November 19, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Meals of Thanksgiving

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above . . . Hymn 291

Yesterday Marilyn oversaw a group of cooks that included Dollie, Kim, Mildred, and Nikki, as they put together several lasagnas (16 to be exact) for the Surprise You Sale on December 6.  If I remember right, last year was the first year that people could purchase and take a lasagna home.  It was such a success that they’re doing it again this year.

Lasagna, paired with a good salad, is one of my favorite meals.  So it was a joy to hear those women working in the kitchen with conversation and laughter . . . and that’s not to mention the aroma that wafted through the parish hall.

Meals are an important part of almost every culture.  They symbolize welcome (think Sarah preparing the meal for the three strangers that Abraham encountered), inclusion (think Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners), and/or the sharing of cultures (I think about meals I shared with my daughter’s host family in Germany).  Next Thursday is Thanksgiving and most of us will spend time sharing a meal with family and friends. 

And while Thanksgiving is a big event in our culture, let us not forget that we share in a Thanksgiving meal every Sunday.  Every Sunday we participate in Holy Eucharist, a Holy Thanksgiving, where we offer our thanks and praise.  Every Sunday we participate in Holy Communion, which is the sacred meal of the Church and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

We are surrounded by meals.  And while Thanksgiving meals are special, fun, and important, let’s not diminish the importance and meaning of that sacred meal we share every Sunday.

Blessings,