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1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This is because I feel that it is the least tainted of the supposedly spiritually meaningful winter holidays. Christmas is a wonderful time of sharing with family and loved ones but let's face it, for most of people Jesus is not the reason for the season. Shopping may be the reason for the season, partying may be the reason for the season, using up the last of this year's paid sick days at work may be the reason for the season, but Jesus? Come on, with all the paranoia about separation of church and state and the fear that some non Christian might be offended by a manger scene in a public place, don't tell me He is the reason. It is both hilarious and pathetic to see the lengths merchants and businesses go to in their attempts to wipe the Christ out of Christmas. It is especially ludicrous when you recollect that holiday is synonymous in meaning with holy-day.

Frankly, I don't have a problem with the de-Christing of the secular spending spree called Christmas. Christmas as an alleged spiritual remembrance of the birth of Jesus is a bogus holy-day the Catholic Church brought into Christianity hundreds of years ago in one of their attempts to incorporate pagan rites and ceremonies within the life of the Church. Worked pretty well, come to think of it. Christmas reverts further back into its' pagan roots every year.

Thanksgiving on the other hand carries a great weight of meaning in the minds of many people in this country. As families gather around the table for the expressed purpose of giving thanks there must by default be the acknowledgment that someone is the recipient of their thanks. People who may take no conscious thought of God the rest of the year are almost palpably forced to admit the existence of the heavenly Father even if they know Him only as an impersonal higher power.

For those of us who know Him as our Father in truth through the new birth it can serve as a very special time of contemplation and anticipation. Givings thanks both for the things that have gone before, and for the things which lie ahead. Faith looks back and sees the hand of grace and mercy which has upheld us to this point in time and faith looks forward in the expectancy of God's help in the days to come. Make thanksgiving a way of life. If not for the heavenly Father you wouldn't be drawing breath right now. If not for Jesus Christ you would have no place good to go once you stop drawing breath.

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Give thanksgiving a shot this week. Every day, whenever the thought of me nagging you about it intrudes, simply give thanks to God for your continued ability to breathe in and out. You couldn't do it without the spirit (breath) of life he has imparted to you.

I thank God for you.

Pastor Ray Stark

An expanded version of this article can be found at: http://www.celebratingjesus.org/giv-thanks-over.html

website: http://www.celebratingjesus.org/

email: ray@celebratingjesus.org

blog: http://www.celebratingjesus.blogspot.com