Thanksgiving, a time to picture the body of Christ.
This is the first time in 4 years that I get to spend Thanksgiving at home. I’m extremely thankful. Those three years were actually pretty tough. I’ve spent Thanksgiving w/ my family for 22 years so not spending it with them was difficult. The first year I went up to Chicago and got to spend Thanksgiving w/ Qbert and Taft. The next year I spent it in Champaign w/ my roommate Charles, a bunch of international Japanese friends, and other random people. Last year I spent it in Champaign and cooked up a Thanksgiving dinner for a bunch of mostly international/homeless CRH people.
This year, I have more vacation time so I spent it to go home for Thanksgiving. A number of people who came to my house last year asked if I was doing the Thanksgiving dinner again. I had to decline them and say I was going home. When I got home, I found out that our Thanksgiving dinner is going to be more than just my family. We invited some extended family but also some friends from church who don’t have any family in the area.
Then I realized, this is where I get it. My parents model hospitality as we open our home to people in need and feel left out. That first year I was so happy to be spending Thanksgiving w/ my friend’s family. It’s difficult when you’re alone and everyone else is spending time w/ their family. I also realized this is the perfect time to picture the family of Christ. We may not be blood relatives but I can spend Thanksgiving, a family time, with my spiritual family. Last year when I organized and planned a Thanksgiving dinner on campus for CRH, we were a family not by our blood but by the blood of Jesus. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to spend with your physical family but it’s also an incredible time to include your spiritual family, esp. those who don’t have a physical family, and picture the body of Christ.