Month: November 2024

A Thanksgiving Story

David watched as the ride-share driver took off, then turned and faced his brother’s home. He took a deep breath, trying to steel himself to approach the front door. It wasn’t his idea to visit his brother’s family for dinner this Thanksgiving; if it were up to him, he would have stayed home and warmed some frozen turkey slices in the microwave.  But his brother, Marty, had insisted he join them, and David had to admit that the promised traditional dinner would be far superior to his own frozen meal.

His only hesitance was that Marty and his family were just so, well, perfect. Perfect wife, Katy; perfect kids – one perfect daughter and one perfect son. Both A+ students, both gifted musicians and star athletes. Marty had a good income from his executive position, and Katy almost rivaled his with her online consulting business. Even their dog and cat were perfect – they never even shed!

David shook his head as he thought about his brother’s family. How lucky their lives have been! But David’s life, well he wasn’t doing so well. Just this past year, he had lost his job – “down-sizing,” they had called it, “Sorry to see you go,” they had said. Then an emergency room visit due to gangrene that had led to a toe amputation. Then a diagnosis of kidney failure and the beginning of dialysis treatments. It could not have been a worse year for him. Never having married, there was no one even to share those struggles with. So now, alone, he was going to his perfect brother’s house in a ride-share car, since last week he had totaled his own car. And now, it was time to “celebrate” Thanksgiving! Give thanks? To whom and for what?

Deciding it was too late to back out, Dave walked to the door and rang the door bell. A voice spoke from the door-bell camera (of course), saying, “Come on in!” Dave opened the door and was warmly greet by Marty, and ushered into the dining room. “So glad you could come!” said Marty; then from the kitchen into the dining room came Katy, looking perfect as always. She smiled a smile as bright as sunlight as she greet David: “We’re so happy you’re here! It’s been too long!” It would have been longer, but Marty insisted, thought David.

Next, the two perfect kids appeared, greeting, “Hi, Uncle Dave!” Right from Central Casting, David thought. In just a few minutes, the pleasantries ended, and the whole family took their seats at the large table. Festooned with fall and Thanksgiving decorations, and serving platters piled high with food as pleasing to the eye as to the palate, that table would make a fitting cover for Better Homes and Gardens’ holiday issue.

Now, David knew, it was time for the Thanksgiving prayer before the eating could begin. David hoped Marty would offer a short grace; the two brothers had grown up with simple prayers like: “God is great, God is good, so we thank him for our food,” or, “Good food, good meat, Good God, let’s eat!”* That would be fine, not to have to listen to a prayer lifting all the good things his brother’s family were grateful for. But David knew that Katy would be offering the prayer, and he was afraid the turkey would be cold by the time she finished. Oh, well . . . so be it, thought David.

Sure enough, Katy began:

Dear heavenly Father, we come to you this national day of Thanksgiving, to thank you for your blessing on our country, both throughout its history, and in the present day. Too often have we turned from you and endorsed sinful practices, yet you have abounded in mercy, ready to forgive and strengthen us to return to your fold. May our motto, “In God We Trust,” be lived out as well as proclaimed.

So far so good. . . now say, “Amen” .  . .

And now, Lord, we thank you especially for your goodness this year for to our family . . .

Oh, no, here it comes – a perfect blessing for a perfect family . . .

We thank you for your strength for Marty to endure the lawsuit against his company, and for the medical intervention to improve his blood pressure and guide his actions in a biblical way in this situation . . .

What? A lawsuit? He never told me about that . . .

And for our daughter, Grace, that you led us to the right doctor to treat her skin cancer. We thank you that the treatments are working to stop the cancer spreading, and we pray for her healing and encouragement.

Grace has cancer? Since when?

For our son, Greg, we are disappointment that his sports scholarship was rejected for college. Please encourage him and give him a clear path forward according to your will.

No way he was turned down! Did you aver see him play?

And for my business, Lord, may you move the client that refuses to pay me to pay what they owe, or else I may have to go bankrupt and lose the business that I have worked so hard to build up.

Oh wow. And here I thought everything was perfect for them. I guess one never knows . . .

Now we pray for Dave, who has had such a difficult year. Please give him courage and yet unseen blessings in this coming year, that you may bless him financially and health-wise. We thank you for being with him and protecting him in all adversities.

What protection? Thanks for what?

For his foot surgery, we thank you that the gangrene was caught in time and was treated effectively, saving his leg and even his life from the severe sepsis it caused. We also thank you that David’s kidneys can be treated with dialysis to prolong his life from what used to be a death sentence. And for his accident, we thank you for protecting his life, that only his car was lost. Thank you that you sent your angels to watch over him that day. We pray also for him to find new, productive and satisfying employment, that his finances may flourish and his self-esteem may improve. May he find and receive an even better job than he ever had before, and may he see your hand in freeing him up to be available for what is to come. For all these thing, and for this food before us, even the cold turkey, we give you all our thanks and praise, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

David just sat there as the rest of the family stared grabbing for their favorite dishes. How could I have been so self-centered, thought David, to not see the struggles Marty’s family was facing, nor to see their love for me in all I am suffering, nor to see the ways God had watched over me in every situation? Even Marty’s invitation to dinner had been God’s plan for me to climb out of my own hole and see my brother’s family’s struggles, and realize how much God loved them and me.

As David reached for the turkey, he was grateful it still had some warmth to it, he offered his own silent prayer for his family and for a God who loved him so much he not only blessed him in this life, no matter the struggles, but also provided the promise of eternal life to come, by the gift of his own Son, Jesus Christ.

