The Who of Thanksgiving

“We thank Mother Nature for her bounties,” the head of school said at a Thanksgiving assembly I attended some years ago.  It featured teachers, parents, and students sharing words of thanks.  Following the head of school, others continued with poems and “thankful thoughts.”  One poem thanked the trees for sacrificing themselves to give us a soccer field, another read an elegy to the turkeys who would be providing us sustenance. It was lovely to hear thanks to parents and friends, but I wondered when a prayer might be offered, or a recognition of the Creator as the origin of all these blessings.  Such a recognition never materialized.  

I was reminded of Romans chapter 1, where we are admonished not to conflate the creation with the creator, with a reminder not to neglect “glorifying God and giving thanks to Him.” I thought of those who set the example before us like William Bradford in 1623, despite over two years of unspeakable hardships, called for a celebration in that first Thanksgiving proclamation to “render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.” In Washington’s proclamation that established our national tradition of Thanksgiving each November, he began by referencing our “duty to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.”  This is all a reflection of the Biblical principle that our Bible book of the year expounds on: that “Every good and perfect gift comes from above” – James 1:17.  

Here at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, we recognize both the “what” and the “who” of our blessings. It is Almighty God who provides our overflowing Thanksgiving feast tables, who provides the very roof over our heads, who gives us strength to earn a living and care for our children.  Despite the fallen world we live in, and despite hardships this world may send our way (for some, not unlike those the Pilgrims suffered), it is God who can redeem every situation and make good rise from the ashes of the bad and bring us blessings worthy of a Thanksgiving.

We’re thankful for the students who have come to Christ, who have been baptized, and all who have learned and grown.  We’re thankful for our stellar faculty who spark the light of learning in our students and lovingly mentor them. We’re thankful for our seniors who have already been accepted into colleges and received scholarships.  We’re thankful for our new facilities, buildings that are under construction, and those that will soon be underway. We’re thankful for our families who partner and support and sacrifice to give their children the opportunity to be challenged academically and spiritually.  And so much more!

Each month, the members of our Board of Trustees pray together, and each board member takes a turn and prays for our school and the people in it -- and not a month goes by that we don’t acknowledge that this wonderful place is God’s school, and we are just His stewards. It is only with this necessary understanding that we can leave the results to the Lord and know that the daily blessings as well as the success of the vision are in His hands, and our job is to be faithful.  In this, we are to turn our thanks to the ultimate source – not ourselves, or anything in the world around us, but to the Creator.  

I pray that you will all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving as we remember the “who” behind it all,  acknowledging the many blessings that God brings into our lives.  

Jim 

Dr. Jim Cianca
Head of School