Thanksgiving: How do we say thanks authentically and not lapse into the platitudes so often associated with this holiday? There are several dangers associated with the holiday. Ever since it was instituted as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln, and even before when various state governors instituted it in their states, Thanksgiving has not been a strictly Christian holiday. There has been a lot of nationalism and self-congratulations associated with this day. What is the distinctively Christian way to give thanks to God for all the good things that we have? I want to start with the Old Testament because our Christian way of giving thanks is deeply rooted in Jewish precedents.

Our assigned Old Testament Lesson from Deuteronomy, though framed as part of one of Moses’ long speeches to the…