How to Have a Thanksgiving Focused on God
If you are new around here, you may not know that our family isn’t big into celebrating holidays the traditional way. We like to make our path and create our own traditions that are Biblically based. For example, we don’t eat turkey on Thanksgiving, and we don’t give gifts on Christmas. Many of the current cultural traditions we grew up celebrating are based on very little meaning. Many don’t know the symbolism of eating turkey on Thanksgiving or giving of presents on Christmas. They are just things that we have done through the years, without much additional thought.
When we think of Thanksgiving in particular, many think of the Mayflower, Pilgrims, football, turkey, and lots of food. There aren’t many of us who are thinking about God and His word on those days. There is nothing wrong with celebrating man-made holidays, but as Christians, we should be celebrating in order to give Glory to God. There are many ways in which we can give God glory in our Thanksgiving celebration. If you’re looking for some ways to tweak your Thanksgiving celebrations to focus more on our Lord and less on the things of this world, then you’ve come to the right place.
Turning Our Hearts Towards God
Holidays can be a time of stress and tension for many. We become overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. The menu to be planned, the house to be cleaned, and the family dynamics that will occur. Even if you are not hosting the meal you may still need to plan on what you are bringing, what clothes to pack, how your children will behave, whether the celebration is during nap time, if you need special food for them and so much more. My hope in this piece is to help alleviate the stresses of cultural celebrations by reminding us all that our primary focus in celebration as Christians should be Christ. Changing traditions is difficult not only for us but for our family and friends. Just think of how Grandma Jane would react if someone brought a pumpkin ice cream instead of a pumpkin pie. Change is hard. Change is even more difficult when it comes to holidays and family traditions. There are times when traditions don’t need to change, and there are others when it does need to change. Maybe we don’t need to change from pumpkin pie to pumpkin ice cream, but maybe we do need to change our hearts and attitudes.
The first step in having a Thanksgiving that is dedicated to God is to ask God to work on our hearts. Before worrying about turkeys and football, we need to be spending time in God’s word as individuals and as a family. We read throughout scripture about God changing the hearts of man to love Him. We can not have a heart that is focused on God without God.
These verses from all over scripture show us that we are incapable of having a heart that is focused on the Lord. Only with help from God can our hearts be made to know Him. Before we get the practical steps for pointing our Thanksgiving to the Lord, we need to pray that God would grow our hearts to WANT to focus more on him. Apart from God’s grace to us, we are incapable of change that is pleasing to God.
Turning our Celebration to God
Now that we have spent time in prayer and directing our hearts towards God, we can talk about some practical ways to direct our celebration to God. There will be many ideas listed here, and they do not need to all be done. These are ideas to get your mind thinking about ways that YOUR family celebrating can be more directed toward God. Not everything is going to work for every family. Some people have multiple Thanksgiving they attend, many have relatives that are not Christians, and some have no one to spend the day with. No matter where you fall on this spectrum, the festive day can be a day of joy, praise, and gratefulness to our Lord and Savior.
Pray Before Your Meal
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Praying before your meal might seem simple for many people, but not everyone. If you are someone who doesn’t pray before Thanksgiving, then I encourage you to pray before your meal and to thank God for what he has given you. If you are someone who does pray before meals, I encourage you to increase your prayer and to pray for more than just your food. Instead of just thanking God for your food, I encourage you to pray according to ACTS: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. Another practice may be to pray after the meal. To thank God for ways in which he has bountifully provided for you and those around you. King Solomon prayed at the dedication and completion of the temple being built (1 Kings 8:22-53). While a Thanksgiving meal doesn’t take as long as Solomon’s Temple to make, it can sometimes be an arduous task with much planning and challenges in execution. Praying after the meal with thanks can be a wonderful way to continue the day in blessing the Lord for his blessings to you.
Count Your Blessings
Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 20:21
There are many ways you can count your blessings on Thanksgiving day, or throughout November. One thing our family likes to do is to purchase a cheap 8x10 canvas. Some years we paint it, or we leave it white, and then each day of November (or when we remember) we write or draw things that we are thankful for. This leaves us with a unique piece of art that lists and shows all the things we have been thankful for throughout November. Another option is to write something you are thankful for on a tablecloth and use the same tablecloth every year for Thanksgiving and continue adding your blessings. A handmade quilt, or wood-burning plaque can also be used depending on how creative and labor-intensive you’d like to get.
Sing a Hymn
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Psalm 96:1-2
Singing a song is a great way to direct our celebration towards God. I know what you’re thinking, “but I can’t sing”. That is ok! God doesn’t care what your voice sounds like, He is the one who gave you that voice! Whenever I mention singing to someone, they get all nervous and say something like oh we can’t do that that's too embarrassing. I understand, I get embarrassed when I sing as well but I have grown over the years and have pushed away that fear. Remember, we are not signing for ourselves or those around us, we are singing for our Lord. Here are a few hymns you could sing on Thanksgiving: Count Your Blessings, Now Thank Ye All Our God, We Gather Together, And It Can Be That I Should Gain.
Read Scripture
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty. Jeremiah 15:16
Reading scripture might seem like another simple idea, but I bet it is one that many of us are not doing on Thanksgiving. Take some time in the morning to read your Bible before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Maybe listen to scripture on audio while you are doing a few morning tasks. We can not have our hearts focused on Christ if we are not reading and spending time with Him by His Word. You could also read scripture together as a family before or after your meal. This is a great time to share the Gospel with those who may not know Jesus and a purposeful way to focus thanks on Christ. Some good passages to read on Thanksgiving are Psalm 100, Isaiah 12, and Psalm 107.
Go to Church
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:1-8
Attending a worship service in the morning is a wonderful idea! It is hard to find services on Thanksgiving morning, but is there any better way to worship the Lord and our hearts toward him? I am thrilled to be at a church this year that has worship on the morning of Thanksgiving, but what if you can’t find a church near you? You could have family worship before your meal. You could find a Thanksgiving service online and watch it together. Our church’s steam is linked here.
Invite others
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to shelter the poor wanderer— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your flesh and blood? Isaiah 58:6-7
Inviting others to your meal is a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving. As Christians, we are called to love others and that includes during celebratory times. I know it can be awkward inviting someone you don’t know very well, or maybe someone you do, into your home for a holiday meal. It goes against a lot of what we have been taught as Americans, that holidays are special times for family and close friends. But that doesn’t have to be true. My favorite Thanksgiving was our second Thanksgiving when Jacob was at seminary. We didn’t live near family and instead had over 2 single friends from seminary and an international family from Japan. It was the best! There were 9 maybe 10 of us squished into our 600 sq foot apartment, and around multiple folding tables that went throughout the hallway. Yet, we still had a wonderful time. We spent time in prayer, fellowship, and thanksgiving. I encourage all of you to invite someone over for Thanksgiving that needs somewhere to go and see what good memories and thankfulness come from the action. International students often don’t get to go home over the Thanksgiving break, and sometimes retirees can’t afford to travel or don’t have family that will be coming into town. Keep your eyes peeled and in prayer ask the Lord to give you opportunities to extend Christ-like hospitality to others during this time of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to join in celebration with others. As Christians, we need to remember that all our celebrations should give Glory to God our Father. These are just a few ways that you can bring God back into your Thanksgiving feast as the center point.
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