Thanksgiving to Whom?

All Saints Church, River Ridge, La. 11 17 08

Dear Friends in Christ,

A common phenomenon among most peoples in the world and their religious traditions is a harvest festival. Among the Israelites, two big harvest festivals were appointed, namely Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkoth (Festival of Booths). These commemorated the first harvest in the late spring and the great fall harvest. Although these appear to have begun as agricultural festivals, they soon took on theological meaning in the Torah. Pentecost commemorated the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai (interestingly for Christians it is the giving of the Holy Spirit). Sukkoth commemorated the wanderings in the wilderness and the provision of manna by God. Jews and Christians have been nervous about having feast days solely associated with agriculture because of their pagan associations. It is not the earth or the grain goddesses to whom we pray, but God who created and sustains the world.

Hence, Christians (like their Jewish forbearers) do not have explicitly agricultural festivals on our calendars, yet in most Christian cultures civil authorities appoint one, such as Harvest Home in England. In the United States, our government has established Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. It has its antecedent in the Plymouth colony and similar commemorations in Virginia and elsewhere. Again, in spite of food and produce brought to church, it is not a feast of thanksgiving to the gods of produce, but to the Creator, who provides and sustains us.

The bookend to Thanksgiving is a commemoration in the spring of the year called the Rogation Days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Ascension Day), in which prayers are said and processions conducted to bless the fields, that there may be a fruitful harvest. Today, Rogation Sunday is often observed as a kind of liturgical Earth Day, where we pray for all involved in agriculture, environment and industry, that we may sustainably be stewards of God gifts.

In the coming week, as we commemorate Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for family and friends that have gathered and for all God has given to us in Creation and God’s continuous care for all that God has made. May we also give thanks for the redemptive acts of God in Christ and throughout our lives.