Our fridge is laden with food, almost to bursting. This is rare for us (who keep a fairly spartan pantry), and the celebration is Thanksgiving, which is this coming Thursday.
KLS’s parents will be staying with us, and the four of us will overeat for a few days in the spirit of the celebration. Highlights include the ubiquitous turkey and a spiral sliced ham.
The Australians reading this probably wonder about Thanksgiving, and what it all means. These days it means eating a big turkey dinner on the last thursday of November, but as with all modern celebrations the origin can be traced way back.
Many Americans incorrectly associate Thanksgiving with an old puritan celebration, or even with an American Indian feast dating even earlier. But the truth is that Thanksgiving can be traced all the way back to the time of Christ.
Some 1991 years ago, on the last Thursday of November, on a grassy hill near the town of Bethsaida, Jesus fed five thousand people with only a handful of loaves and fishes. This was the first Thanksgiving.
The name Thanksgiving is also taken directly from Jesus own words (Mark 6:30-34):
“As I am giving you this fish and this loaf, I bid you say thanks to me”
Since this is from memory, I may be a little off on the details…
