Thanksgiving Reflection

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am spending this week reflecting on all the things I am thankful for. There are so many things: my children and grandchildren, Cindy, my friends, and family. The trees that are turning glorious shades of red and orange and yellow. Cool mornings and evenings. The promise of rain and the gift of still-warm sun. The flowers that are still blooming, the numerous hummingbirds that frequent my yard to feed from them, and the goldfinches that feast on the seeds as their blooms fade. The promise of cool-weather vegetables from the seeds I planted this week and last. A warm, secure home to shelter me and from which I can offer hospitality to others. My neighbors (and their dogs!) who greet me warmly when we see each other, and who check in on each other and share the names and numbers of repair and maintenance people when we need it.

High on the list of the things I am thankful for is this community of Saint Anna’s. I am so very, very grateful for the opportunity to serve as your vicar, and so very, very grateful for each and every one of you; for everything to do and everything you are - all the ways in which you support me and challenge me to be the best I can, serve Christ and love one another, contribute to make our church community the best it can be, serve in numerous big and small ways, and simply show up week after week to share the joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, struggles and celebrations of your lives.

And… I am also reflecting on the shadow side to our celebrations this week. The many blessings of our lives for which we will give thanks around our tables on Thursday come at a cost, especially to the original inhabitants of this land.

Cindy and I have just finished watching a TV series on Amazon Prime titled Little Bird. It is about a Canadian woman who was forcibly removed, some would say kidnapped, from her indigenous family in 1968 at the age of six, simply because they were native and therefore deemed to be unfit, and adopted into a Jewish family in Montreal. The series swings between the events of her childhood to her 24-year-old self, who despite her apparently happy and warm upbringing, struggles with her identity and sets out on a journey to discover her roots. I highly recommend it but be prepared to have your heart broken and your anger aroused.

Holding these things in tension is characteristic of our lives as people of faith, lives lived in this world with our hearts and eyes fixed on the Kingdom of God. We know that this world is not as God intends it. We see the injustice and violence perpetrated on God’s creation. Our hearts break with those who suffer, and our frustration is provoked by our feelings of helplessness to enact any meaningful change. Being thankful for what we have does not mean we do not care about those who have less. Living thankfully is a radical, counter-cultural, revolutionary act of faith in a world that constantly bombards us with bad news, but is also heartbreakingly beautiful and breathtakingly

We are resurrection people. We know that the suffering of this world does not have the last word. We know that God’s love is greater than anything this world can do to try and break our spirits, greater even than death. And we follow a savior who spoke up on behalf of and had a special place in his heart for the least and the last.

So this Thanksgiving, let us pledge to speak up for those whose voices the world tries to silence as we give thanks for all the blessings we have.

Happy Thanksgiving! Rev. Jane.