Respect the Bird?

Ephesians 5:19b 
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Doug Matthews is a 49-year-old chef from New Jersey who's been posting recipes online for almost 15 years.  Last year, when he saw Christmas candy on a grocery store shelf even before Halloween, he shared a blog post, proclaiming, "Respect the Bird!!!"   The obligatory Facebook campaign followed, and over 3900 people have pledged "to not let Black Friday shopping gobble up my Thanksgiving".   

That's kind of the spirit displayed by Anthony Hardwick, a 29-year-old Target employee who put a petition on Change.org that garnered some 185,000 signatures, protesting the midnight opening of his store - he did this because he had intended to spend time with his future in-laws, but now has to sleep 'cause he'll be up all night. 

Has Thanksgiving been reduced to the symbolic opening of the Christmas retail season, even though we see Christmas stuff in the stores in October?    Could the American celebration of Thanksgiving be renamed to "Black Friday" Eve now?   Well, the actual date of Thanksgiving has economic factors in its history.

The final Thursday in November had become the customary date of Thanksgiving in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century.  And, after proclaiming a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863, President Lincoln set aside the last Thursday of November, as he was influnced by Sarah Hale, who wrote letters for some 40 years trying to make Thanksgiving a national holidayl.

It was not until December 26, 1941 that the unified date changed to the fourth Thursday (and not always final) in November—this time by federal legislation. President Roosevelt, attempting to give the country an economic boost and lengthen the Christmas shopping season, agreed with Congress to make Thanksgiving always the fourth Thursday.   

Instead of "Respect the Bird", I think I prefer something like, "Revere the Lord"!   Because, the very meaning of the word, "Thanksgiving", means there is someone to whom we give that gratitude.   It's not about the Pilgrims giving thanks to the Native Americans, as some would have us believe, or some generic giving of thanks, but intentionally expressing TO GOD our praise and adoration for who He is, for His saving us through Christ, the relationships that He has given us to enjoy, and how He has blessed our lives.

So, this year, consider the approach of one retailer, who doesn't put up Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving - Nordstrom's viral post, says, "We just like the idea of celebrating one holiday at a time".   So, soak in the spirit of gratitude this Thanksgiving, and make a choice to recognize the hand of God on your life.