We Can Reject It, We Can Receive It, Or We Can Redeem It.
I am passionate about Christian family's redeeming holidays! By this I mean that we should neither reject our cultural traditions nor blindly receive them rather we should redeem them by looking for ways to incorporate the gospel message into our family holiday traditions.
I've written before about Redeeming Easter, Redeeming Halloween, and Redeeming Santa Claus, but today I want to share how our family has chosen to Redeem Thanksgiving.
Some may ask "Why do we need to redeem Thanksgiving? Isn't it already a Christian idea to be thankful?" While it is true that the basic premise of being thankful is good, in a Christian family we must take our thankfulness one step further than our culture. In a Christian family we must make sure our children understand that we are not merely "thankful" rather we are "thankful TO GOD" for our blessings.
Below are six practical ways Greg and I have been doing our best to ensure that our family is thankful TO GOD during the month of November.
I am passionate about Christian family's redeeming holidays! By this I mean that we should neither reject our cultural traditions nor blindly receive them rather we should redeem them by looking for ways to incorporate the gospel message into our family holiday traditions.
I've written before about Redeeming Easter, Redeeming Halloween, and Redeeming Santa Claus, but today I want to share how our family has chosen to Redeem Thanksgiving.
Some may ask "Why do we need to redeem Thanksgiving? Isn't it already a Christian idea to be thankful?" While it is true that the basic premise of being thankful is good, in a Christian family we must take our thankfulness one step further than our culture. In a Christian family we must make sure our children understand that we are not merely "thankful" rather we are "thankful TO GOD" for our blessings.
Below are six practical ways Greg and I have been doing our best to ensure that our family is thankful TO GOD during the month of November.
Thanksgiving Pumpkin
Beginning on November 1st every morning everyone in our family says one thing they are thankful TO GOD for and we write it down on a small slip of paper. These slips of paper are placed in a pumpkin shaped bowl that sits in the center of our dining room table. The "tricky" part is that no one is ever allowed to repeat anything anyone else has said, so by the time we get to the few days preceding Thanksgiving we really have to stretch our brains beyond "food, toys, grandparents, etc."
Again - we are careful each morning to say "What are you thankful TO GOD for today?" We want the emphasis to be on being "thankful TO GOD" not just generically "thankful."
On Thanksgiving Day before we eat our feast we pull out these slips of paper one-by-one and read them to remind us of many of the blessings God has given us.
Beginning on November 1st every morning everyone in our family says one thing they are thankful TO GOD for and we write it down on a small slip of paper. These slips of paper are placed in a pumpkin shaped bowl that sits in the center of our dining room table. The "tricky" part is that no one is ever allowed to repeat anything anyone else has said, so by the time we get to the few days preceding Thanksgiving we really have to stretch our brains beyond "food, toys, grandparents, etc."
Again - we are careful each morning to say "What are you thankful TO GOD for today?" We want the emphasis to be on being "thankful TO GOD" not just generically "thankful."
On Thanksgiving Day before we eat our feast we pull out these slips of paper one-by-one and read them to remind us of many of the blessings God has given us.
Thanksgiving Letter
Every year our family sends out an annual Thanksgiving letter and family picture. Most families send out a Christmas letter summarizing their year (and we LOVE to receive these letters). Our family does the same thing with a small twist because the top of our annual letter says "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 (or Psalm 136:1) and every paragraph of our letter begins with the phrase "We are thankful for..." so as we are writing our letter our focus and emphasis is on all that God has done for us over the past year.
Every year our family sends out an annual Thanksgiving letter and family picture. Most families send out a Christmas letter summarizing their year (and we LOVE to receive these letters). Our family does the same thing with a small twist because the top of our annual letter says "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 (or Psalm 136:1) and every paragraph of our letter begins with the phrase "We are thankful for..." so as we are writing our letter our focus and emphasis is on all that God has done for us over the past year.
Thanksgiving DVDs & Books
Each year we plan to read our children Thanksgiving books that emphasize the importance of being thankful TO GOD for his many blessings - the most important being Jesus Christ.
Our four favorites are:
1) The Mayflower Voyagers (Charlie Brown) DVD - This fabulous 30 minute movie tells the story of the pilgrims journey to America and their first year in the new land. It emphasizes repeatedly that the pilgrims had a strong faith in God.
2) Thanksgiving: A Harvest Celebration by Julie Stiegemeyer - This paperback story shares about a little pilgrim girl who learns to trust God amidst hardship and emphasizes that the purpose of Thanksgiving is to remind us to thank God for His many blessings - especially Jesus Christ.
