Thanksgiving

Gathering Prayer: Holy One who is known to us by many names and in many ways, we give thanks for the blessings that we have in our lives. Be present now as we enter a time of thought and discussion.

Focus: The United Church of Christ observes two sacraments (Christ instructed his followers to practice these), Baptism and Communion. Communion is also known as Eucharist (from the Greek εὐχαριστία (eukharistía) meaning giving gratitude or thanks. The words of institution for Communion are held in common across Christianity:

On the night of His betrayal, Christ shared a meal with His friends. He took some bread in his hands, then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me.” After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and, after again giving thanks, said, “This is my blood, and with it God makes his new agreement with you. Drink this and remember me.”

Below is some “food for thought”, a few probes that might kick start a conversation. Read over them and pick one (or more, or none) to discuss. Remember to hold space for others to share and share only what you feel comfortable sharing.

Probe 1. Thanksgivings have been celebrated as a day of either fasting or feasting since 1536 and in the US since 1631. Obviously a celebration that has been around that long has many traditions attached to it. Other than eating turkey and all of the accompliments, what are some Thanksgiving traditions that you might see observed anywhere across the US?

Probe 2. We tend to add “personal touches” to our celebrations, our traditions. Other than the food, what is unique or family-centric about your Thanksgiving.

Probe 3. Like our family Thanksgiving traditions, the celebration of Eucharist varies from denomination to denomination. For some the bread and wine literally becomes the body and blood of Christ. For others, the bread and wine contain the spiritual presence of Christ contained with the elements. In the UCC, it is a meal of sacred remembrance. Is there something that you do that, as often as you do it, evokes a sacred remembrance of a special person or event?

Probe 4, Even as he approached his darkest hour, Christ displayed an “attitude of gratitude” . Do you know someone (or do you) have this worldview? How is it manifested, brought to life?

Probe 5. Tonight marks the last night in this series. We plan on resuming with a six week series in mid-January. If we have your contact information, we will email you. (We will revisit three of the sessions in a class that meets at IUCC on Sunday mornings in December at 10:15 – coffee instead of beer. No membership required). A good way to stay in contact is to follow the Immanuel UCC Facebook page and join the Immanuel UCC group. As the next series is planned, what suggestions could you make for improvement? What must be kept?

Commission: Hold on to what is good. Love deeply. Honor others. Stay excited about life and your faith. Be joyful. Be patient. If you pray, have faith. Share with people who are in need. Welcome others into your homes. Be loving to those who hurt you. Be present; be in the moment. Be agreeable, even with those with whom you disagree. Be humble. Be a friend of people who aren’t considered important. Do the right thing. If possible, live in peace with everyone. And remember, no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey- you are welcome here.