November 24, 2019 - Thanksgiving week
Genesis 8: 22- While the Earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
November was a special time for our family. The turkeys that my Mother bought as poults were raised free-range with two other families. On a particular Saturday, the three flocks were herded together, separated, and sold at market. The money from the sales was for my Mother’s Thanksgivng/Christmas shopping.
Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie holding guitar. (World Telegram photo by Al Aumuller. Public Domain)
One year her turkeys were missing. She had a special band, everyone knew her mark, and her turkeys were gone. One neighbor said, “The new family down the road has your turkeys, we saw them.” Negotiation with the family failed. My Dad didn’t want trouble. It was the first time I had ever seen my Mother cry.
The next week we suddenly had turkeys again. Neighbors, folks from all over the county, heard about the injustice and turkeys began to appear with notes, “We had more than we needed this year.” When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of that kind of neighborliness.
At Thanksgiving dinner, we kids never knew who would show up. But the table would be full. Neighbors would gather, bringing what they had to share. Bachelor farmers especially drawn by the good cooking would be there. In those war-torn years, some would come who had received one of those “We regret to inform you” telegrams.” Eating good food together with friends seemed to help the grief process. Thanksgiving simply meant sharing what we had with others.
On this particular Thanksgiving 2019, I ran across some verse that is usually left out of Woody Guthrie’s “This land is your land, this land is my land.” I have always thought that Guthrie’s song was a wonderful thanksgiving celebration. But the verse that was left out raises a different question:
“In the shadow of the steeple,
I saw my people,
By the relief office,
I see my people;
As they stood there hungry,
I stood there asking,
“Is this land made for you and me?”
(125 Songs of America)
For me, Guthrie’s question must be struggled with if we are to have a true Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is why we have such difficult times resolving our current Church struggles. Some are left out of the celebration for reasons beyond their control.
So the question for Thanksgiving 2019: Is this Church made for you and me?
The answer, my friend is (still) blowing in the wind! -Bob Dylan
Prayer
O gracious and loving God, Creator of all life and abundance, help us: to remember we are all valued and loved by you; to celebrate with gratitude the abundance of diversity that calls us to share with all of creation; to love one another without exception. May every day be a day of thanksgiving. Amen.
The Rev. Bill Cotton of Des Moines is a retired clergy member of the Iowa Annual Conference. Together with friends and colleagues, he produces the weekly resource "MEMO for Those Who Preach."