Christmas is by far one of my favorite holidays. And since after last Christmas Fiona woke up at 4am for the next six days in anticipation of more sweet rolls and wrapped presents, I would conclude that Fiona also agrees-getting presents is much more fun than being thankful for anything...
So there I was on the tail end of my days Christmas mission at Target, sitting in my car with my Laugh and Learn Kitchen passenger, thinking about what else I needed to purchase and for who and how I was going to afford it (only becoming slightly irritated by the concept that any family could find room in their monthly budget to buy everyone they know a gift!) when standing on the right side of my car under the stop light, I saw a woman. She was dressed in puffy layers of old jackets holding a sign that read, "Family in Need."
There are consequences for skipping over Thanksgiving. For neglecting an opportunity to take inventory of all that you have and acknowledge the true Owner of all that we hold sacred. In skipping over a holiday that has much more to give than just the extra five pounds from an oversized dinner, we deny ourselves an essential part of preparing ourselves to truly give on Christmas~the reconnection with the reality that we own nothing and that it is only by grace alone that we even have anything to give. Without this understanding, how can we expect to ever be ready to give as the birth of our Savior into this world requires?
For the Israelites, following the Law as written in Deuteronomy was much more meaningful than it might first appear. It is in this annual ritual of bringing the first basket of their harvest to the temple that serves as an open acknowledgment that the land itself is a gift from God. The recitation of God's role in history as the basket is set before the altar reflects the Israelites faith in God's continual deliverance for the future; a communal reminder that even to have anything to give was by God's grace alone.
It is in the act of giving back what was so freely given that the Israelites re-establish the connection to a God to whom which everything belongs. It is in the giving back that their eyes are opened to all that they have been given. It is in the having less of what was never there's that they embrace the reality that it is God's love and grace that has and will sustain them in the years to come.
In many ways this ritual given to us in Deuteronomy may feel foreign and rigid. We live in a society based on individualism. We give how we want and when we want independent of the needs surrounding us and primarily based on our perception of how much we have to spare. The American's voice responds to the text; "No God is going to tell me how to give!" Even worse is when as self identified followers of Jesus, Deliverer of the 'New Covenant', we graciously exempt ourselves from the Laws in Deuteronomy, conveniently forgetting that the road of Discipleship is and the call of the Israelites was a much greater responsibility than a superficial interpretation inspiring someone to bring a fruit basic to church on Sunday.
Deeply embedded in the gift of the harvest to the Temple was an understanding that to give up of what you had was a proper response to God's gift of grace. This was not a voluntary act of charity, a nice thing to do when the people felt like they had more than they needed, but a requirement of fully embracing and living in covenant with the God who had so freely given to them all that they harvested.
Can you imagine a life lived without the backdrop of entitlement? Without the illusion of ownership? Embracing the reality that nothing is owed to us...that everything is a gift given to us for the purpose of being given away. How quickly would we experience the liberation that Jesus promises us if we are to be His followers. For just as the Israelites, we too are chosen people, recipients of the gift of the Son of God who comes to us and frees us from the weight of our burdens.
As contemporary Christians living by the terms of this new covenant established in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we would like to think we are above the need for such traditions of thanksgiving. We passover the turkey and jump to the gifts before we have even had a chance to reflect on what our harvest is, on what we are really called to give.
But it is in the establishment of the new covenant by Jesus' sacrifice that we see the high cost of our lifestyle choice. For instead of being called to bring a harvest to God, we are called to give our hearts to Jesus. Instead of preparing our harvest into a meal for the 'stranger,' Jesus calls us to prepare our lives as a living offering, that through the actions of our lives and the generosity of our hearts, no one would live without a harvest. In a society where any sense of community and faithfulness has corroded away, it is now more than ever we need a solid tradition of Thanksgiving. An intentional time of remembering all gifts come from God and return to God and in-between, Jesus calls us to serve as stewards of Thankfulness for that which grace alone has put on our tables and in our lives.
We don't pray before meals at our home but this morning sitting at breakfast with Fiona she randomly bowed her head and closed her eyes and said "Mommy! You close your eyes to pray!!" Afraid of the repercussions of not fulfilling the demands of my little terrorist I closed my eyes and bowed my head curious of what was to come next. "Dear God..." Then she looked up and said "Mama, SING!"
