November 2025: Giving Thanks
A blessed November to you and your families. I hope you are able to stay warm in the cooling weather! November brings the time of the year that many of us dread. It’s cold, but without the benefit of much snow on the ground (most years). The leaves have all fallen from the trees, so the beautiful colors of Fall are mere memories. November hordes all the drawbacks of Fall but brings us none of the benefits, and Winter is still only on the doorstep. It’s a crummy time of the year.
Regardless of these less-than-cheery facts, it is also the time of the year that we celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s the end of the harvest and the time for celebrating. If nothing else, it is a great time to be together with family because we are going to be cooped up together for the next few months anyhow. Paul tells the church through his first letter to the Thessalonians that God’s desire for his people is that they seek to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (5:16-18).
The easy parts of thanksgiving are the delicious foods: Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberries, Green Bean Casserole, and (the star of the show in my opinion) Pie. The hardest parts of Thanksgiving are the relationships that can be strained, the people that are missing for one reason or another, and the travel that it usually entails. How are we supposed to give thanks in circumstances like these?
It’s easy to look at our current circumstances and let them dictate how we feel. If things are going well, it’s easy to feel good. If things are going poorly, it’s easy to feel down. Paul tells us God’s will for us in Christ Jesus is that we don’t let these everyday circumstances dictate how we feel – about ourselves or about him. In Christ Jesus we have certainty about how God feels about us, and that is much more important and revelatory than our everyday circumstances. Even if we have the worst Thanksgiving experience in our lives, we still remember to give thanks because God continues to make us his child everyday through the death and resurrection of Christ. That never changes, no matter what each day holds.
In this way, we orient ourselves not on our own feelings, the seasons or the times, the culture, or anything else that changes at the flip of a coin. Instead, we orient ourselves on God’s Word and his will for us. When we do that, we will always have opportunity to rejoice. We will always know we can turn to him in prayer while suffering. And we can always give thanks, knowing that he is our caring Father who hears us in all circumstances, and loves us to the end.