giving thanks
Giving Thanks
I only know how to say, “Thank you” in a handful of languages: American Sign, Spanish, German, English, and Greek. I think it is probably one of the most important phrases to learn in a language. The reason I know how to say thank you in Greek is not because I have traveled to Greece. I know how to say thank you in Greek because of my tradition’s practice of hanging on to Latin and/or Greek words for special actions and things. I have mixed feelings about that, to be honest. Sometimes hanging on to those ancient words can alienate people. If someone were on a quest to find God, would she look in a ciborium? (I digress.)
Instead of abandoning traditional language, part of my work as a priest is to decode, or translate, when appropriate. The central "code word" for me is "Eucharist." It's what we do every Sunday morning when we gather for worship, including sharing bread and wine in Holy Communion. Eucharist means, "Thanksgiving." Central to my understanding of what it means to live life as a Christian is that it is entirely an act of giving thanks to God. It is a response to what God is already doing. When we gather on Sundays, we are gathering to say, "thank you” in a weekly act of thanksgiving: Eucharist.
That may be why I get a little giddy when we draw close to Thanksgiving, the National Holiday. I believe it's an important celebration in the secular arena, and a small way to say "thank you" for the good gifts we have received, in a familiar language. (I'm not advocating that we change the name to Eucharist, by the way!) Thanksgiving, like Eucharist, has a lot to do with food! We set aside special foods to be shared with our family and friends. We walk away from whatever we might normally do on a Thursday, and we sit down to feast, giving thanks for the gifts we have received.
In Port Aransas, Thanksgiving is a time for people from different churches to get together and pray with one another. This year, the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service will take place at Trinity by the Sea, and Rev. James Miller, the pastor at Grace Community Church, will be preaching. That service will be on Sunday, November 24, at 4 p.m. I am looking forward to that night, and I hope you can join in offering your prayers of thanksgiving. Whether you are part of our local churches, or not.
There are several other community thanksgiving opportunities: One will be following that Ecumenical Prayer Service. The First Baptist Church will host their annual Thanksgiving Banquet at 6 p.m. at City Hall, and it is open to the whole community. Then on Thanksgiving Day, Trinity by the Sea will also host a Thanksgiving dinner from 11-2; donations will be accepted to benefit the Helping Hands Food Bank, in Port Aransas. Which leads me to the Helping Hands Food Bank: They will be distributing Thanksgiving Baskets on November 26th; sign up to receive a basket by November 12th. To make a donation toward those baskets, please stop by the Helping Hands Food Bank, located at the Presbyterian Church on a Tuesday.
Eucharist, or Thanksgiving, is central to my spiritual life. Returning week by week for Eucharist teaches me to live a life of thanksgiving, thankful for all that God has given us, thankful for all that God is doing in the world around us. The National Holiday of Thanksgiving is an annual opportunity for a country to gather and practice thanksgiving. You can do that by feasting with your family, by stopping to eat with family, or by making sure others are fed. Whatever you choose to do and whatever language you use to give thanks this year at Thanksgiving, do so intentionally. It is an opportunity to translate feelings of thanksgiving into words that need to be heard and actions that need to be enacted.
Originally Published in the South Jetty
I only know how to say, “Thank you” in a handful of languages: American Sign, Spanish, German, English, and Greek. I think it is probably one of the most important phrases to learn in a language. The reason I know how to say thank you in Greek is not because I have traveled to Greece. I know how to say thank you in Greek because of my tradition’s practice of hanging on to Latin and/or Greek words for special actions and things. I have mixed feelings about that, to be honest. Sometimes hanging on to those ancient words can alienate people. If someone were on a quest to find God, would she look in a ciborium? (I digress.)
Instead of abandoning traditional language, part of my work as a priest is to decode, or translate, when appropriate. The central "code word" for me is "Eucharist." It's what we do every Sunday morning when we gather for worship, including sharing bread and wine in Holy Communion. Eucharist means, "Thanksgiving." Central to my understanding of what it means to live life as a Christian is that it is entirely an act of giving thanks to God. It is a response to what God is already doing. When we gather on Sundays, we are gathering to say, "thank you” in a weekly act of thanksgiving: Eucharist.
That may be why I get a little giddy when we draw close to Thanksgiving, the National Holiday. I believe it's an important celebration in the secular arena, and a small way to say "thank you" for the good gifts we have received, in a familiar language. (I'm not advocating that we change the name to Eucharist, by the way!) Thanksgiving, like Eucharist, has a lot to do with food! We set aside special foods to be shared with our family and friends. We walk away from whatever we might normally do on a Thursday, and we sit down to feast, giving thanks for the gifts we have received.
In Port Aransas, Thanksgiving is a time for people from different churches to get together and pray with one another. This year, the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service will take place at Trinity by the Sea, and Rev. James Miller, the pastor at Grace Community Church, will be preaching. That service will be on Sunday, November 24, at 4 p.m. I am looking forward to that night, and I hope you can join in offering your prayers of thanksgiving. Whether you are part of our local churches, or not.
There are several other community thanksgiving opportunities: One will be following that Ecumenical Prayer Service. The First Baptist Church will host their annual Thanksgiving Banquet at 6 p.m. at City Hall, and it is open to the whole community. Then on Thanksgiving Day, Trinity by the Sea will also host a Thanksgiving dinner from 11-2; donations will be accepted to benefit the Helping Hands Food Bank, in Port Aransas. Which leads me to the Helping Hands Food Bank: They will be distributing Thanksgiving Baskets on November 26th; sign up to receive a basket by November 12th. To make a donation toward those baskets, please stop by the Helping Hands Food Bank, located at the Presbyterian Church on a Tuesday.
Eucharist, or Thanksgiving, is central to my spiritual life. Returning week by week for Eucharist teaches me to live a life of thanksgiving, thankful for all that God has given us, thankful for all that God is doing in the world around us. The National Holiday of Thanksgiving is an annual opportunity for a country to gather and practice thanksgiving. You can do that by feasting with your family, by stopping to eat with family, or by making sure others are fed. Whatever you choose to do and whatever language you use to give thanks this year at Thanksgiving, do so intentionally. It is an opportunity to translate feelings of thanksgiving into words that need to be heard and actions that need to be enacted.
Originally Published in the South Jetty
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