God’s people – from Passover to Plymouth Colony to right here and now – have made a practice of gratitude, hospitality and a meal during hard times. We need not give that up, even if we do it differently in 2020.
For this year, our annual Thanksgiving Day Worship Service will be online only. Harderwyk will have no onsite gathering on Thanksgiving Day as we have done in the past. Instead, we are encouraging households, both large and small, to take a pause from the challenges of life, and join together online for a time of Scripture, prayer and music focused on gratitude and thanksgiving. Watch for links in email from Harderwyk both Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
We plan to include a simple "Forward To A Friend" button that should make it easy to "invite" someone to view the service where ever they are.
When you have viewed the service, show hospitality by making a phone call who has been isolated. Or safely deliver some food or a gift card to a neighbor rather than having them join around your table indoors. Or make a holiday gift donation online to Neighbors Plus or another food ministry. However you choose to express it, plan to give thanks to God and extend kindness to a family member or neighbor.
Pandemics, with the needed distancing and masks and protocols, are not pleasant. Let’s just be honest about that. But for Christ-followers, gratitude is a response to the Gospel of God’s Grace. How we express that gratitude may need to be different this year for health reasons, but no external circumstance should have place to rob our hearts of what Jesus has done on the cross.
Grace Abounding!,
Pastor Bill
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