O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good,
for God’s steadfast love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136.1
What does Thanksgiving mean to you?
Immediately I reflect on time spent with family, our closest family friends, and our faith community. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to drop everything and spend time attending to important relationships. Thinking more broadly, I reflect on time spent being generous to others through meal boxes, community meals, shelters, and more. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to intentionally share with others. Thinking more deeply, I reflect on time spent thanking God for steadfast love, abundant blessing, and life itself. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to recognize and rest in God’s loving presence.
Beginning the month with All Saints’ Day reminds me that this thanksgiving happens in the midst of the pain, loss, and brokenness of the world. As we grieve and remember loved ones who have passed, we thank God for them and the love we shared. As we reflect on the lives lost throughout the world due to pandemic, war, violence, and illness, we thank God for moving through creation to bring healing, comfort, peace, and justice. As the earth becomes dormant, we thank God for the fall harvest, the promise of new life in the spring, and even for the time of rest for the earth during the winter.
Thanksgiving is not a time to pretend like everything is perfect. In fact, being honest about the struggles might enhance our ability to be grateful for the blessings we can still name in the midst of everything. So beloved of God, what is Thanksgiving to you?
In the spirit of honesty, I feel compelled to continue with a confession. While I have not associated the holiday much with the myth of the first Thanksgiving, I remember learning about the peaceful feast between the pilgrims and Native Americans in school through books, plays, and even crafts. I’m embarrassed to confess that it is only in the last five years or so that I’ve really listened to the pain that Thanksgiving can bring to people who are Native American. As a holiday often associated with the myth of the peaceful relationship between pilgrims and Native Americans without speaking the truth of the genocide, cultural assimilation, and removal from land that our nation committed, celebrations of Thanksgiving can often cause pain and trauma to generations of our Native American siblings. As I hear these stories, I find myself wondering, is there a way to celebrate Thanksgiving without being culturally insensitive at best and damaging to people at worst?
The answer I hear is, perhaps. Listening to voices of those who are Native American, some choose not to celebrate Thanksgiving. Others choose to observe Thanksgiving as a time to celebrate harvest, like many Native American tribes have done for centuries, and/or as a time to gather with family, friends, and/or community. These observances remind me of what Thanksgiving has meant to me.
What I feel I called to remember, act on, and share as I hear these stories, is that while I may choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, I must do so in culturally respectful ways and I must tend to the unrelated task of confessing the harm our nation and church have done to Native American communities and work to build partnerships of healing and building a future of hope, peace, and justice for all. Former President Bush moved congress and all future Presidents to declare November National Native American Heritage month, so this is a good opportunity to begin learning more accurate history, hearing stories of people today, and begin working together to make a difference in communities. Some resources to learn more this month, include:
- ELCA Declaration to American Indian and Alaska Native People found at https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Declaration_to_American_Indian_Alaska_Native.pdf?_ga=2.60235886.294493659.1635268280-774800790.1634587555&_gac=1.15135812.1634587609.Cj0KCQjwtrSLBhCLARIsACh6RmgwxEzCXBBbvDxCOdMtqtKU3UzjZrhyuch6I9n5YAJ9BdbB0rHBmqgaAnS_EALw_wcB
- Southwestern WA Synod Native American Work Team Site at https://swwasynod.org/about/justice-work/native-american-resources/
- Confluence Project Site at https://www.confluenceproject.org/
I look forward to learning and talking more with you about Native American Heritage and relationships, especially centering the voices of our members who are Native American.
Lastly, beloved of God, I thank God for you!
Blessings & Thanksgiving!
Pr. Adrienne