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7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10 You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. - Deuteronomy 8:7-10
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Many of us will gather with family and friends, watch some football, laugh, reminisce, and then sit down at a table that is overflowing with food. There will be turkey (or some other type of bird), potatoes (mashed and sweet), gravy, vegetables, bread, Jell-O, salads of all kinds, cranberry of some sort, and of course pie of various varieties. Abnd at the end of the day, bellies will be overflowing and the table will still have plenty of food on it. Enough food for several days of leftover Thanksgiving lunches.
But this is not the case for all. There will be many folks who will not experience Thanksgiving in this manner. It may be their first year wondering where dinner will come from, or it may be their 10th year. Either way, it can be devastating.
In chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, the Israelites are reminded not to forget the Lord when they come into the land of plenty. As we sit at the table many, if not all, of us will offer up some type of thanks or prayer. I wonder, is this enough or is there more in which we, who have plenty, can do to thank God for the gifts that we have received?
Matthew 25 says: "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." It is in our doing for others that we thank and praise God for all that God has done for us.
Trinity is about to embark upon a new chapter in its life. God will be calling you to give thanks and praise through your actions in new and exciting ways. It won't look like the old - Israel's new land didn't look like Egypt. For many, this is very scary; that's okay, the Israelites were scared, too. This new land, this new Trinity, will be just as meaningful with the rich presence of God.
Your Sister in Christ,
Interim Pastor Diana Bottin
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