As he finished his prayer, he remember the words of Philippians 4:7, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:11-13; Philippians 4:2-9; 1 Timothy 4:4-5.

*Actual prayer from a camper in summer camp in the 1970’s.

Note: the names of Marty and Katy were not chosen randomly; can you think of some other famous couple with those names?

 

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

The expression, “Can’t we all just get along?” was first spoken by Rodney King, a black motorist who was dragged from his car in 1992 by Los Angeles police officers, and beaten by the officers severely. When those officers were acquitted of charges in their trial, South Central LA erupted in riots, resulting in numerous deaths and massive property damage. Apparently, the answer to Rodney’s question was, “No.”

Still, it was a good question, and has been quoted many times since then. even becoming a humorous internet and movie meme.

This week, the intent of the question, if not the actual words, has come to the fore, following the presidential election results. The campaign had been brutal, with all kinds of charges and insults flying both ways. The heat became so intense that a gunman even fired on Donald Trump, wounding him in the ear. Because of the intense division in the country, many people have anticipated actual violence erupting, whatever the election results might be.

In an attempt to reduce the “temperature” of the electoral passions,  leaders of both parties have called for “getting along” now that the election is over. President Biden promised a peaceful transition of power. President-elect Trump promised to help our country heal, and to be a President for all the people. In their pronouncements, they have followed in the footsteps of a previous president, Abraham Lincoln, who during a failed Senate campaign in 1858, spoke about the growing division between North and South, saying,”A house divided between itself cannot stand.”

Of course, Lincoln didn’t invent that phrase. He was quoting Jesus’ words from Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:25, and Luke 11:17. The context was a question about how Jesus was casting out demons: was it by the power of Satan? Jesus said if Satan was casting out demons, then Satan’s kingdom was divided and would fall. Lincoln took that teaching of Jesus and expanded it to be true of our country that was half-slave and half-free. He said the issue had to be resolved or the house, the United States, would fall.

I think Jesus’ words, though spoken in the context of spiritual warfare, do have more universal applications. A marriage won’t last if husband and wife are divided in essentials. An army will be defeated if it wars against itself instead of united against the enemy. A company will fail if employees don’t work together or sabotage the owner.

As I thought about this question of division versus unity in our country, I wondered what other things the Bible says about us “getting along.” I found that Scripture actually teaches both – unity and division – depending on what we are talking about.

When are we to get along?

    1. First, we recognize that all people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) and are due respect for that reason.
    2. The commandments require us to love our neighbor in several ways: not to steal from them, not to mistreat them sexually, not to lie about them or defame them, not to covet their possessions nor their relationships with others. In fact, Jesus summed up all God’s law into two commands: to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
    3. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Restoring peace through reconciliation is good.
    4. Jesus said, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Loving those who we agree with is easy; loving our opponents is hard.
    5. Jesus taught us what we call the Golden Rule: “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:31). I don’t think any of us wants to be mistreated, so we should treat others well.
    6. As we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask our Father in heaven to forgive us, as we forgive those who sin against us. Then right after teaching us that prayer, Jesus goes on to say: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15). We may not want to forgive others who hurt us, but Jesus himself requires it of us.
    7.  In Matthew 5:22-24, Jesus gives further commands to us to seek reconciliation with others: “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,  leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”.
    8. Paul said,”Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32), and, similarly, “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive” (Colossians 3:13).
    9. Finally, remember that like our enemies, we are sinners too, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Ultimately, God’s will is that all who are in the Church, be one in Christ and be known as his disciples by the love we show each other (John 13:35 and 1 John 3:1). This was one of Christ’s final prayers at the Last Supper, when he asked the Father that we may be one, even as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). So in summary, God desires for all people to be united in love, respect, and service to each other (even our political adversaries), especially in the Church with our fellow believers.

So, if unity is so desirable, are there occasions when scripture commands us to be separate from others?

When we are to be divided?

  1. When the other person teaches heresy or blasphemy against God. We should separate ourselves from them and not affirm their opinion just to maintain a relationship. Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”
  2. When the other person is sinning, we are not to participate or excuse it. Ephesians 5:11 teaches us, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.“
  3. Separation from ungodly people and their works is commanded by 2 Corinthians 6:15, which asks, “What agreement does God have with Belial?” (Belial is another name for the devil.)
  4. We are not to compromise our faith, even if causes discord with other people, even those we are closest to. Jesus said  “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Matthew 10:35). Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) said he came not bring peace, but a sword, meaning division between his followers and the world.
  5. 2 John 1:10 warns against tolerating or allowing false teachers to teach their falsehoods: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting.” The term “house” may mean either, or both, your home or the church.
  6. James 4:4 warns, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
  7. Finally, we are warned not to be conform to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, in order to do the will of God (Romans 12:2). This will put us out of step with what the world approves and does.

Therefore, the answer to the question, “Can’t we all just get along?” depends on how we respond to God’s commands to love both him and our neighbor. The command to love our neighbor requires us to show love to all people, whether we agree with them,dislike them, or consider them to be our enemies, personal or political. At the same time, if unity with them means disobeying God and his commandments, then separation is required. In fact, the act of separation alone may be a testimony to our faith and cause the other person to reconsider their beliefs and actions. And if our witness, whether spoken or acted, causes them to come to Christ, then we have shown them the greatest act of love.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Isaiah 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; James 5:20.