O God, take my lips and speak through them. Take our minds and think through them. Take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen. “Gratitude” becomes a buzzword every year around mid November. We see it on jewelry commercials, see it on grocery-store billboards, and hear it on radio advertisements. There is almost no…

From the perspective of our church, Thanksgiving Day is in something of an odd situation. The Prayer Book calls it a major feast, yet its origins are civic as well as churchly. It is widely observed by the people of this land, but the church in other countries generally does not keep Thanksgiving Day, at…

A man and a woman are chatting over dinner. The woman says, “John, are we ever going to get married?” The man obviously doesn’t want to answer this question. He splutters a little and replies, “Uh, thank you.” It works! The woman is so pleased to hear these two words that she forgets all about…

But be doers of the word, not merely hearers who deceive themselves (Jas. 1:22) But strive first for the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well (Matt.6:33) The two verses from Scripture appointed for Thanksgiving in the Episcopal Church’s lectionary are at first glance not very…