Religious media take note of Thanksgiving from a panoply of perspectives:
From Word & Way:
Thanksgiving 2016 is already shaping up as one of my most memorable — for various reasons. Our household is experiencing change and with it stress as retirement and, in our case, relocation are upon us.
Read Full story: http://www.wordandway.org/item/3602-don-t-waste-opportunities-to-show-thanks
From The Alliance:
In this Thanksgiving Day 1879 reflection, Alliance founder, A. B. Simpson, expresses his gratitude for God’s provision for life and ministry and prays for His ongoing grace, power, and deliverance.
Read Full story: http://www.cmalliance.org/news/2016/11/21/a-founders-expression-of-thanksgiving/
From Southern Baptist Convention News:
NASHVILLE (BP) — In one Tennessee household, this year’s Thanksgiving table will include an unusual centerpiece: the letters Y-E-S made of black pressed wood.
Read Full story: http://bpnews.net/47940/thanksgiving-sweetened-by-baptist-childrens-homes
From Presbyterian News Service:
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, The election earlier this month revealed deep divisions in our country and raised many important questions for Christian people of faith as we look to our future as the Church.
Read Full story: https://pres-outlook.org/2016/11/facing-thanksgiving/
From Young Salvationist:
Little did I know how amazing God’s plan was for my life. My life began in a small orphanage in Kaliningrad, Russia with my twin brother Luke. We lived there for the first three years of our lives without knowing that the biggest blessing was coming our way—the gift of a family.
Read Full story: http://www.youngsalvationist.org/2016/11/01/i-choose-thanksgiving/
From Sojourners:
Thanksgiving feels misplaced this year, in the midst of such lament and fear in the world. For many, summoning an attitude of thanksgiving is not simply unattainable — it almost seems immature and misplaced in a time like this. What is there to be thankful for? What is there to hope for?
Read Full story: https://sojo.net/articles/happy-thanksgiving-end-violence-standing-rock
From Religion News Service:
I’m sitting in my local Starbucks, in the heart of Hollywood, Florida’s modern Orthodox neighborhood, and I overhear two Orthodox Jewish men arguing.
Read Full story: http://religionnews.com/2016/11/23/thanksgiving-jewish-holiday/
From UCC God is Still Speaking:
As a part of our nation’s civil religion, Thanksgiving comes with its own set of feel-good mythologies and symbols. Heartwarming, romantic images of Native Americans and Europeans sharing a meal together, however, not only negate a violent history, they also negate a current reality that is far from appetizing.
Read Full story: http://bit.ly/2gI92mQ
From National Catholic Register:
WASHINGTON — Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the USCCB, offer Thanksgiving Day wishes to the nation.
Read Full story: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/us-bishops-we-are-united-in-the-debt-we-owe-to-god-and-our-desire-to-give-h
From Rosalind Hughes:
… but you do not want to deny your grief, for the loss of life, and love, and hope that you have suffered. You want to give thanks, but you are afraid of becoming faithless, betraying your pain.
Read Full story: https://rosalindhughes.com/2016/11/23/so-you-want-to-give-thanks/
From Aleteia:
Did you know that the first “thanksgiving” meal in the United States was not celebrated by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, but by Spanish settlers, in what became Florida? And that first “Thanksgiving” was Eucharistic!
Read Full story: http://aleteia.org/2016/11/22/the-first-thanksgiving-in-america-was-a-catholic-mass/
From Episcopal News Service:
This has been a difficult assignment to engage. When our President, Canon Annette Buchanan, invited me to write this message my first impulse was to decline. I was and I am distressed by the Presidential election results.
Read Full story: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/11/22/conversion-to-thanksgiving-in-the-time-of-trump/
From Challies:
What are people willing to give for joy? What price are they willing to pay? Consider what people spend on vacations, luxury goods, entertainment, and stimulants and it’s clear the cost is sky-high. And yet all that time, money, and effort never seems to be enough.
Read Full story: http://www.challies.com/articles/here-comes-u-s-thanksgiving-the-unbreakable-link-between-gratitude-and-joy
From Christina Fox:
It’s the month of Thanksgiving and we all have gratitude on our mind. Some take this month to share on social media what they are thankful for each day. When we take the time to stop and consider, the list of blessings and graces God gives us is unending.
Read Full story: http://www.christinafox.com/blog/2016/11/4/3-reasons-to-give-thanks
From The Christian Science Monitor:
OLYMPIA, WASH. — The smiles, the full tummies, they’ve become a holiday tradition here. Thanks to Barb O’Neill, a caring woman, and thanks to her son, Rodney O’Neill, who has always said, “What can I do?,” when he sees someone in need. And thanks to 600-plus volunteers who spread some holiday cheer.
Read Full story: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/2016/1117/This-man-will-serve-2-000-free-meals-for-Thanksgiving
From CBN News:
Authorities in New York have arrested a 37-year-old Brooklyn man, accused of supporting ISIS and plotting a Thanksgiving Day attack.
Read Full story: http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/november/isis-terror-suspect-arrested-in-macys-thanksgiving-parade-plot
From World Net Daily:
If anticipating a Thanksgiving dinner shared with those family members and friends who are convinced that Americans, especially in light of the election of Donald J. Trump, are merely selfish and wallowing in fill-in-the-blank privilege, take gander at this Blimey Cow video below.
Read Full story: http://www.wnd.com/2016/11/forget-thanksgiving-instead-try-guiltgiving/?cat_orig=diversions
From Christianity Today:
A few years ago, Melanie Kirkpatrick paid a visit to Newcomers High School in New York City. Newcomers is a public school in Queens that provides recent immigrants to the United States with intensive English-language training and an introduction to American culture.
Read Full story: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/november-web-only/thanksgiving-gets-hallmark-treatment.html
From Christianity Today:
For many Americans, our thoughts drift to North America’s original people only once or twice a year. But thanks to the Cleveland Indians’ World Series appearance and the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, you may have thought about Native Americans at some point before our national holiday.
Read Full story: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/november-web-only/how-to-redeem-thanksgiving.html
From World God’s Big World:
Like most Americans today, we grew up in cities and suburbs, with food and fuel coming from supermarkets and gas stations. We did not think about our dependence on a relatively small number of farmers and energy providers. Politicians call themselves “public servants,” but our real servants risk their livelihoods each week to bring us what we rarely think about and often take for granted.
Read Full story: https://world.wng.org/2016/11/a_food_fuel_thanksgiving
From Christian Headlines:
In the wake of this year’s outrageously contentious election season, Google trends recorded a spike in searches for “Friendsgiving.”
Read Full story: http://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/breakpoint/7-questions-that-spark-good-thanksgiving-conversation.html
From The Christian Post:
A Vegan Thanksgiving is not exactly what I would call exciting — but a few years ago a family member started a healthy life commitment that included a vegan diet.
Read Full story: http://www.christianpost.com/news/giving-thanks-for-my-vegan-thanksgiving-171512/
From Patheos:
At the congregation where I served as associate pastor for seven years, there was an annual tradition of an Agape Meal. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, a group would remain after morning worship to transform the sanctuary from rows of chairs facing forward to chairs around tables, similar to the dining area of a restaurant.
Read Full story: http://bit.ly/2gnmZTo
From Baptist Press:
NASHVILLE (BP) — In one Tennessee household, this year’s Thanksgiving table will include an unusual centerpiece: the letters Y-E-S made of black pressed wood.
Read Full story: http://www.bpnews.net/47940/thanksgiving-sweetened-by-baptist-childrens-homes
From Catholic Online:
CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) – Thanksgiving brings us together as a Nation. In the rich tapestry of our diversity we rediscover our unity in the values which inform and ground the American experiment in ordered liberty.
Read Full story: http://www.catholic.org/news/national/story.php?id=43798
From The Wanderer:
Thanksgiving Day is the day many of us remember as days spent with family and friends, when we gather to give thanks for God’s blessings. More secular folk see it as a day of gorging on food and football with nary a mention of God in the day.
Read Full story: http://thewandererpress.com/catholic/news/frontpage/thanksgiving-will-be-extra-tasty-this-year/
From Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:
The Thanksgiving holiday is a joyous day of celebrating the blessings of life. Traditions connected to faith, family, and community have developed in this country, affirming the importance of offering thanks to God for these blessings and recognizing the many ways we are blessed by Him.
Read Full story: http://www.goarch.org/news/thanksgiving2016
From Breaking Christian News:
The 2016 Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are at our doors. Yet, so many Americans are still reeling with post-election shock. Several weeks ago, I realized that if God didn’t touch our hearts with healing, during the holidays many of us would have miserable times around the “family and friend” tables of America.
Read Full story: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=19830
From Intervarsity:
Growing up, the Lin family Thanksgiving tradition was simple: my brother and I playing football with church youth group friends, buying last-minute groceries, assisting mom and dad with cooking and cleaning, and then heading to the potluck dinner at our Taiwanese Church. The dinner always included one small symbolic turkey along with 99 other delicious Chinese dishes.
Read Full story: https://intervarsity.org/news/time-give-thanks
From Goodnews Florida:
Both my study of the Scriptures and my experience as a pastor have fully convinced me of this truth: When heaven seems silent, God is still there, and he still cares much more than we will ever know on this side of the grave. As I’ve said before, we must remember that God always answers every one of our prayers with one of the following responses: YES, NO or WAIT.
Read Full story: https://goodnewsfl.org/giving-thanks-even-silence/
From Charisma:
America’s national “Thanksgiving” holiday is rooted in the nation’s radical Christian origins and the custom of its first immigrants to set aside special days for giving thanks to God for His goodness and blessings. This custom was carried on by succeeding generations and eventually found its way into the national consciousness and calendar.
Read Full story: http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/61424-remembering-the-radical-christian-roots-of-our-thanksgiving-holiday
From Christian Living Communities:
As many of us prepare for a time of thanksgiving with family and friends, I wanted to first thank each of you for the warmest of welcomes to CLC, it truly already feels like home. And second, to encourage each of us, associates, residents and supporters to embrace the act of giving thanks.
Read Full story: http://christianlivingcommunities.org/happy-thanksgiving/