Giving Thanks

As we express our gratitude, our hearts and hands are open to receive more gifts, and we can give thanks again.


I realize it may be early to talk about this, but...

I still believe in Santa Claus.

My mother was a truly wise woman.

When I informed her that I
  no longer believed in Santa,
    she kindly explained to me that Santa Claus
      is the spirit of giving.

To this day, I can't really argue with that!

Santa Claus is associated with the Holy Day
                 of Christmas.

As we prepare to celebrate the Holy Day
   of Thanksgiving,
      we do well to remember the many things
         for which we are grateful.

The attitude of gratitude is best reflected
   by open hands,
      and those open hands are prepared
         to receive more gifts
            for which we can be thankful
                all over again.

The experience of receiving gifts
   is not limited to holidays and birthdays.

Every day is a gift,
 and so we can feel and express gratitude
    every day.

Giving thanks and receiving gifts anew
  is the opposite of a vicious circle.

It is a virtuous circle
   that can help make our lives better.

The spirit of giving is an adult concept of Santa Claus,
   and every reminder of him
      can serve to remind us of the virtuous circle
         of giving thanks and giving and receiving gifts.

So I still believe in the spirit of giving,
  and therefore, I still believe in
    in my mother's definition of Santa Claus.

As we begin the holiday season,
  we remember the myths that go with the holidays.

Santa Claus and the stable in Bethlehem
  are two of the myths associated with Christmas.

I expect to talk more about both of those myths
  and other myths, too,
   in my sermon on December 22.

Thanksgiving in the U.S., this coming Thursday,
  has a myth of its own.

I'm like to call it the myth of the Pilgrims
  and the friendly Indians.

The story of the myth was told
  in our Story for All Ages this morning.

Now, please remember
  that when I refer to a myth,
    I'm not using the word
      the way it is often used colloquially.

Just because a story is a myth
  does not mean that it is untrue.

Myths are often based on true stories.

Usually the stories of myths are embellished,
  but they make a larger point
    than just the details of the story
      and the way it is remembered.

The telling of the myth
   in our story for all ages
      is a way of remembering
         what the coming holiday
              is all about.

Remembering is an important part
       of giving thanks.

For most of us here present,
   there is not much of a threat
      to our ability to obtain nourishment.

The Pilgrims at the First Thanksgiving
   were not so fortunate.

Without the help of the Friendly Native People,
   the nation we know today -
      and even our UU faith as we know it -
         might not have come into being.

There is a direct connection between the Pilgrims
  who were helped by the friendly natives
    and our congregation of the NIUU's.

You see, the congregation that was founded
   by the Pilgrims in 1620
      is now a member of the UUA
        of which we are also a member congregation.

So I can say that we UU's have a direct connection
   to the spiritual forebears of our nation's
      freedom of - and from - religion.

Sadly, the tribe of friendly Native People
   whose help saved the Pilgrim settlement
      was extinct by 1622,
         due to diseases
            (brought by Europeans)
                 for which they had no immunity.

The tribal confederation to which that tribe belonged
   survives to this day.

Although we may not often remember it,
   therefore, our Thanksgiving dinners
      are also a memorial meal
          for the many people of First Nations' heritage
              whose lives have been lost.

The First Nations have long celebrated
  the act of giving thanks,
    and it is fitting that we remember them
      in a national memorial meal
        that remembers them
          and gives thanks
            for all the good things we share.

A memorial meal that is based in giving thanks
   brings to mind the central worship experience
       of Christians.

The liturgy of Holy Communion
   is known as the Great Thanksgiving,
      in Greek, the Eucharist.

I'm aware that many Christians do not think
   of their Holy Communion services
      as memorial meals,
         but the Lord's Supper, as it's sometimes called,
            is exactly that, among other things.

After all, the words instituting Christian Communion,
   starting with Jesus in the N.T. are
      "Do this for the remembrance of me."

Every religious faith
   can claim its own deep relationship
      with the act of giving thanks.

The very name of Judaism is closely related
   to the Hebrew word for giving thanks.

(Jew - Yehudi and giving thanks - hudaya)

Islam can claim thankfulness near its heart, too:

One of the five pillars of Islam is Zakat,
   the giving of charity to the poor,
      offering help to those
         less fortunate than ourselves. 

Giving help to others can be
  - and often is -
    seen in Islam
      as a way of giving thanks.

In many of the texts of Hindu scriptures,
  gratitude, or giving thanks,
    is exalted as one of the most important
      dharmas or virtues.

Wiccans and contemporary pagans
  celebrate three harvest festivals,
    Lammas near summer's end,
      Mabon at the Autumnal Equinox
        and Samhain, also known as Halloween.

Any of the three harvest festivals
  could be regarded as giving thanks,
    but the principal neopagan Thanksgiving
      on their sacred calendar is Mabon.

The rituals of Mabon give thanks
  for the fruits of the earth
    and remind the worshippers of the importance
      of sharing those gifts with each other.

The ancient English festival of harvest home
   shares its roots with Mabon. 

The First Noble Truth of Buddhism
  is that all life is suffering.

Yet Buddhism proclaims
  that every day is a good day.

The inherent contradiction
  between those two statements
    makes me think of a Koan,
      the contradictory ideas held as one
        intended to open our minds.

We can see every day - even every moment -
   as good
     when we open our hearts and minds
        with gratitude,
           giving thanks
             even when we may not feel like it.

Giving thanks recognizes
  that everything we are
    and everything we have
      are the result of what has gone before.

Seeing our lives in this way
   is a deeply Buddhist attitude.

Just as our Thanksgiving dinners
  are also memorial meals,
    so remembering
      is an important part of giving thanks.

If we think about what has gone before us,
  our most natural response is gratitude.

It is an attitude of recognition
  that we are not alone.

Our national festival of Thanksgiving
  is a sacred and secular holiday at the same time,
    and as such
      it is tailor made for UU's and humanists.

Whether we are thinking in terms
  of giving thanks to a benevolent Supreme Being
    or simply cultivating an attitude and feeling
      of thankfulness,
        we share the benefits
          of a postive and forward looking
            way of thinking.

Our attitude of gratitude, giving thanks,
  has our hands and arms held open,
    and so we are prepared to receive still more gifts
      for which we can give thanks in turn.

We owe our gratitude ever more widely
  to the people who care about us
    to the world we inhabit
      to the creatures we share the world with,
        especially the plants and animals
          that provide us with the nourishment
            we need in order to live.

So I still believe in Santa Claus,
   the spirit of giving.

Today we are remembering
   the spirit of giving thanks.

On Thanksgiving Day,
  many of us,
    can even think thoughts of gratitude
      for the turkeys
         from whose life energy we are drawing life.

There is a great thought-prayer
  from the brilliant poet - novelist - farmer,
    Wendell Berry.

I will use it for our closing words today.

It's a worthy remembrance after any meal:

I have taken in the light
that quickened eye and leaf.
May my brain be bright with praise
of what I eat, in the brief blaze
of motion and of thought.
May I be worthy of my meat.

- Wendell Berry

Amen
Ameen
Omeyn
So mote it be