BLESSED THANKSGIVING!
With Thanksgiving Day coming up this week, I want to pass along a Thanksgiving Day forecast I just received!
- Frozen Turkeys, Tofurky and Garden Roasts will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high between 190 and 220 degrees.
- The kitchen will turn hot and humid.
- If you bother the cook/chef, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.
- During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will cut through the turkey or roast causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates.
- Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other.
- An indigestion warning has been issued for the entire area.
- During the evening, the turkey/roast will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34 degrees in the refrigerator.
In 1 Chronicles 16 we read some interesting Israeli history where the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized and embodied the presence and power of God, was brought back into the center of the nation's life. For a long time, God had not been front and center in the life of Israel. When the ark was brought back, the people presented "burnt offerings" and "peace offerings." After the peace offerings were made, part went to the Almighty, part went to the priests and the final portion was given to families for a three-day Thanksgiving feast!
Verses 2-3 tell us that David "blessed the people in the name of the Lord and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins." David had every right to enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration by himself, but instead he shared it with "each" man and woman.
They ate bread, a portion of meat and some fruitcake--and we eat rolls, turkey, and pumpkin pie--pretty similar when you think about it! Verse 4 tells us the people did more than just eat: "Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel." David put a worship team together and they helped the people do three things:
1. Pray--"to invoke."
2. Praise--"to praise the Lord, the god of Israel."
3. Proclaim--"to thank."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says it is God's will that we "Give thanks in all circumstances." Let's commit ourselves again to a life of constant prayer, praise, and thankfulness!
Blessed Thanksgiving dear church family!!
With our love,
Duff and Denise
