Rev. George Miller
Nov 26, 2025; Thanksgiving Eve
Psalm 100
To guide, to tend, to be welcomed back as
one of God’s own.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my favorite day
of the year. It’s waking up to watch
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade while eating buttermilk pancakes and sipping
coffee with sweetened condensed milk.
Thanksgiving is making my mom’s creamed
onions; putting up the Christmas Tree while listening to holiday songs by Natalie
Cole and Luther Vandross.
Thanksgiving is hanging ornaments from
people I’ve known and places I’ve been like Disney World and Anheuser Busch; watching
“A Diva’s Christmas Carol” and my favorite Doctor Who Christmas Special.
Thanksgiving is a day I spend alone, but in
no way lonely. I get to stay inside and in
my pjs all day, unrushed and unbothered.
It’s the day I fondly remember
everybody. My family who has always
watched the Parade no matter where we are.
The foods that remind me of folk like my great-grandmother in Brooklyn.
Each ornament is attached to a memory and
person- Cornelius, Carmel’la, Tonya, Timmy.
I love Thanksgiving. It creates space to rest and remember,
reconnect through texts and calls, and watching the cats lay under the glow of
the Christmas tree lights while Bing Crosby sings.
For me, Thanksgiving is a day to remember
where you’re from, where you’re going, who’s been there along the way.
What does it mean for you; how do you
choose to spend it?
Thanksgiving is a reminder of our nation’s
past and foundational moments- the adventures, the trials, and coming together;
a day tied to our denomination, as the Pilgrims and Puritans became the
Congregational side of the UCC.
The first was a meal they had in 1621
shared with the Wampanoag people. Then in 1863, President Lincoln established
Thanksgiving as a National Holiday, seeking to restore harmony, asking citizens
to pray for the nation’s wounds.
Be it that first meal in 1621, 1863 or
2025, Thanksgiving is a time to look back, look forward and say “Thank you thank you thank you.”
How each culture brought their own flair
to the Thanksgiving dinner. German
immigrants brought the Cornucopia, their love for parades, and pastries.
Tonight’s Psalm is perfect for a night
like this. A chance to praise the Lord
and give thanks to God who made us, in
which we are the sheep of the pasture.
Such an interesting phrase. What does it mean to say we are sheep of the
pasture? In many ways it says more about
God than it does about us.
It means God is our shepherd.
As sheep of God’s pasture, we can trust
that God will guide us. That is we
listen and learn to discern God’s will and God’s voice, we can find ourselves
in productive places, safe situations, in which the Spirit gives us direction, rhythm,
purpose, and a place at the table.
God tends to us, noticing what we
need. The healing of hurts, being lifted
up after a fall from grace or a tough time.
Being carried while we are weak; being encouraged to thrive in the sun.
God welcomes us back. When we have strayed, when we feel so far
away and ready to return, God is the kind of shepherd who lets us approach,
because the relationship has never truly stopped.
God knows our voice, knows our heart, welcomes
us back into the flock, walking beside us, talking sweetly to us, encouraging
us, making sure we find those green pastures and still waters again.
God is the shepherd who says “You’re here;
you’re safe. Let’s eat. Let’s get you strong again.”
This is the heart-language of tomorrow;
this is the heart-language of the Advent season we are about to enter.
The thanks we give for all we are
surrounded by and blessed with; the thanks we get for belonging to God and
being one of the flock.
The thanks we give for being in the Lord’s
presence, for being part, guided, tended to, and welcomed whenever we stray.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for; what are we
thankful for; how do we continue to show that spirit of gratitude to God, our
Good Shepherd. Amen.
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