Grace and peace to you. I’m Rev. Joe Cailles, the pastor of Peakland United Methodist Church in Lynchburg Virginia. Today is Wednesday, November 22, 2023. It is the day before Thanksgiving here in the US.

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, I will be with my wife and our sons here in Lynchburg. I have a mighty feast planned, and I have to get the absolute last of my Thanksgiving meal ingredients later today. But really, I suspect I will have to get the absolute last of my ingredients for the thanksgiving meal, tomorrow as well.

My favorite Thanksgiving Day scripture passage is from Psalm 107, which I offer as a way of reminding ourselves of the source of all the blessings we have in life. I’ll read the regular print, and we’ll both read the bold print together.

PSALM 107:
O give thanks to the Lord, who is good,
whose steadfast love endures forever!
 LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO,
 WHOM THE LORD HAS REDEEMED FROM TROUBLE
 AND GATHERED IN FROM THE LANDS.
We wandered in the desert wastes,
finding no way to a place in which to dwell;
 HUNGRY AND THIRSTY, OUR SOULS FAINTED WITHIN US.
Then in our trouble, we cry to the Lord,
who delivers us from our distress.
 AND LEADS US BY A STRAIGHT WAY,
 TIL WE REACHED A PLACE, A HOME, IN WHICH TO DWELL.
Let us thank the Lord for such steadfast love,
for wonderful works to humankind.
 FOR THE LORD SATISFIES THOSE WHO ARE THIRSTY,
 AND FILLS THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS.

Whoever you are with, wherever you are, I hope Thanksgiving is a day of blessing for you.

In the weeks to come, Peakland United Methodist Church will have wonderful advent and Christmas worship services here at the church and online. During Advent, we’ll be considering this book: All the Good, a Wesleyan Way of Christmas, and we’ll be reaching out and serving our neighbors with our Advent Mission Fest on Sunday December 3 beginning at 4:00 p.m. here at the church. You can find all our Advent and Christmas worship an ministries on our church website: PeaklandUMC.org.

I hope during Advent and Christmas, you join us here so that Christ can use you and all of us to be a blessing to others. As always, if you want to know more about our ministries here and how you can be part of our life here, reach out to me at PeaklandPastor@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving and Thanks be to God!.