Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Many of us are planning to travel to see family or host family who will come to visit us. Either way, Thanksgiving is of course traditionally celebrated as a family gathering.
For a lot of families, Thanksgiving is loads of fun, laughter, and love with members of the clan we don't see frequently. And surely the delicious food and drink only enhances the enjoyable time together.
For many others, however, Thanksgiving is often a dreaded, painful experience of socially compelled time with human beings that we have no desire to be with, but it just so happens they are family members.
Still for perhaps most of us, Thanksgiving is typically a combination of positive and negative experiences.
One thing I have learned and experienced in my 25 years of ordained ministry is that a church can often be a comforting, safe source of what we hunger and thirst for at Thanksgiving from family.
At Fairfield Glade Community Church, we are a family. The folks in our congregation don't replace my biological family and my family through marriage, but my church family is still family and in many ways has become my true spiritual family, which makes a huge difference in my life and the lives of everyone in the church.
Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude, appreciation, and thankfulness. I thank God I'm part of a loving, humorous, compassionate church family. Thank you God!