This year Thanksgiving is at my house. This means that my kids, kids-in-law, grandkids, parents, brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece, a golden retriever, and a very old cat will occupy the same dwelling where food will be eaten and thanks will be given. Hopefully.
This family affair is a great blessing, but with it comes countless decisions and opportunities for confusion, miscommunication, and even conflict. Of course, not everyone is feeling this kind of stress. There are also those in our church who are enduring a different kind of difficulty as they enter the holidays feeling isolated or grieving a loss. In both cases there is a question being asked, “how do I make it through the holidays?”
While I will be no help with your holiday schedule, I do believe the answer to this is found hiding in plain sight. In fact, it’s the very day that starts our holiday calendar chaos – Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is more than a holiday
There is something powerful about thanksgiving, not the holiday with its turkey and stuffing, but rather the posture of thankfulness that should permeate our lives as followers of Jesus. Consider Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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.” (Philippian 4:4–7)
If there was ever a passage to memorize for use during this time of year, it’s this one. These four verses are pregnant with instruction and promise and, if truly embraced, can not only help us “get through” the holidays but to experience them with joy, even in the midst of the stress. Therefore, let’s pull apart these verses and pray for God to instruct our hearts and minds so that we can truly be thankful on Thanksgiving (and beyond).
Commanded to Rejoice
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4
In chapter 3 of Philippians Paul begins his letter’s conclusion with “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 3:1). This command to rejoice is then followed by a confession of no confidence in his own flesh. In fact, he looks at his life, his achievements, his status, and calls them “rubbish” when compared to his relationship with Jesus. This provides a glimpse into the foundation on which all true thanksgiving is found. Paul did not rejoice in his status, abilities, or comforts but in Christ. Therefore, when he instructs the church in Philippi to “rejoice in the Lord always” he is not downplaying the struggles they had or the suffering they were enduring but was calling for them to lift their eyes to the eternal reality of Jesus in whom they belonged.
This truth is unchanging because Jesus is unchanging. During the holidays, an instruction to “rejoice always” isn’t downplaying the tension you feel in your family but it is calling you and I to remember and celebrate that we belong to the family of God because of the work of Christ.
Be Anxious about Nothing
“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:5b-6
In our modern society we love a good process and procedure. After all, if A+B=C then get me my checklist and coffee so I can get at it. Unfortunately, this is often how Philippians 4:6-7 is approached. If you desire the peace of God to guard your heart and mind from anxiety then plug in the equation and go! After all, aren’t the scriptures saying that PRAYER + THANKSGIVING = PEACE? There is something to that equation, but it should not be approached as a simple to-do list. Consider each element:
- PRAYER – What is prayer but an expression of faith in a God who is near to those who call on Him. It’s also the surrendering of my independence unto God Himself. I cannot do so I come to the one who can do all things perfectly. I do not have so I come to the one who has all things. I do not know so I come to the One who knows all there is to know. I cannot love so I cry out to the one whose love is unending. Prayer begins with a posture of humility and dependency and steps out in faith towards a God who is able and willing to help us.
- THANKSGIVING – Thanksgiving is more than making a list of good things we enjoy, but a personal acknowledgement of the glorious love and grace that has been given to us in Christ. Every breath is a mercy, every meal is a kindness, every sunset is a gift, and every hardship is a tool of our loving God to shape us more into the image of Christ. Therefore, expressions of thanks to God are moments of worship unto Christ and also reminders to ourselves of the kindness and love of our Heavenly Father.
Why does this matter?
It matters because the turkey could be dry, your adult child could show up with a questionable girlfriend, or you may even find yourself without a place to go on Thanksgiving. It’s in that moment, when our picturesque Thanksgiving goes up in flames, that you can pray, taking your cries of frustration and heartache to God. He is near to the brokenhearted and welcomes you to come with your laments and your pleas for rescue. Then as you pray, remind yourself of the goodness of God. He is the One who left the perfection of heaven to come to this filthy earth for your redemption. If you have trusted in Christ, you now belong to Him for all eternity. In that sacred space between lament and thanksgiving, you can find rest for your soul and a new, eternal perspective for that moment.
If Jesus Christ has cleansed us of all our sin and has called us into perfect fellowship with the Father, then surely we can make it through a meal with our politically charged uncle.
Resting in the Truth of Christ
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
I love this verse but have you ever wondered what this actually looks like? Is the peace of God a feeling of serenity that is downloaded into our hearts and minds as from some spiritual data center? Is it an unexpected contentment that flows from that time of prayer and thanksgiving? Is it a sudden and overwhelming removal of all fears, doubts, and frustrations? While I have no doubt that God has and will continue to do such incredible things for His children, I also believe the answer may be much more simple.
When we stop to pray and thank God for His mighty work in salvation and for all that He continues to do for us, it strengthens our faith. This is because the truth of who God is and what He has done in Christ is all bound up in the Word of God. So if faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17) then confessing the truth of God in prayer and thanksgiving is used by the Spirit to increase our faith and trust in God. This trust in God is where the peace of God is found.
In a healthy household, there is peace for a child that can trust his Father. He does not fear because he knows that his father loves him and will use all of his fatherly might to ensure his provision and protection. This doesn’t mean that pain does not happen, but the presence of his Father in the midst of that pain brings comfort and peace. The same is true for those of us who are in Christ. Our heavenly Father knows us, loves us, and is always near us.
- We understand that He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3-14).
- We understand that He is working all things for our good (Rom 8:28).
- We understand that He would not give us evil things (Matt 7:8-11).
- We understand that He is able to provide all that we need, according to His perfect will (Matt 6:25-34).
- We understand that He made us and knows us intimately (Ps 139).
- We understand that nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:37-39).
If we fully believe these things to be true, then the Word of Christ guards our hearts and minds by dispelling the lies that perpetuate anxiety and replace them with truths that fill us with comfort.
Over the next couple of months, I pray that we would seek to grow in this faith through the holidays. Let us hide God’s word in our hearts so that we can meet moments of stress with moments of thanksgiving. Let’s reflect on the salvation we have in Christ, which has taken us from death to life. Let each of us allow the truths of Ephesians 1 and Romans 8 to wash over us as we engage with grumpy family members, mourn the isolation of the holidays, or simply burn the pumpkin pie.
In the end, Thanksgiving will not be perfect but our Heavenly Father is. Therefore, brothers and sisters of Heritage, let us rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice!