Tag: Thanksgiving

Next Up: Thanksgiving and Christmess

On By Tim ValentinoIn GeneralLeave a comment

You may have heard of that tea called “Sleepytime,” the caffeine-free herbal blend by Celestial Seasonings designed to help folks relax and unwind before bedtime. Well, I must have been drinking a new flavor this week called “Weepytime,” as the tears have begun to flow a little more freely these days. How come?

The temperatures outside are plunging, and the turkey inside awaits a good smoking. The leaves on the ground are rustling around and painting the landscape with perfection. Tthe holly berries out back have erupted, stippling their way across the massive green backdrop that pricks all who come near. That can only mean Thanksgiving is close at hand—the wonderful American holiday in November where we push the pause button on life and celebrate the goodness of God to us. “Count your many blessings, name them ton by ton.”

My sister has been safely resting in Jesus for a year now, and that touches the heart. So does the thought of receiving a new daughter-in-law next year. Samuel and Levi, of course, continue to delight my soul, as do the growth and expanded ministries of our church, which is motivated to follow hard after Jesus. (God gave us a Christian preschool out of the blue this year after a time of fasting and prayer.) There’s been good progress on a massive dissertation, which is turning out to be my life’s work and the best of all I know about God and his ways from Scripture. Food, clothing, shelter, family—the list of things for which I can be thankful is long and lovely.

But the floodgates opened in earnest a few days ago when I unpacked our new Nativity scene. I’ve been wanting to get a replacement for several years now because the one we’ve been using is a bit too antiseptic for my taste. The new one is much more rustic and realistic. It’s earthy and crude, which I like because the first Christmas was really a Christmess.

God came down. All the way down. And landed in a manger—right on top of cow spit and barnyard bacteria. Right on top of King Herod’s royal bombast and bluster, thus inflaming his rage and insecurities. Yes, Jesus came a long way to save us. Two thousand years ago, the eternal Son of God stepped across the stars of the universe to become a zygote in the womb of Mary, a teenage girl from a tiny town no one esteemed. And then he was born like one of us. Did he suck his thumb that first night in the feeding trough?

The Prince of Peace came in peace. Nothing is more disarming and unthreatening than a baby. But how is this possible? This is Almighty God we’re talking about here. The one who fills the universe is now filling his diaper? I still can’t fully get my mind around the incarnation. No worries, though; it has captured my heart and unleashed my imagination, and that’s good enough for me. It reduces me to a puddle every single year, whether I want it to or not. I suspect that’s because I believe it with the totality of my being.

We won’t display the new Nativity scene until the last dish is dried from the Thanksgiving feast. After all, we’re not decoration heretics. But even then, it won’t contain the newborn Christ until Christmas morning. Advent comes first, and we’re taking Samuel and Levi on an Advent-ure of anticipation, helping them learn to wait for the good things God has for them. (That’s a good lesson for big kids, too.) So, every time we walk past the crèche, we look for baby Jesus and say, “He’s not here yet, but he’s coming.”

Yes, he’s coming again, friends. Jesus is coming back to the planet he made and the people he loves. That, too, is a good lesson for big kids. Are you ready?

The local Home Depot has a series of workshops for the little ones.
Samuel is focused on the task at hand.
Brothers at the Pretzel Hut on Papa-Gaga Day.
Levi snuggling in his pizza blanket.
Samuel loves his daddy’s hat.
Levi loves going down the slide backwards.
Samuel’s love of books has begun.
Love and cuddles from mama.
The boys love the indoor playground at Ephrata Community Church.
“And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall” (Malachi 4:2b).
Levi going all the way to the top for the big slide.
Playing is hard work.
The trees at our church have been stunning this fall.
Not one but two “burning bushes” off the church parking lot.
The tree-lined walkway out the front of the church.
The shifting sounds of fall to winter.

Now Thank We All Our God

On By Tim ValentinoIn GeneralLeave a comment

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

– Martin Rinkart

Prior to the Israelites’ entry into the Promised Land, Moses issued a call to his countrymen for the ongoing praise and remembrance of God for his miraculous deliverance from Egypt and his gracious provisions in everyday life. His call is really a summons to daily thanksgiving—a fitting reminder on this day of feasting in the United States:

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

 “He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”

Deuteronomy 8:10-18

The Apostle Paul echoes a similar sentiment in 1 Corinthians 4:7: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” 

Israel’s many psalms of thanksgiving in the Psalter fulfill Moses’ call to the Israelites to express their grateful praise to God. Moreover, such is the abundant blessings of God to his people in all ages that Paul can instruct believers to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As Nancy Leigh DeMoss has said:

“I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine or I can worship! And I can’t worship without giving thanks. It just isn’t possible. When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others.”

DeMoss is right. We’ve had our share of grief over the past two years, but we still have much to be thankful for. The table will still be full and so will our hearts. We’ll eat and be satisfied, sharing the delights of the season, albeit without my sister and mother-in-law this year. And in the process, we’ll remember the Lord our God for who he is and what he has done.

I’m especially grateful this year for the deepening relationship between my son and his girlfriend, An. This could be the one, though time will tell. She’s a lovely young woman who works at Sight & Sound in Lancaster, where she and Andrew met. She is a phneomenal piano player. Her persecuted family was dramatically rescued from Vietnam several decades ago. It’s quite a story to hear. We’ll be spending part of the day today with her family.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all the readers of This New Life. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to drop me a line if you have a need, would like to share a prayer request, or just want to chat.

May God richly bless you!

Image Credits: shutterstock.com.

A Few Personal Updates on This Notorious Day

On By Tim ValentinoIn General2 Comments

’Tis the season to be grateful. Actually, gratitude is a year-round virtue, isn’t it? But it’s nice to have a special day of focus. Cicero, the Roman philosopher and statesman said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Orrin Woodward, NYT bestselling author on Leadershift, said, “Ingratitude produces pride while gratitude produces humility.” And G. K. Chesterton, the English writer, literary critic, and Christian apologist, said, “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” We have much to be thankful for, even though life has been challenging lately.

One. My mother-in-law continues her steady decline. She’s now on hospice, and we’ve had to learn how to use the equipment necessary to take care of her in (what appears to be) her final months. It’s been a real challenge, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been so slow to post lately. I really do want to finish sharing those summaries on the book of Daniel. It was such a rich, encouraging, and eye-opening study, and it was hard for me to bring the series to a close. The book is timely as well as tremendous in its own right. I also have a backlog from the “Carved in Stone” series on the Ten Commandments. It just hasn’t been a good year to stay up on these kinds of tasks. I’m pretty sure my life is going to get a significant realignment in the New Year, as my health and sanity will require it.

Two. The boys continue to be a supreme blessing to me in these days. I never realized the joys of love could run this deep, but they do with these two munchkins! They are beyond adorable. When asked what the days of the week are, Samuel says, “Monday, Tuesday, Papa, Thursday….” (Yes, we keep the boys on Wednesday) 😊 That makes me want to melt into a puddle of gooey milk chocolate on a hot gas stove. Below are a few recent pics. We get to host them for Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday; otherwise, it’s a low-key weekend in our house, which is fine by me. Only after Thanksgiving do we start putting up Christmas decorations. That’s carved in stone, too. 😊 Next week we celebrate Samuel’s second birthday. 

Three. Speaking of stove, our kitchen renovation project is nearly complete. We’re just waiting on one final cabinet and the new backsplash. The transformation has been amazing. I can’t remember if I mentioned this before, but by securing and managing the subcontractors ourselves, and helping where we can, we’re saving about $20,000 over the estimate we received a couple years ago when we first started kicking the tires on this idea. Given the horrendous inflation over the past several years, that probably translates to about $25,000 today. Happy dance. Even though I can’t dance.

Four. My yearly Advent sob-fest has begun already. This one took me by surprise. I was doing some worship planning recently and wound up listening to the Tabernacle Choir’s rendition of “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming.” For some reason, it hit a tender spot, and the floodgates opened, perhaps because the load is quite heavy right now.

True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

I’ll post the song below.

Five. COVID killed our wonderful choir, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it resurrected in due course, especially since our church is getting a new organ this week. (It’s a gently used though lovely Rodgers organ from Ephrata.) A few of us have been crawling around the organ chambers over the past several days, cleaning things out and getting ready for the new installation. We’re all a bit stiff and banged up from that venture, but I’m ecstatic that it will be operable in time for Advent and Christmas. I’ll also post our church’s Advent letter and lineup in case anyone is interested.

Six. My dissertation is trucking along, but it’s taking longer than it should. Even I—yes, I—am starting to drift into the “Let’s get this thing done, already,” mode. It’s just so tedious to write at this level and do a thorough job of engaging all the heavy hitters who’ve written on my topic over the past two millennia. At last count, I’ve gotten up to 19 languages, and that’s more than enough, don’t you think? Still, I love the research. It’s the academic writing (i.e., being precise, anticipating objections, making and defending an argument, documenting everything, etc., etc.) that’s so time consuming. All in good time, though, right?

Seven. By the time I publish this post, it will be November 22, 2023, the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I wasn’t born yet when that awful tragedy took place, but I became fascinated by all aspects of it when I was in elementary school. And, yes, I’ve done an awful lot of reading on this subject over the years, keeping up with old details and major developments in the case. I had hoped to write more extensively about it on this anniversary, but that’s just not possible this year. Maybe someday. What do I think happened? Let’s just say, “Things aren’t settled until they’re properly settled.” And this crime was never properly settled. Enough said?

