It’s a huge deal for me on Thanksgiving. I’ve got to have it, every year. It just wouldn’t be the same without it. I’m talking about one of my all-time favorite holiday treats, canned cranberry sauce.
I am not talking about the fancy, homemade stuff, the labor intensive, chunky, cranberry skins stuck to the roof of your mouth stuff. Nope, I’m not interested in that. No adulterating mandarin oranges, pineapples, or walnuts for me, thanks. Nothing that requires mixing, mincing, or mashing. You can offer it to me…You can try to woo me with your high society, textured relish, but I’m telling you, I’m not into it.
Give me the real stuff, the pure, simple, all the work has been done stuff. The slide out of the can, slice along the ridgeline impressions, and eat stuff. I want a smooth red circle of cranberry deliciousness that I can triangulate with a fork and enjoy, hassle free, every time. Mmmm.
It’s fantastic, and I devour it, every year. There is something so basic and so delicious about it. And, in a strange but simple way, it points me to God and the best cause for thankfulness.
(Alright, alright, you may not share my enthusiasm for this little processed treat or its spiritual implications, but bear with me and you just might experience some encouragement :)
Life is filled with complications and work and struggle. The holiday season is no exception. Sometimes the most wonderful time of the year feels like the most stressful time of the year.
We all know that Thanksgiving is a time to pause and give thanks, but it can be really hard to do…especially when there’s so much to do. We work frantically to make the day pleasurable, to satisfy our appetites and those of our guests. It is enjoyable but draining at the same time.
In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul tells us that one of our root problems is unthankfulness (v. 21). Naturally speaking, we are unable to see all the good in our lives and we are discontent with what our God has given us. We foolishly attribute more value to created things than to the Creator Himself and we spend our lives chasing the bigger, better stuff, the stuff we slavishly work to attain for ourselves (vv. 20-32). We end up empty and exhausted.
Later in Romans, Paul goes on to preach the Gospel, the good news that because of Jesus and what He has done for us, we already have the best stuff. We are forgiven by our Creator God and are in right standing with Him. Everything of real importance has been provided for us as a gracious gift. What we crave the most, everlasting love, security, satisfaction, and significance, has all been granted to us freely through Christ. That’s what His living and dying tells us. God loves us, and He sent Jesus to rescue us. When it comes to everything necessary for us to have eternal life, in everlasting union with our Creator God, the work has been done. “It is finished.” (Jn 19:30)
True thankfulness begins there, in hearing and believing the Gospel. It is so simple, so effortless, and so easy to overlook, but it is true, and moments of seeing and savoring it can result in great thanksgiving.
There will be a lot of work to do this Thanksgiving. It’s an unavoidable part of the holiday for people like us who have so much. Whatever is going on in your household and in your heart, however busy or stressful, however exciting or overwhelming, whether the family is getting along or not, I hope you have some glimpses of grace, some moments that remind you that you already have the best stuff there is, fully provided for you by your gracious God.
Amidst all the other painstakingly prepared items on your banquet table may stand a little lonely, easily overlooked can, 14 oz. of delicious cranberry sauce—fully prepared and manufactured by someone else, ready for you to enjoy. No fuss, no prep time, simple and sweet. I hope you notice that little can this year and that you even see it as a subtle reminder of what Thanksgiving is all about.
Eat a slice for me and remember that you are loved and fully provided for by your God. Happy Thanksgiving!