THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

 OCTOBER 5, 2022

 

Leviticus 7:14

11 “‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord:

12 “‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering they are to offer thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. 13 Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. 14 They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. 15 The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.

 

When was the first thanksgiving? 

Some of you may answer, 1621 (USA) or 1859 (Canada) and you would be correct, these are the key North American dates for the Thanksgiving celebration.

But there were earlier "thanksgivings.” In Leviticus 7, for example, we read about a special kind of offering known as the "peace offering" or the "fellowship offering" (7:11). One variety of peace offering was a special expression of thanksgiving to God (7:12). It included the usual animal sacrifice, but added various kinds of bread, both leavened and unleavened (7:12-13). One of each kind of bread was offered to the Lord, along with the animal that was sacrificed. The bread was to be eaten by the priest, and the meat of the peace offering eaten by the one who offered it, along with his or her companions (7:14-15).

What Leviticus describes for us, sounds a lot like our own Thanksgiving feasts. Selected meat and varieties of breads were offered to God, and were then eaten in celebration. The thanksgiving feasts described in Leviticus were bountiful and a wonderful festival.

Take note of who the participants were in these Leviticus meals. The priests have their part. The worshiper and clan have their part. And God has his part as well. Worship was/is not only a way for an individual to offer thanks and praise to God, but also an occasion for people to share together in God's blessing and bounty.

I believe this is a good reminder for us, as we approach thanksgiving weekend. As we reflect upon Leviticus 7, we might ask ourselves:

When we gather with God's people for worship services, do we see them as times for the community fellowship with God and with God’s people? Do we connect our worship with our Neighborhood community? How about when we receive the Lord's Supper together? Will we recognize that God is present in our celebration?

I wonder, whether in the worshipping community or in the community of family and friends, if there are some practices that we might use to recognize that God's presence is with us, to make our Thanksgiving practices truly an occasion for giving thanks?


LET US PRAY

Give us, God, a sense of your presence as we gather this Thanksgiving. Grant us gratitude as we remember your goodness, and joy as we remember your love through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.