This is my first year at Immanuel and I am grateful for Jackie! She is our office admin and my guide to all things Immanuel. We reviewed the November calendar together and I noticed the first three Sundays were set aside for remembering and giving thanks:
Nov 1st All Saint’s Day
Nov 11th Veteran’s Day
Nov 23rd Thanksgiving Day
Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving were old hats for me. But. Nov 1st All Saints Day. That’s new for me. I got a little sweaty.
Of course, I knew Nov 1st was All Saint’s Day because of Halloween on Oct 31st. Halloween means “the eve of a hallowed day/holy day,” pointing to the “holy day” of All Saints Day. Got it. But. I had never observed All Saints Day in the church traditions of my lifetime. So, here I am. Middle-aged, taking the plunge into the deeps of something new, and leading the WHOLE congregation in a sacred moment I had never experienced before. Until now. And afterward, I can now say I loved the experience very much. It was beautiful and holy.
If you ever have a chance, go to an All Saints Day observance. Do it! It expressed gratefulness for life and went something like this… The church service settled down to a peaceful quiet. Names of incredibly loved people who had died this past year were read one at a time. After each name, the family or friends would walk to the front of the church and light a candle as the church bell tolled once. I could feel it in the room. Love remembers.
Unsplash of three short candles with dripping wax.
Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest and professor whose writing I adore, helped me make sense of this sacred space where we who live remember the dead. In “Love Remembers,” Nouwen says this:
“It is possible to have intimate relationships with loved ones who have died. Death sometimes deepens the intimacy. After separation, certain people continue to be very significant for us in our hearts and through our memories. Remembering them is much more than just thinking of them because we are making them part of our members, part of the whole thing.
Knowing this experience allows me to live from the deep belief that I have love to offer to people, not only here but also beyond my short, little life. I am a human being who was loved by God before I was born and whom God will love after I die. This brief time is my opportunity to receive love, deepen love, grow in love, and give love. When I die, love continues to be active, and from full communion with God, I am present by love to those I leave behind.”
The idea that love expressed in life will continue after my little life is over gives me loads of courage! It’s a motion that cannot be stopped even by death. Take that, death! We are resurrection people, am I right?
This new experience with All Saints Day did something that I didn’t expect. The thought that love remembers rose as a fresh view for this month of gratefulness.
Admiring the bond and spirit of service of veterans.
My alarm was set for “early” and “afternoon” to witness a seasoned team of veterans and citizens raise and lower the Avenue of Flags at the Wright City Cemetery. I admire the bond among veterans. You can feel it. You can see it as they interact with each other. Their bodies carry the shared memories, honor, and trauma of unwavering service. Each one responded to the urgent needs of the world’s greater community. They carried out orders to restore liberty and justice for all in desperate, ruined places. Their sacrifice must not be forgotten. Love remembers.
Unsplash close up of stars and stripes on the American flag.
Inspired by their service to the world, I longed for this veteran spirit to wash over our greater community. I prayerfully read Jesus’s prayer for the disciples (John 17:21) that we would be one. Unified, we could break the crushing weight of oppression. Imagine our civilian bodies gladly bearing the painful work of liberty and justice in prayer, feeding the hungry, welcoming the unhoused, and walking with the unjustly accused. This is love.
What are you thankful for?
A few years ago, in November, I read a practical Thanksgiving book. It was Diana Butler Bass’s Grateful: the Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks. My takeaway was the power of choosing to be grateful and thankful. Choosing gratefulness pushes against a culture that gives us the green light to be ingrate and selfish, therefore feeding our economy of consumerism where people are commodities. In light of this, choosing to be grateful for people is radical, and like Jesus, who showed us how to appreciate people, especially forgotten people.
Unsplash of man on a rocky high place with arms raised and hands outstretched.
As I write, a long time friend called me out of the clear blue. His calls can be requests for help, and we are here for him. I asked how he was doing and how I could help. He said he was simply calling to share his love and appreciation. Things are going fantastic, and it’s been a long time coming. We celebrated by thanking God together. My good friend remembered what it took to get to this place. God. People. Resources. Love remembers.
During this Thanksgiving season, do something subversive. Create a quiet space. Reflect on what it means for you to choose to be grateful. Slow down. Remember life by lighting a candle. Visit a cemetery and notice the peace there. Make a phone call, text, or visit someone at the Spirit's urging. Honor a veteran. Celebrate the little things. This is a brief list. Over time choosing gratefulness will transform you and the world around you into something beautiful.
Give it a try.
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