The stress of everyday living often blinds us to the blessings we enjoy. That is why Thanksgiving Day can play such a wonderful role in our lives. It is an occasion to remind ourselves of the gifts that surround us and to give thanks for them. Gratitude is a crucial component of Christian discipleship. Meister Eckhart, the German mystic of the Middle Ages, wrote, “The most important prayer in the world is just two words long: ‘Thank You.’” Read more »
October 23, 2018
Reclaiming the spirit of Thanksgiving on #Giving Tuesday
The stress of everyday living often blinds us to the blessings we enjoy. That is why Thanksgiving Day can play such a wonderful role in our lives. It is an occasion to remind ourselves of the gifts that surround us and to give thanks for them. Gratitude is a crucial component of Christian discipleship. Meister Eckhart, the German mystic of the Middle Ages, wrote, “The most important prayer in the world is just two words long: ‘Thank You.’” Read more »
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, the nation’s oldest ecumenical body, concluded its annual “Christian Unity Gathering” last week in a spirit of celebration and hope. Leaders from across the Council’s 38 member communions came to College Park, Maryland, to join in conversation, worship and decision-making. The Christian Unity Gathering (CUG) continued the Council’s “A.C.T. Now to End Racism” campaign, begun with a mass rally on the National Mall last April. 
When you hear about a congregation’s hospitality, you might picture people greeting one another after Sunday services.
Or you might picture people chatting around a table in the fellowship hall during a church potluck. Chances are, you wouldn’t picture people delivering dog toys and dish towels to a camper parked in the church’s parking lot. 
When Hurricane Florence hit the eastern coast of the United States, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and Presbyterian Women (PW) sent out a reminder that September was National Preparedness Month (NPM). Since 2014, through the Presbyterian Women Disaster Preparedness program, PDA and PW have collaborated to assist congregations and presbyteries to create disaster preparedness plans. Today, the program has more than 150 women from 68 presbyteries across the country, including 43 new trainers from the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women last month in Louisville, Kentucky. 
My day started with a call alerting me of a death that had occurred at dawn and requesting the presence of a chaplain for comfort. I had met the family the previous week and knew they were accepting of the prognosis and nearing transition. 
As I write this, the earth is busy producing its harvest, the weather is comfortable, and the next family holiday on the horizon is Thanksgiving.
Yet I’m keenly aware that as some of us have plenty of fresh and healthy food, many do not (and many do not have it year-round even if they do now, at harvest time). Even as the early fall weather is enjoyable where I live, other people are facing terrible impacts from natural disasters. And while being grateful for a warm family home that will hold holiday festivities, I realize that not everyone has four walls to call home or even safe shelter. 
General secretaries and other high- ranking national church leaders from nine Asian countries gathered in early September to pave the way for a coherent and well-coordinated Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace (PJP) Asia Focus-2019. 
First Presbyterian Church in Dickson, Tennessee, was in a rut. The pastor of more than 30 years had retired a year before, and the six-member session was keeping the church together. But they were barely surviving. It was all they could do to keep up with their regular tasks, let alone start any new creative ventures. 
As a pastor, I am reminded weekly during Sunday’s prayers of people that life is not easy. I listen as those in the pew ask
for comfort, guidance, healing and hope. I listen, and then I pray for our laments to turn into songs of praise.
Mary had a song of praise — one that thanked God for looking favorably upon her and the plight of her people — and so in planning this year’s Advent devotional, I thought it was fitting to hear from Mary and to be reminded once again that God sees us, hears us and is with us always. 
Throughout the month of October, The Gallery at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey, is showcasing the paintings, photographs and poetry of local artist, Andrew Weatherly.