Is Thanksgiving Christian?

Is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday? That depends on how you celebrate it.There’s nothing Christian about gluttony. While I love football, and a lot of committed Christians will be playing in the traditional Thanksgiving games, there’s nothing Christian about football per se. Just having the day off and getting together with a big group of people will not make the holiday “Christian”.On the other hand, the concept is deeply Christian. The worship book of the ancient Israelites, and the one Jesus would have used when he worshiped in the synagogues and Temple, is filled with the theme of thanksgiving. The Jews believed they could not worship without giving thanks. Our New Testament books are also filled with instructions to give thanks, and to do so all the time.So the concept that we are emphasizing on Thanksgiving is Christian, and the roots of the day that has been set aside for this purpose is also Christian.But not very many people will be celebrating it that way. Will you?How can we make sure it is a Christian celebration?Shouldn’t we start by doing what Jesus would like to do through us on this holiday. Most of us have the day off work. We’re going to be eating a big meal. We’ll be surrounded by family.But we also know people who will be alone. People we work with. People in our families that others are avoiding. People in our neighborhoods. People at church.Last year we had a meal at church on Thanksgiving Day to bring together those in the community who would otherwise be alone. This year, we thought it would be a better plan to involve all of us, and encourage each of you to invite at least one person who otherwise would be alone for the day, to join your Thanksgiving gathering.Have you made that invitation? If not, I encourage you to do so today…it’s not too late.