Friday, October 11, 2024

On Thursday, January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:  “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.”  

But the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday already had a long background. Unlike the American festival of Thanksgiving, which remembers the arrival of the first European settlers in New England and so has a more patriotic tone, the Canadian holiday has its roots in European harvest festivals, marked with special worship services of gratitude to God, as well as community feasting celebrations.   

So Thanksgiving has long been a communal practice of gratitude for the harvest that comes in the autumn, along with a more general gratitude for all of life’s blessings.

It turns out that the very word “harvest” comes from an Old English word that literally means, “autumn.” So the very name of this season in creation holds within it the sense of fulfillment, of fulfillment of the promise of last spring. It holds the celebration of the work of planting, and watering, and weeding, and tending, and finally, of picking. And it holds the celebration of abundance, of the overflowing of what is good and healthy and nourishing things. 

Celebrating thanksgiving in the autumn is a reminder that gratitude is a practice of savouring, of truly enjoying, experiencing, delighting in the goodness we’ve been given. But savouring is not a practice that our culture encourages us in. Actually, the reverse is true: we live in a culture that is saturated by craving. A constant barrage of advertisements attempts, and largely succeeds, to create dissatisfaction within us, a dissatisfaction that will eventually be so uncomfortable that we will buy whatever product promises to make us happier. And yet once we have bought it, whatever it is, all too often, we find ourselves still…dissatisfied. 

This dissatisfaction is not natural. It is a culturally induced phenomenon, that is essential to the dynamic of our culture of money. It is a spirit of craving that surrounds us and within us, as pervasive as the air we breathe. And it is a dissatisfaction that will never be alleviated, because what consumerism promises us: love, power, friendship, happiness, importance – can never be provided by more things, or more experiences, or more relationships, or more knowledge. When there is never enough, we are held captive by dissatisfaction.  

But the practice of savouring can help free us from this captivity. Simply stopping to enjoy, celebrate and really experience the truly good things in our life is a key to practicing gratitude. Whether we are stopping to really enjoy good food, or wonderful company, or rewarding achievements, the practice of savouring prevents us from wasting away in a fundamental sense of dissatisfaction with ourself and our life. Pausing to enjoy, to really experience the blessings of our lives helps us to realize that the life we have been given is enough to begin with, and enough to go on with. 

Instead of being consumed with a sense that we should always have more -  more things, more power, more security; or with the sense that we should be more – more caring, more successful, more loving, more accomplished;  we can be sustained by the awareness that the gift of life is not only enough, but something worth enjoying, experiencing, savouring. And once we start looking at, really seeing and recognizing what we have, we begin to have an overwhelming sense that what we have, really is enough – is more than enough, in fact.  

Something I am extraordinarily grateful for, is all of you, colleagues, friends and companions on the journey of leadership and discipleship. I'm especially grateful for opportunities to gather together to worship, to learn, to share in community and support, and to celebrate and encourage one another. Such as...

1. the Rural Ministry Conference, coming up on October 25-27, at Trinity United Church in Fort Macleod, AB. This conference is for Lay Leaders and Ministry Personnel whose church life and work is rooted in a rural setting. Come experience rural hospitality, inspiring theme sessions and practical workshops tuned to today’s rural ministry contexts! And don't worry - if you're in an urban or suburban context, you'll find the workshops helpful and the community nourishing as well. The registration is only $50 for the whole event, including meals. If the accommodation costs are keeping you from coming, please contact me for a substantial subsidy! You can find more information and registration links here: Rural Ministry Conference 2024 — LeaderSHIFT UCCan

2. Day long Retreat for Boards/Councils and their Ministry Personnel, on Saturday, November 16th, at the Pacific Mountain Regional Council office in Burnaby. Free of charge to you, but please register so we can serve you lunch and know which workshops you'd like to take part in. Check it out here: A Day-Long Retreat for Boards, Councils and their Ministry Personnel — LeaderSHIFT UCCan. (And yes, plans are afoot to hold this retreat in more places - like Kelowna in April 2025, and Prince George in September 2025...)

3. Chinook Winds Region Ministry Personnel Retreat! Taking place at Sanctum Retreat Centre in Caroline, AB, Sunday February 9th (evening) to Wednesday, February 12th (after lunch). Accommodation, program and all meals are just $250. Again, subsidies are available - please mark your calendars! More info and registration links here: Chinook Winds Ministry Personnel Retreat — LeaderSHIFT UCCan

This Thanksgiving, may we all practice the spiritual discipline of gratitude through the gift of savouring all we've been given. May it be so!

Blessings,

Michelle