When I was growing up, Thanksgiving wasn't quite as special as it is now. My family was small and we didn't really plan a big meal for that day. My mother would bake a chicken and tell us it was a small turkey...we really didn't need a big bird. Thanksgiving day was pretty much like any other day....then I married a man who has a big family. Thanksgiving took on a whole new meaning!
Starting early in the day, the house is filled with people. Everyone is welcome and you just never know who will stop by. It was all pretty much a shock for someone like me who had never known the rowdy celebration of lots of relatives coming by. Still, it's part of what I've come to love about Thanksgiving.
That's where today's Random Thought comes in. I got to thinking that going to church on Sunday is a lot like Thanksgiving dinner. While we do worship (eat) alone during the week, there is something special that happens when we all come together bringing our offering to the table. There's the uncle that tells the same joke a hundred times, but everyone loves him for his ability to laugh at himself. There's the crazy old aunt that brings the rolls because she's really not a very good cook, (that one would be me). There are the cakes that are brought by those who are just learning to cook...so they are lopsided but loved because of the one who made them. There are the traditions you look forward to with each approaching year. Each person brings their special gift to the table...and should someone come empty handed - they too are welcomed simply because they are there. Together the celebration is more sweet. The people aren't perfect, but they are loved. The best part of all, is that our Father waits at the window to greet us, and when He sees us coming, He runs out to tell us "welcome home".
Yes, Sunday worship is a lot like those Thanksgiving dinners...the ones we knew, or at least wish we could have known. As a family, we learn and grow together and celebrate the life given to us by our Father God. During this Thanksgiving season, I pray that you will find a church home that you can call family...because while you can worship alone, there is something special when family comes together.
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25
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