The Spirit of Thanksgiving

This program appears by request of the field. At this season of the year any shepherdess gath­ering would be featuring such a theme. Before entering into a discussion of Thanksgiving ideals and plans, please turn to page 24 and be­come well acquainted with Merwin Thurber's excellent material from which you may draw the historical background of Thanksgiving Day.

It is indeed very fitting that Christians of all lands and climes should set apart one day of the year for gratitude to the Provider of all bless­ings, in whatever national setting this happens to be. God's favors are not confined to any one country, and we might add that in fields where some temporal blessings appear to be limited, God's bountiful hand balances this apparent lack with greater spiritual gifts. He adjusts the scale to be fair to all, whether or not we ac­knowledge His blessings with thankfulness.

Our program material may not conform in every detail to the needs of your shepherdesses, but it can be adapted. We have slanted it to­ward our colleges and institutions. In Advent­ism, Thanksgiving Day has its own setting. Per­haps it is this point that we are endeavoring to emphasize in the following suggestions. The program should feature practical aspects, and like any other program, to be a success it must be planned for in good time.

Program Parts

1. Setting the Thanksgiving Mood

A Thanksgiving program should inspire a thoughtful, reflective mood. At least, this is one of its objectives. In these last days of history the sin of ingratitude is astounding. How much young people of today take for granted! To God's shepherdesses the day of celebration is more than a family get-together in the atmos­phere of feasting. Such temporal bliss does have its occasional place and appeal, but the holi­days of Israel each had some particular mean­ing for keeping the providential care of Jehovah before the youth. They were part of a constant educational process, usually introduced with "lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you," or by His gentle proddings concerning the stranger and so­journer among them. The principles of sym­pathetic service for others continue to inspire self-denial and sacrifice.

Domestic science courses taught in our schools today have appeal, with healthful cook­ery perhaps in the lead. During the teens and twenties much attention is paid to food and sociability. Satisfying the appetite may be a pleasure as well as the supplying of a need (Eccl. 3:13). Yet according to the apostle Paul, "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17).

In our reflective Thanksgiving mood we re­call the religious life of the Plymouth Colony of New England. What sturdy characters were found among these early American women! Their tables, spread with the products of a bountiful harvest after the hardships of a long Cape Cod winter, represented toil and heartache—and missionary work! They had made friends with some of the Indian tribes and in­vited them to the feast. Today we would be apt to call this act public relations or practical Christianity. The point is that the focus was taken away from the feasting and directed to the witnessing—witnessing to God's loving care before these Indian pagans.

2. "What Mean These Stones?" (See Joshua 4)

This part should be presented inspiringly by a capable shepherdess who has lived an hour with the experiences of ancient Israel before they entered the Promised Land. The chapter should be impressively narrated. It is one of the most dramatic chapters in the Bible and has much application to God's Canaan-bound peo­ple today. Instructed by God, Joshua com­manded that twelve stones be taken out of the river bed for an object lesson to present and future generations. (You, too, may want to make a graphic object lesson of these twelve stones by building on the platform a monument to God's protecting care. Use your imagina­tion—and your shepherdesses.)

Points for Emphasis (Study Joshua 4)

1. The setting for Israel's crossing of the Jordan.
2. A generation who had not crossed the Red Sea reviewed its experience at the Jordan.
3. Joshua, not Moses, reviewed these scenes of deliverance for the building of faith.
4. Each family was represented in the tribal stone later set into a memorial.
5. Israel still on the march, the ark of God's presence their rallying point.
6. Twelve stones out of the Jordan river bed teach God's faithfulness.
7. "What mean these stones?"—application to Thanksgiving Day (Joshua 4:20-24).

3. Gratitude and Hospitality

Thanksgiving must mean thanks-living. As workers, our personal gratitude to God should be shared with more than the immediate fam­ily. Jesus taught that at such a feast the lonely and needy should grace the family board. Each ministerial home becomes an object lesson to the community, for a minister holds an ele­vated position in society. A little "caste system" may unwittingly creep into an Adventist work­er's home in America, the same as in India or elsewhere. The youth in the homes of Adventist workers have need of instruction on this point.

We recognize, of course, that there should be occasions when the ministerial family can en­joy one another's company without the presence of guests, but is Thanksgiving Day such an oc­casion? It should be remembered that serving a parish will always require special attention to the weaker members. There are the lonely and bereaved, perhaps living too much in the past. Sharing your Thanksgiving dinner, and better, the radiant spirit of your home, may quickly solve problems that hours of office counseling have left unsolved. As in the days of Israel, holidays may have purpose and meaning. Work­ers' children should be given a very definite part in entertaining these guests, and they usu­ally revel in it. Thanksgiving deeds have mar­velous reflexes.

4.     The Thanksgiving Basket

Demonstrating the packing of a Thanksgiv­ing basket may become a delightful part of a program. We suggest that you have in readiness a decorated basket and some staples, groceries. vegetables, and fruits to be packed during the program. Next year some of your shepherdesses may be called on to lead out in a similar service. You may want to invite Dorcas and welfare women to add their experienced touches. When the basket is filled give it an honored place on a display table.

For variety, with informality, your shepherd­ess might say as she places a bag of flour in the bottom of the basket: "It takes good flour to make a wholesome loaf of bread. This year I have learned to bake tasty bread, and I am thankful that my family has enjoyed much bet­ter health. I include with my gift my recipe for making it."

5.     A Poem or Reading

Select this gentle inspiration not so much for its literary value as for its homespun phi­losophy. If it is original, all the better. It may even become the benediction to send the shep­herdesses on their mission with a new apprecia­tion of shared Thanksgiving. And now, a happy Thanksgiving to every shepherdess!

LOUISE C. KLEUSER