Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a day of gratitude and fellowship in some way or another yesterday, and I hope you continue to live life in thankfulness.  I'm revamping a post from July relating to Thanksgiving for this week.  I hope you don't mind!

The gravel road a few miles from my Illinois home led down to the Mackinaw River and the old bridge. It was one of those structures that we describe as rustic and rickety... could we really drive across it?  Would I fall through if I walked across it? The road and the bridge were scenic and beautiful in the way of postcards, but across the river spanned by the creaky bridge, the scalp prickled and tales of legend were told.  You see, on the other side of the river was a sad, rundown house which, although appeared uninhabited, was the home of a recluse.  A man who was notorious in our small community with stories of pulling out the shotgun to pepper folks who entered his property, drinking and bathing in the muddy river water, squirrelling away a fortune.... Of course, this made him the subject of pranks and dares by the area's fearless and foolish.

This changed for me one Thanksgiving; my mom began building a new bridge.  You see, she was driving to our rural home which wasn't far from the scary man's shack, and she saw him walking along the road.  Well, the next thing we knew, there was going to be an additional guest for our Thanksgiving feast!   I don't recall many of the details of that dinner other than he was very scruffy, ate lots of bread and drank tons of water which perhaps prepared him for his stint in prison for tax evasion a year or so later.  But he was also very polite, very grateful, and treated my mother like a queen. My mom bridged a gap between us and our neighbor as I realized that at our table was a broken, old man. and one of God's own.  Fear: it keeps us from stepping on that seemingly rickety bridge, doesn't it. 

In reflecting on my childhood Thanksgiving feasts, we often seemed to have a few extra guests, residents from the local nursing home, college friends, or the local recluse who may not have liked the traditional rutabagas cooked in bacon grease but was thankful none the less.  Hmmm... Have I forgotten my Midwest hospitality? 

Brother Mick's message this week is, "O God, Where Are You?"  I suspect we've all thought or uttered those words at various stages of our lives.  I know I have.  The scripture passage is Isaiah 64:1-9 with its powerful words and images of a people frustrated and impatient when their reality wasn't the lovely home picture they envisioned. As this is the first Sunday of Advent with its waiting, longing, and preparation for the Messiah, the message is appropriate.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+64%3A1-9&version=NIV;NLT 

I hope to see some of you college students in the Upper Room on Sunday at 9a.  You'll be surprised at the changes in the room!  We'll soon be ready to decorate.  :)

Please continue to be in prayer for Anthony and his family as he begins chemo on Monday. 

On Wednesday, Dec. 7- 7pm there will be a service of Hope and Remembrance at Ridgeview to bring our hurts, losses, and loneliness to lay at the feet or our Lord.  For some of us these holiday times are painful and difficult, and it is important to acknowledge this and journey together.

My prayer for  today:  Creator God, we praise you!  Though at times our journeys are difficult and lonely, you never leave us nor forsake us.  Give us pause to recognize your presence.  Surround Anthony, his family, and others who are in pain or struggling with your light, hope, and healing. Restore us, Lord, make your face shine on us. Let your healing and hope flow through us to a despairing world.  Come Kingdom of God.  Be done will of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus name.  AMEN

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!
love and light,
carol

"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference!  Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. "  JD