“O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:1-6)

I love the Fall! I love the respite, however brief, from the heat of Summer, when what few seasonal trees we have burst in beautiful colors of orange, yellow and red. It is, to me a wonderful time to reflect on the greatness of God and the utter genius of His creation – and to do so in a sweater or jacket! While not the renewal and rebirth that characterizes Spring, Fall, to me, shows the hand of God so clearly on our world. It’s one of the many things I’m thankful for.

Perhaps that’s why Abraham Lincoln selected this time of year to inaugurate our nation’s Thanksgiving observance. OK, it was likely because there wasn’t already a holiday during this time – but, indulge me just a little on this. The important thing isn’t really when we celebrate it, it’s the fact that we do. The idea that we, as a country, pause on this one day to remember the bountiful blessings of our Creator, and to simply reflect with thanksgiving to the One who made it all – everything – even us. Especially us.

And, as the Civil War came to a close, Lincoln must have had similar thoughts of the provision of God, who carried the Republic through a bitter war, and on whom he relied daily for peace and direction. So much so that he declared a day of remembrance for the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord who made it possible.

How much we have to be thankful for! For family, friends, church. For peace, provision, and life. For the God who made the mountains and the seas, and us. Everything we are, and hope to be, we owe to Him. So, as we gather to eat and watch football, let’s not forget to take a moment to, first, remember and thank the founder of it all – the living God!

In His Love,

Heath