées of loved ones. In some families joyous announcements will take place, or joy will attend the return of sons or daughters from Iraq or Afghanistan. Some families will gather in their very first house this year.

But other gatherings will be more mixed, where a love one is missing for the first time, or where ominous test results are pending or have just been received. Some families will not be together because of divorce or anger. Other families will live in shelters or be poised on the verge of homelessness.

And yet we all gather. We gather to give thanks. We give thanks that we have been given each other to celebrate with and to mourn, to worry with and to pray with. We give thanks that some of us have enough to share and to truly live the meaning of the words, "giving thanks."

We give thanks that God is with those who are apart from us. We give thanks for a God who can heal and mend the brokenness and give new life. Even when that promise may seem faint.

Thanksgiving is merely a model for all of our lives because in good times and in bad, in hardship and in plenty we bring it all to God and we give thanks.

Lord,

We give thanks for all your blessings and those with whom you have given to us to share. We give thanks that you are with in good time and in hard times and your presence never fails.

Amen

The Rev. Dana Reardon is pastor at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Warwick, RI. A lifelong Lutheran, she came to ordained ministry after 21 years in nursing, mostly in pediatric intensive care. She graduated from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 1998 and served 4 ½ years in Upstate New York before becoming a New Englander. She is still trying to understand the accent. While in the Upstate New York Synod she chaired the Stewardship Team. That began her fascination with what makes stewards -- and more, what makes for generosity. She has three amazing daughters: Pastor Reardon says much of what she knows of life she learned from them.