3) The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Mike & Jan Berenstain - The bear cubs put on a Thanksgiving show where they mention that the pilgrims came to America in order to worship God freely and they gave thanks to God at Thanksgiving. The bear family also prays a sweet prayer of Thanksgiving before their feast.
4) What is Thanksgiving? by Michelle Adams - This short board book shares through rhyme that the true meaning of Thanksgiving is praising God for his blessings.
Each year we plan to read our children Thanksgiving books that emphasize the importance of being thankful TO GOD for his many blessings - the most important being Jesus Christ.
Our four favorites are:
1) The Mayflower Voyagers (Charlie Brown) DVD - This fabulous 30 minute movie tells the story of the pilgrims journey to America and their first year in the new land. It emphasizes repeatedly that the pilgrims had a strong faith in God.
2) Thanksgiving: A Harvest Celebration by Julie Stiegemeyer - This paperback story shares about a little pilgrim girl who learns to trust God amidst hardship and emphasizes that the purpose of Thanksgiving is to remind us to thank God for His many blessings - especially Jesus Christ.
3) The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Mike & Jan Berenstain - The bear cubs put on a Thanksgiving show where they mention that the pilgrims came to America in order to worship God freely and they gave thanks to God at Thanksgiving. The bear family also prays a sweet prayer of Thanksgiving before their feast.
4) What is Thanksgiving? by Michelle Adams - This short board book shares through rhyme that the true meaning of Thanksgiving is praising God for his blessings.
Purchase a Thanksgiving Meal for a Family in Need
Each year a few weeks before Thanksgiving we pile our family into our mini-van and make a special trip to the grocery store. At the grocery store we purchase all the non-perishable items a family would need for a nice thanksgiving. We purchase canned corn, green beans, french onions, water chestnuts, cranberries, yams, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes boxed mix, stuffing box mix, pumpkin bread box mix, corn bread box mix, pumpkin pie filling, crust, hot cider mix, etc. We then take these food items and donate them to a place where we know they will go to a family in need (food donation bin, food pantry, or a church putting together Thanksgiving baskets). This year we know of a family needing a little help so we will bring the food items directly to that family's home to make their Thanksgiving a little easier this year. During our family devotions that evening we take the time to pray for the family that received our meal and ask that they will come to know God and His love for them this year.
Each year a few weeks before Thanksgiving we pile our family into our mini-van and make a special trip to the grocery store. At the grocery store we purchase all the non-perishable items a family would need for a nice thanksgiving. We purchase canned corn, green beans, french onions, water chestnuts, cranberries, yams, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes boxed mix, stuffing box mix, pumpkin bread box mix, corn bread box mix, pumpkin pie filling, crust, hot cider mix, etc. We then take these food items and donate them to a place where we know they will go to a family in need (food donation bin, food pantry, or a church putting together Thanksgiving baskets). This year we know of a family needing a little help so we will bring the food items directly to that family's home to make their Thanksgiving a little easier this year. During our family devotions that evening we take the time to pray for the family that received our meal and ask that they will come to know God and His love for them this year.
Thanksgiving Prayers
Before we dive into our Thanksgiving feast each year we take the time to read the slips of paper in our "Thanksgiving Pumpkin" (see above) and then every member of our family prays a prayer of Thanksgiving. Of course it takes a long time for everyone to get a chance to pray and Daddy and Mommy's prayers are longer than the little one's, but we each take time to personally, verbally thank God for His many blessings to us.
Before we dive into our Thanksgiving feast each year we take the time to read the slips of paper in our "Thanksgiving Pumpkin" (see above) and then every member of our family prays a prayer of Thanksgiving. Of course it takes a long time for everyone to get a chance to pray and Daddy and Mommy's prayers are longer than the little one's, but we each take time to personally, verbally thank God for His many blessings to us.
Psalm 136
Every night our family has devotions together. On Thanksgiving Day our family reads Psalm 136 together. Daddy reads the passage and Mommy and the kiddos respond with the phrase "His love endures forever." I love ending our Thanksgiving Day focusing on the enduring love of the Lord.
Psalm 136
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights--
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings--
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan--
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
Every night our family has devotions together. On Thanksgiving Day our family reads Psalm 136 together. Daddy reads the passage and Mommy and the kiddos respond with the phrase "His love endures forever." I love ending our Thanksgiving Day focusing on the enduring love of the Lord.
Psalm 136
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights--
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings--
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan--
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.