Thanksgiving XI ~

17-23 December:  During the past  week, I have been thankful to know there's a glorious reason for this season of celebration - while the December date is more representative of an old pagan festival we can truly rejoice for the child of heaven, our Savior; I was thankful for His repeated promise to come again and take His people to join Him in a forever life in His kingdom of peace; thankful to know our Father was aware of the challenges His plan would bring, for He sent "... the angel of the Lord ... to (Joseph) in a dream saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for He who is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.'” (Matthew 2:20-21; Modern English Version); thankful to be anticipating the winter solstice - not for old pagan celebrations, but for the astronomical event of our planet ending its southward tilt for this year - I am weary of days growing ever shorter and shorter; I was thankful for the precious young people who are active in our church, and for the moms and dads who spend time as examples; thankful to know the truth of this message from Luke 1:68-70: “Bless the Lord God . . . because He has come to help and has delivered His people. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us . . . just as He said through the mouths of His holy prophets long ago" ( Common English Bible); thankful for the privilege of sharing bits of the the gospel, the "good news" of Jesus as our Savior, with others in these "Thanksgiving ...." posts; thankful to be among those waiting to see Him when He returns - not to deal with the sins of the human race, but to usher all who believe into His kingdom of glory; thankful to share this message from the apostle, Paul, who wrote: "... I can’t wait to get to you ..., [with] this wonderful good news of God. It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: 'The person in right standing before God by trusting Him really lives.'” (Romans 1:15-17; Message); thankful to have my greeting cards (for friends NOT available from my computer) ready for the morning mail pick-up; thankful for the many who can be reached here on fb with holiday messages; thankful for this part of the Christmas story telling us how a couple from the north in Israel came to be in Bethlehem of Judea: "At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child." (Luke 2:1,4-5; New Living Translation); thankful for the beautiful objects that can be assembled from natural materials - greenery, wood fragments, moss - by someone who has an artist's eye for design; thankful to the Creator who has given us such a bounty of beautiful things; thankful as I peruse these words from Philippians 1:6 where we read "I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world." (VOICE); thankful this morning for a roof over my head - a roof without leaky places is a blessing not everyone knows; thankful for the delight of time with friends and family through this Christmas season (and very grateful for all who are at their posts of duty while the rest of us are celebrating the season - here's a big "Thank You!" to the peace officers, firefighters, health-care professionals, and all the others in essential services who keep our communities running smoothly during these days); thankful as I read this from Luke 2:8-11 where it is written: "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (New King James Version); thankful for being able to celebrate a new Sabbath via the on-line connection with my church family in Grangeville - beginning with the worship service, then continuing in songs of praise and a retelling of the Christmas story from Luke 1 & 2; I was thankful for the blessing of a clear winter's day; thankful to be reminded of the "old,old story" with these words from Luke 2:11-14: "'The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.' Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'”(New Living Translation).