TV shows and movies portray a Thanksgiving custom that is easy to copy. People around the table take turns naming things they’re thankful for. They seem delighted to do it. It isn’t hard for them, and their tributes bring smiles and warm feelings to others at the table. Maybe you have used this custom. It’s a good start for a civic holiday. But there’s more—don’t forget the main course! The scripture readings remind the community of faith to center on the one “in the kitchen” who generously provides all the persons, places, and things we are thankful for. It’s God who gives all the good gifts! There would be no gifts without the giver, no blessings without the one “whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from age to age” (Ps. 100:5). The first reading highlights God who as creator provides people with the land and its bounty, and as liberator gives them their story of blessing through time. Paul offers encouragement to connect with God by both asking and thanking. A needy “please” and an acknowledging “thank you” are two sides of the same coin, since God is always with us to listen and give us peace no matter what the situation. The gospel tells how God the giver moves even closer, becoming the gift itself. Embodied in Jesus, God nurtures and fulfills people with the bread of God’s own life. We experience this in our church thanksgiving meal, also known as the eucharist (a name that means thanksgiving and gratitude). We “come as we are” to sit at table with God and find that God’s generosity is able to flow into blessings for all.

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