For Thanksgiving—Not Just Talking Turkey

(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – Nov. 17, 2015) When it comes to planning Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey is a given. The big bird is so central to the feast that I hardly think about it, which more than once has resulted in disappointment.

My husband—a witness—recalls the flaming turkey. This one came early in my career as chief holiday cook, when I reasoned: Why buy one of those turkey-roasting pans when I have a cookie sheet? Our low-to-the-floor oven saved the day after fat-laden broth spilled onto the heating element when I tried to remove the cooked bird. As I let go of the burning pan, we watched the turkey streak like a fiery meteor across the kitchen floor.

At least that Thanksgiving turkey made it to the table. Some others never arrive.

With all those media images of perfect turkeys, I assume mine will come out well too. I need to remind myself to give it proper attention, because, while mashed potatoes with lumps can be forgiven, a mal-cooked turkey is hard to bear.

Though turkey is the main attraction, it’s not the reason for the kick-off to “the season.” The act of giving thanks should be the focus. Instead, we might not give our Provider the proper attention. Will we offer him a mere nod, assuming his bounty will always come to us?

My baby-boomer generation had school textbooks to remind us how the pilgrims looked to God for their very survival. His divine care was everything to them—every day. What would they think of our manner of feasting, as we celebrate the meal itself, along with football games or anticipated Christmas shopping and decorating? They might surmise that our lives are all about us.

In a recent social-media post by DesiringGod.org, John Piper wrote, “. . . when I look into contemporary American cultural life, the most awesome, stunning, frightening reality is the thoroughgoing insignificance of God. And when I look into the New Testament, the most awesome, stunning, frightening thing is that God is everything.”

The apostle Paul well emphasized God’s preeminence: “For from him and through him and to him are all things . . . .” (Romans 11:36, ESV).

If our nation is forgetting God, believers have the opportunity to provide reminders. But this may first require some attention to our own priorities.