Something to Be Thankful For

When it comes to selecting choral music for worship, I believe it is advantageous to make use of the various holidays that fill our calendar. Granted, most of our holidays are not "Biblical", and the few that arguably ever were have drifted far in their observance from any scriptural anchor they may have once had. The fact is however, our hearts and minds become predisposed to the themes and ideas of those seasons as we are assaulted by the secular music, imagery, lawn decorations, and predawn sales events culturally linked to those holidays giving us the opportunity to address the subjects of those seasons with little or no introduction. Ironically enough, the one holiday for which I personally feel there is more scriptural and theological basis tends to get the least attention. That holiday is Thanksgiving.

Throughout history many cultures have observed periods of thanksgiving at the end of harvest season. Our Judeo-Christian roots are no stranger to this practice. The Old Testament is replete with instructions for the celebration of feasts that God commanded of His people, Israel. Of the seven high feast celebrations, three are specifically set aside as times of thanksgiving among the people. The celebrations of Firstfruits, and Pentecost commemorated the beginning of the time of harvest of barley and wheat respectively. These two events fall on our modern calendar between the months of March and June. The celebration of Tabernacles or Sukkot followed at the end of the harvest time in our September or October. Specific instructions for the types of sacrifices and required procedures for these holidays are given throughout Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Admittedly, the New Testament gives us no instruction to celebrate any holidays other than the Christian Sabbath. We have no commands regarding Christian holy days or feasts. Although I adore the Christian themes they inspire, the holidays of Christmas and Easter have a checkered past and are basically the result of attempts at cleaning up pre-existing pagan rites and rituals and incorporating them into the Christian world. Our modern mythologies regarding a red dressed demigod and magical egg bearing rodents have done little to aid in that clean-up. Nevertheless, those holidays get more attention in and out of church than does a celebration intended to simply remind us to be thankful to God.

Since we no longer live in an agrarian society, our culture has become increasingly oblivious to the concept of harvest celebrations. The school calendar which prevails to this day serves as a reminder of how farm life one shaped our culture. As we have moved away from agriculture as a society, and have embraced consumerism, it seems to me that we have become less dependent on God and therefore less thankful to Him for His provision. When we relied upon Him to provide the rain and appropriate weather to make our crops grow we were more aware of his blessings. Now we pray for weather conditions that meet our travel and recreation desires more often than we pray for conditions on our crops.

No, there is no eleventh commandment to celebrate a feast of Thanksgiving in the month of November. But the idea of being thankful to a sovereign God who meets our needs as He sees fit is quite appropriate . Don't be surprised over the next few weeks when you hear music of thanksgiving and appreciation for what God has done in our lives. This month try praying for farmers and for God's blessing upon the harvest. What blesses the harvest does bless us. Be reminded this month that God has been good to us even though we don't deserve His goodness. Gather together to ask the Lord's blessing. Be amazed at the goodness of God.