Above: The Healing of Ten Lepers, by James Tissot
Image in the Public Domain
THANKSGIVING DAY (U.S.A.)
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Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season,
and for the labors of those who harvest them.
Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty,
for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need,
to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
—Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), 701
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Joel 2:21-27
Psalm 150
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Matthew 6:25-33
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Since antiquity and in cultures from many parts of the Earth harvest festivals have been occasions of thanksgiving. In the United States of America, where the first national observance of Thanksgiving occurred in 1863, the November date has related to the harvest feast in Plymouth in 1621. Prior to 1863 some U.S. states had an annual thanksgiving holiday, and there was a movement for the national holiday. Liturgically the occasion has remained tied to harvest festivals, although the meaning of the holiday has been broader since 1863. The Episcopal Church has observed its first Book of Common Prayer in 1789. Nationwide Thanksgiving Day has become part of U.S. civil religion and an element of commercialism, which might actually be the primary sect of civil religion in the United States. The Almighty Dollar attracts many devotees.
Too easily and often this holiday deteriorates into an occasion to gather with relatives while trying (often in vain) to avoid shouting matches about politics and/or religion, or to watch television, or to be in some other awkward situation. The holiday means little to me; I find it inherently awkward. This state of affairs is the result of my youth, when my family and I, without relatives nearby, witnessed many of our neighbors hold family reunions on the holiday. Thanksgiving Day, therefore, reminds me of my lifelong relative isolation.
Nevertheless, I cannot argue with the existence of occasions to focus on gratitude to God. The Bible teaches us in both Testaments that we depend entirely on God, depend on each other, are responsible to and for each other, and have no right to exploit each other. The key word is mutuality, not individualism. I embrace the focus on this ethos.
A spiritual practice I find helpful is to thank God throughout each day, from the time I awake to the time I go to bed. Doing so helps one recognize how fortunate one is. The electrical service is reliable. The breeze is pleasant. The sunset is beautiful. Reading is a great pleasure. The list is so long that one can never reach the end of it, but reaching the end of that list is not the goal anyway. No, the goal is to be thankful and to live thankfully.
Too often we forget to be grateful. Too often we are like the nine lepers in Luke 17:11-19 who neglected to thank Jesus for healing them. Too seldom we are like the sole former leper who expressed gratitude to Jesus.
I refrain from reducing piety to more good manners, but good manners, expressed to God, are healthy spiritual practices. Certainly thanking God throughout each day will improve one’s life in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
THE FEAST OF EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF HENRY LASCALLES JENNER, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
THE FEAST OF JOHN CAMPBELL SHAIRP, SCOTTISH POET AND EDUCATOR
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Adapted from this post:
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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