November… there are a lot of reasons to be thankful in the month of November. Every year it’s a new realization for me how much happens during the month of November (you’d think I’d remember from year to year, but I don’t!)
Perhaps this is a year that All Saints’ Day is extra meaningful for you. If you’ve lost someone in this past year, it’s a special remembrance of their lives and what they’ve meant to you. I also ask the people in my congregation to remember those on whose shoulders they are standing. Often they will mention parents, sometimes grandparents, and sometimes even that special teacher or pastor or mentor. It’s a special day that’s mixed up in joy and grief and thanksgiving all in one. But the stories of our saints encourage us to be all that God has created us to be.
Who in Wisconsin can forget that deer hunting spans the Thanksgiving week. I remember when I was growing up that the first Monday of deer hunting was an excused absence from school. Maybe that isn’t the case anymore, but it pointed to the importance of the season for many people. For some, those deer in the freezer are what provide meat for the family through the coming months. So November means “plenty” and “security”. For others, it’s an opportunity to bond with children or friends. For some, it’s an opportunity to celebrate God’s beautiful creation. For those that don’t hunt (like myself), it’s simply an opportunity to get that orange out!
And then we get to Thanksgiving itself. It’s far too important in our lives to only celebrate Thanksgiving on one day out of the year. We need to at LEAST focus for the entire month on being thankful and just taking those moments to breathe, look around ourselves and be aware of our blessings. In 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are told to: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Now that sounds like an awful tall order! Always? Continually? In all circumstances? It seems impossible! But I don’t think God asks of us that which is impossible. This scripture demonstrates for us a cycle of living in the pathways of God. There’s a lot of times in the Scriptures that I wish things were more clear in their message. This one leaves nothing to question. It’s as clearcut as it gets! Rejoice… pray… give thanks…
And as we continue to rejoice and pray and give thanks, we move from the Thursday of Thanksgiving into our first week of Advent. That time of watchful, hopeful, expectant waiting. We know that soon we will celebrate the birth of Christ all over again. Maybe you’ve lost that sense of hope and expectancy. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed and exhausted in the Christmas season. I invite you into a time of dreaming and hoping. Get yourself an Advent devotional. There are many online and many churches give them out at this time of year. Spend a few minutes EVERY day turning away from the world and tuning into the meaning of the season. You can’t put it off and “catch up” on the weekends, but it’s only for a short time. I promise you the change in your whole outlook will be well worth it!
May this November be filled with blessings for you all!
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Kelly Jahn is pastor of the Juda Zion Community Church.
