Dear Friends,
Thanksgiving. What comes to mind for me are images. Images, sounds and smells that permeate the soul. The smell of roasting turkey and pumpkin pies cooling on the counter. The sound of whisking gravy, ice dropping in a glass, chatter of family, friends and strangers coming for the feast. Carving the bird, as my father carved the bird, as his father did. A meal that took hours to prepare is devoured in mere moments, it seems.
Thanksgiving. Bales of straw, gourds and pumpkins, flowers and vegetables, jams and preserves arranged beautifully at the chancel step. College and university students home for a break. A congregation singing lustily, “Now Thank we all our God.”
Thanksgiving. While the celebration of the feast in worship and at home stays relatively the same, the people in our lives come and go. Some are new among us this year – welcome them with joy. Some are missing from your table this year – remember them with tribute and kindness. Some are far from home – raise a glass in their honour. And where there is acrimony, hurt or separation, sow a word of reconciliation and peace.
Thanksgiving. Paul writes, “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) Not once a year, not twice a year, but thanksgiving every day. We are to be a people of gratitude every day, no matter the hardship, no matter the challenge, no matter the circumstances. When we offer thanks, we look beyond ourselves. We express appreciation. We reach out to others in need. We become vessels of grace. We find contentment. This is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.
We pray without ceasing for the hurts and sorrows of the world. We pray for peace in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Ukraine and Russia… We pray for care and support for those picking up the pieces in Florida and parts of the United States in the aftermath of hurricanes Milton and Helene. We pray for the lost and the forsaken, the bereaved and the broken.
I pray for you, with thanksgiving. And I thank you for your witness.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto
