The great culinary holiday of the year is next week. After the Pilgrims experienced their first harvest in Plymouth in 1621, Governor William Bradford called for a feast to give thanks to God for their blessings. They invited their new neighbors, the local Native Americans who had shown them how to farm the land and harvest seafood and waterfowl from Massachusetts Bay. Every school child in America knows this iconic American event.

Many years later, on October 3rd, 1863, President Lincoln established the last Thursday in November as a national holiday. These are some of his words from the proclamation: “The year that is drawing to its close has been filled with the blessing of fruitful fields and healthful skies … It has seemed to me fit and proper that these (gracious gifts of the Most High God) should be reverently and gratefully acknowledged by the American people. I do hereby invite my fellow citizens … to set apart and observe the last Thursday in November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Up until that time the individual states had chosen their own dates for giving thanks. Thereafter it became a national holiday.

Next Wednesday will be one of the busiest travel days of the year. So as we take to the highways, byways, and the air, to gather with our family and friends to celebrate a bountiful harvest and to give thanks to God for our many blessings, I pray for traveling mercies and for glad reunion with loved ones. I also hope you will join us at church for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall on Sunday, Nov. 24th. The Hospitality Team thanks everyone who volunteered to cook turkeys and hams, and is excited to see the variety of side dishes and desserts that will be brought for the buffet table.

For a special treat this year, our Joyful Noise children’s choir will preview one of the songs they will sing on December 8 in their Christmas Joy Musical. Everyone is also invited to bring items which will go to InterAct, a local ministry for families affected by domestic violence. Please see the list in this email for their most urgent needs. If you come early at 4:30 p.m., the Worship Team will be leading the hanging of the greens in the sanctuary.

I am very grateful to the very positive results in our Stewardship campaign. We are well ahead of where we were this time last year, and I thank for your faithful generosity. If you have not submitted an estimate of giving card for 2020, please do so as soon as possible so that the Session can proceed with adopting a budget for next year. Also, our Angel Tree still has a few tags left for Christmas gifts for children supported by the Salvation Army.

To paraphrase the Christmas song by Johnny Mathis, “This is the most busy time of the year.” I do hope that you will pace yourself and exercise some wise triage, so that the more important matters of the season will get priority. It is, after all, Jesus’ birthday. May we honor his birth in spirit and in truth. Thank you again for your generosity; I hope to see you on Sunday.