GIVING THANKS

Happy Thanksgiving, blog reader. It is Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021. We have much for which to give thanks on this special day and we should remember this as we gather with family, friends, and community and celebrate life.

For starters, I think we should take Mr. Rogers's advice and close our eyes and give thanks for all the people in our lives who made us who we are. None of us is alone. None of us got to this place alone. We are where we are because of the people who helped us along the way. I am sure each of us has a long list. At the top of my list right now is my major professor from Florida State U. who recently died. While I grieve, I give thanks for his life.

I give thanks too for family and friends. My local parish, St. Luke's, of Jacksonville AL, is providing a free Thanksgiving meal for the whole community. This started some twenty-five years ago as a small event and has gained scope every year. This year, the Methodists are helping because the task has grown beyond St. Luke's capacity. Right now, cooks are at the church preparing 750 meals for pick-up and home delivery. This is an amazing feat for a small church in a small town.

(The servant church at work. Never let it be said that one person, or a few people, cannot make a difference. A church that started with a single person more than a century and a half ago makes, still, a tremendous difference to the larger community because it never lost its commitment to serve all people. Today I give thanks for the faithful servants of St. Luke's.)

As for South Carolina, I am thankful for the seven thousand Episcopalians who refused to go along with the erring crowd. While the old leadership and majority of the diocese decided they had to stand against freedom, equality, and inclusion of all of God's children in the church, the right-thinking people resolved to stand for the human rights of other people even at cost to themselves. From Georgia to North Carolina, even in small towns and rural countryside, faithful Episcopalians everywhere stood and said "No" to prejudice and discrimination. They met in little groups wherever they could find space. They kept the faith with God and their fellow human beings. 

Today I am lost in thanksgiving for these people who gave of themselves and chose the hard way because it was the right way. I especially give thanks for the people who had to leave their church homes and for those who stayed awaiting the return of the Episcopal bishop. While no one knows the future, I say to you there is a good chance the courts will finally rule on your side. You have come so far down a very long and hard road; do not lose hope. You are my heroes. Two thousand years of history are looking down on you. You are in the very good company of the saints who kept the faith that the Holy Spirit moved through the whole church.

Finally, I am thankful for you, blog reader. You keep me going even on the dark days, especially on the dark days.