The Feast of Thanksgiving…The Real Thanksgiving

Every November our school children bring home paper cut-outs of pilgrims and turkeys shaped from their own hands. This is “all in a day’s work” as they learn about Thanksgiving and the first European settlers to “discover” the Native American cultures already steeped in their local traditions. Tradition is a big part of celebrating Thanksgiving for every family. Many family traditions include great feasts together with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc followed by time spent together as a family. As Greek Orthodox Christians we have our own Holy Traditions surrounding the idea of giving thanks to God…it is called The Divine Liturgy.
The Divine Liturgy, or the Eucharist as it more properly called, is the celebration of Holy Communion, and is THE celebration of Thanks to God for His love and blessings. When God chose to become a human being and suffer and die for us, He chose to give us eternal life. When we are Baptized into His Church (the Body of Christ) we are forever united to God and, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8.38-39) This is the reality of what we celebrate every Divine Liturgy. This is why the early Church termed the Feast of Holy Communion to be Eucharist (Ευχαριστεία) which literally means thanksgiving.

We find ourselves nearly 2000 years later and every November we celebrate a national holiday set aside to say “Thank you,” to God. The problem is……as Americans we have left Him out of the very holiday meant to thank Him. Thanksgiving has become nothing more than a school vacation, a football extravaganza, and excuse to over-eat on turkey. Sometimes as a last-minute thought we give a donation to a charity to ease our guilt.

My dear brothers and sisters God has poured so many blessings that it has become difficult to keep track of just how blessed we are. This month, in honor of Thanksgiving, make an effort to not only consider the blessings God has given you FREE, but find time every Sunday to go to Church for Divine Liturgy and say “Thank You” to God.

After all, we say “thank you” to the cashier at the store and tip our wait staff to say “thanks,” but how do we thank God? By going to Church and celebrating the real thanksgiving, The Divine Liturgy.