Thanksgiving is a Time of Thanks and Giving

Several years ago, I was at our diocesan synod when one of the issues receiving considerable debate was raffles in the church. A few churches were raffling very large prizes such as a new car or a vacation trip. There was serious discussion about where to draw the line between raffles and gambling. Several good arguments against gambling and expensive raffles for charities were put forward, but one argument was questionable to me. One delegate condemned raffles with the emphatic statement that no one should get something for nothing. This statement seems to me to argue against Christian teaching.  

I understand that in our society the work ethic is very important. Many people believe that you only deserve what you earn, but at the same time, there is admiration for generosity. Sometimes the two ideas seem at odds. This is nothing new; we see the same clash of opinions in the Bible. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20), workers who were hired toward the end of the day are paid the same wage as workers who worked all day. To people who believe in equal pay for equal work, this is simply wrong. The workers who laboured all day in the fields believe that they should get more pay than those who worked only one hour. The workers who worked all day are not being cheated. They receive the wage agreed for a day’s labour, but they resent that the latecomers are treated equally to them. 

We wonder what happened the next day. Did all the workers refuse to work until the afternoon and still expect a full day’s pay? This parable reverses what would seem fair and just to us, but of course, this parable is not about business practice or labour relations or pay equity. This parable is about generosity to those in need. This parable is about God’s call to us to be generous. God’s generosity is freely given, not earned.  

We see this also in the familiar story in the Book of Exodus. The Hebrew people on their long journey out of Egypt are in the desert, and they are afraid they will die of starvation, but their prayers to God are not cries for help and guidance; they are complaints. God is well aware of the complaints and tells Moses, ‘I have heard the complaints of the people.’ This is not the first or only time that the people blame God for their troubles. How does God answer? -with generosity. The people have not earned God’s generosity. Nevertheless, God sends them wonderful food: the unusual bread-like manna which appears as morning dew, and surprising flocks of plump, tender quails. 

These two stories from the Bible remind us that we cannot earn or demand God’s favour or generosity. If we acknowledge that good fortune or happiness or success or any number of blessings have been given to us freely, we have reason to be thankful to a generous, loving God. So how do we thank God? Jesus reminded us that the greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbour. Opportunities to be thankful and generous are many, both near and far, because the needs are great. We can put our thankfulness to practical use in our neighbourhoods, community organizations, local charities and churches, neighbourhood food banks, etc. Another possibility is larger organizations like the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Alzheimer Society, Canadian Cancer Society, and many other worthy charities. Thanksgiving is a good time to look at the many ways you can give thanks to God for God’s help and generosity by giving generously of your time or means to help others.