Thursday, November 22, 2018
Thankful Together
Thanksgiving can be such a wonderful time of year in New England.
Having just enjoyed a colorful fall and looking forward to a festive Christmas,
Thanksgiving can still have the flavor or relaxing and spending time with
family and friends. We just need to be intentional about preserving such a
special time. Thankfully, retailers have not yet hijacked the holiday as
thoroughly as other holidays and many traditions still tend to focus on
positive things like valuing family, enjoying friends and letting God know how
thankful we are for all the good things He has provided.
The Thanksgiving tradition in America is a long and rich one,
and there are many stories about its origin.
Many of us on the East Coast may become nostalgic when we are reminded that
the first Thanksgiving celebrations originated in our neck of the woods.
According to The New England Historical Society, the first Thanksgiving may
have taken place in Maine:
“New
England’s first Thanksgiving, at least the one celebrated by European
colonists, wasn't in Plymouth, Mass. The American Indians had held harvest
celebrations of their own long before the Europeans ever arrived. And when they
did arrive, they held the first Thanksgiving in 1607 in Popham, Maine.
The Popham
Colony – a year-long effort to
establish a British colony in Phippsburg, Maine at the mouth of the Kennebec
River – began in the summer of 1607 and ended a year later in 1608. For one harsh winter a group of English
settlers tried to stick it out at a small fortification they constructed.
During
that winter the group suffered a fire at its storehouse. Its president, George
Popham, died, and so did several others in the group. The colony also struggled
because its leadership did not establish strong enough relations with the local
Native Americans, who might have helped the settlers as they did in Plymouth.
Nevertheless, there is a record of a 1607 feast -- the first real
Thanksgiving -- with the local Indians.”
Sprinkled throughout that account is something more important
than establishing who was first to celebrate Thanksgiving in America. That more
important thing is the reminder that life is difficult, and we would all be
wise to help one another figure out how to survive and thrive rather than argue
or strive with one another over differences. The above article suggested that
early settlers in Popham may have survived had they been more open to the help
of people who were from a different mindset and culture.
Those of us who are believers have been given clear direction on
this matter. St. Paul wrote a letter to his protégé giving him these
instructions: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to
help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” (1 Timothy 2:1
NLT)
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Salvation is a "Get To" Thing
It was a
Cinderella-type romance. The 19-year-old girl had come from a dysfunctional
home where she was mistreated and unappreciated. Because of poverty and limited
educational and work experience her hope of ever bettering her life was
non-existent. Then “he” came along. He was polite, well-off, gainfully employed
and very interested in the beautiful young lady who now sat opposite him at the
candle-lit table in the high-end restaurant.
Their
relationship had progressed. They felt comfortable with each other, they had
common interests, they had survived lovers’ quarrels and they were both ready
for something more substantial. Knowing this, the young man had gone to a great
deal of trouble to reserve the table and prepare the perfect proposal.
After sharing
a perfect, not-too-sweet, chocolate dessert, he reached for her hand, dropped
to one knee and slipped a gorgeous ring out of his pocket and placed it in her
lap. He then looked lovingly into her eyes he said, “You mean everything to me.
I love you dearly and I want to commit my life to making you happy. Will you
marry me?”
Her answer
took his wind away. It seemed so cold, calculating and self-serving when she
bluntly queried, “If we marry, do I have to kiss you and go places with you in
public? Will you expect me to remain faithful to you alone? Will I have to be
intimate with you and publicly refer to you as my husband? Do I have to give
you a long-term commitment?”
You can
imagine the shock and dismay. In his mind, the invitation to marry was not a
“got to” proposition, it was a “get to” proposition. Marriage means two people
get to be intimate, committed and exclusive with one another. You have probably guessed that the evening
did not end well, and that the relationship died a terrible death.
Salvation is a very similar
situation. God offers forgiveness, washing and empowerment. He promises to be faithful and graceful
toward us both now and forever. He invites us to be a part His incredible
kingdom. Yet many people respond like the girl in the story; they ask questions
like, “Do I have to be baptized to be saved? Or, do I have to speak in tongues
and live a holy life?” Such questions are preposterous in light of the amazing
offer God is making. How sad when people discuss salvation in terms of what we
have to do, because salvation is not a “got to” thing, it is a “get to” thing. 
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