Unique Thanksgiving Traditions

While we all have our own unique Thanksgiving traditions, I think most of our celebrations have much in common. Gathering family and friends, partaking in a great meal, sharing what we are thankful for, and maybe even a little bit of football!

In my home, after we have eaten our meal, we go around the table and give each person the opportunity to share what they are thankful for. This is good, but for the believer there is an important element to the celebration that should not be left out. Most everyone is happy to share the subject of their thanks, that is, what they are thankful for. But too often, the object of our thanks is either assumed or left out. As believers, we must never fail to remember who we are thankful to.

Psalm106:1 says, “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” The psalmist not only reminds us that God is the right object of our thanks but that thanks and praise go hand in hand. We give God praise and we give God thanks. They are two aspects of our gratitude to God, that is, worship. Truly, the holiday of Thanksgiving is just as much a Christian holiday as Christmas and Easter.

A simple search of the word “thanks” in the NIV Bible results in 100 “hits” with a surprisingly close balance between the Old Testament (45) and the New Testament (55). As a people with the mission to be and to make Christlike disciples, we must cultivate the virtue of thanksgiving. For us, it’s more than a holiday to be celebrated once a year; it’s an attribute to be woven into the very fabric of our being.

Consider how frequently Jesus gave thanks to the Father during his earthly ministry. He certainly had the right object of his thanksgiving! As should we. So this year my prayer for us is that our Thanksgiving celebrations would be about so much more than a nice meal. May we take care to rightly name God as the object of our thanks. And may our Thanksgiving celebrations truly be a season of praise to him for his goodness and his enduring love. Forever!