Giving Thanks

Amidst a busy weekend before the upcoming holiday of feasting, I was in search for Thanksgiving-themed plates and napkins for Elijah's preschool party. Our culture has so commercialized Halloween and Christmas there seems to have been a very important piece of celebrating noticeably missing. I found one set of napkins with turkeys and some sortof matching plates that had fall-colored leaves. Hmm. What I really wanted for this group of preschoolers was something that demonstrated the meaning of Thanksgiving. But how do you portray the act of giving thanks? Even more, how do you explain this to a 2 year old? (I suppose I will run into a similar problem come Christmas when my choices center around snowmen and "happy holidays" messages. If you find some nativity-inspired decor, please let me know!)

I had to settle with the turkey napkins and solid plates. But I don't have to settle for a missed opportunity to spread thanksgiving.

My concordance gives 4 verses with the word "thanksgiving" - 1 for each day this week to our countdown to Thanksgiving Day.

Today I choose Psalm 95:2: "Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song."

Strong's defines the Hebrew for Thanksgiving as:

confession, praise, thanksgiving

1a) give praise to God

1b) thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, hymn of praise

1c) thanksgiving choir or procession or line or company

1d) thank-offering, sacrifice of thanksgiving

1e) confession

Of course I love that a few of these include praise and thanks through songs and worship, just as stated in the scripture. I can't ignore the offering either. A "sacrifice of thanksgiving." The reminder that "in all things" I am to give thanks. So despite my circumstance and no matter what the situation, it may be sacrificial but I can still give thanks.

And the last definition - confession. We normally think of an act of confession about something we've done wrong, but what about the art of confessing His goodness, professing our thankfulness so that others may see and hear? So that our offering, our sacrificial thankfulness, the confession of His goodness can be shared?

The choir. Procession. Company. Did you catch that? Not just a private act of thankfulness but sharing. More than being thankful, coming before Him, corporately offering our act of giving thanks.

So I share this with you today. I'm thankful and I'm giving Him thanks. No matter what season of life you're in, I pray you'll join with me as we celebrate this season of Thanksgiving.