Eight. In the spirit of JFK (who died on the same days as C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley), let’s end where we began—gratitude. It was President Kennedy who said, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” In my case, that would take a whole lot of time. And it would include you, the readers of TNL. Thanks for stopping by.

And Happy Thanksgiving to all. Be blessed.

2023 Advent-Christmas Eve BrochureDownload
2023 Advent Letter & DevotionalDownload
2023 Christmas Eve Invitation CardsDownload

Bonus:

Edit:

Oddly enough, today I’m thinking about the death of another larger-than-life personality, Princess Diana. Last night I finished watching episode 3 of the final season of The Crown, so it’s fresh on my mind. And it’s stirring up in me the loathing I already had for the media. I’m sitting here wondering if the paparazzi have learned their lesson, or if they’re still greedy, corrupt, and dangerous.

Emerging from the Food Coma

On By Tim ValentinoIn GeneralLeave a comment

1. Since my MIL doesn’t travel well anymore, most of the family came to our place for Thanksgiving this year. We have a perfectly sized family room to accommodate the whole crew, and we had a lovely day together. I smoked one of our turkeys (now my favorite way to prepare it), and the other one we baked and then crock-potted. Both were delectable.

2. All the menu items turned out great (especially the Polish potatoes) except my feeble attempt to replicate “Cope’s Corn,” a dried corn that happens to be a local holiday favorite. Our stores couldn’t get any in stock this year because of the economy. So, I got regular corn and dehydrated it, but something didn’t work right in the re-hydration process, and I had to throw it out. C’est la vie. Maybe next year the cans will be back on the shelf. (The corn isn’t that great; it’s just a delivery system for butter and brown sugar. It’s also a childhood memory, so it’s a necessity at Thanksgiving.)

3. I had my annual sob-fest in the parking lot a few days ago as I was loading Thanksgiving groceries into the car. I didn’t even see it coming this year. It just hit me, yet again, that I am blessed while too many people in this world are still hungry. I had an overwhelming sense that the Spirit was saying to me, “Remember the poor.” That’s a mega-theme in Scripture, so clearly it’s something perpetually on the heart of God. It should be perpetually on our hearts, too.

4. In between meals and family laughs, I was able to work through all the primary sources containing Greek, Hebrew, or Syriac words for “veil” or “curtain,” the cultic tapestry separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the Jewish temple, which is the focus of my second dissertation. I successfully made it through the Babylonian Talmud, so ancient Jewish Apocalyptic is the last block of texts to consider. That’s where things get weird. It’s not unlike the book of Revelation, an odd (to us) genre of literature that has its own set of rules for interpretation. 

5. Here’s a lament from this former newshound: The mainstream media has become the journalistic equivalent of professional wrestling—mildly entertaining in the campiest of ways, but only people with severe learning disabilities take it seriously. There’s no greater source of misinformation, disinformation, and polarization in this country than CNN and MSNBC. They’re both contemptible organizations that need to whither on the vine and become utterly irrelevant. ABC, CBS, and NBC are close behind. The NYT is beyond redemption. The View is hell on earth. FOX is less annoying to my taste, but they don’t cut it straight, either. I spent a couple decades lamenting the growing bias and spin of the media, but that turned out to be a big waste of time and energy. Now I just mock them whenever I can. The Babylon Bee has the right approach. Make fun of them every single day. They deserve it. (O.k., rant over.)

6. My daughter is two centimeters and counting. If Samuel doesn’t arrive in the next several days, she’ll be induced on Wednesday. Question: How am I supposed to read the Infancy Narrative on Christmas Day this year with a newborn in the room? That’s just a puddle waiting to happen. 

7. My son is in final preparations for his appearance in the Reading Civic Theatre’s production of Grease (December 10-12). It’s a fun musical, and I may or may not have been an Olivia Newton-John fan as a teenager.

Have a great weekend, everyone. And welcome to Advent.

A Few Thanksgiving Grins

On By Tim ValentinoIn General, On the Lighter SideLeave a comment

It’s nice to smile when the year has been so odd and the holiday so different. To keep things on the lighter side, I pardoned the vegetables this year. Only the turkey and potatoes were executed for the greater good. The broccoli, cauliflower, beets, corn, spinach, and green beans can keep their lives for another year. It’s better that way for everyone. Well, here are some actual fun highlights from the day:

Fun Highlight #1: My grandcat Mrs. Mosby was here. Her mission in life seems to be to convert me from being a dog person to a cat person. Given the demon-possessed Pomeranian I used to own, that shouldn’t be too difficult.

Fun Highlight #2: We chuckled at the Thanksgiving list my son made when he was in third grade. It’s prominently displayed on the family room piano. He listed all his toys and relatives. All the relatives, that is, except his sister. She didn’t make the cut. Come to think of it, first on his list was that demon-possessed Pomeranian referenced above.

Fun Highlight #3: I had a random conversation with my son-in-law about Halloween candy. He wanted to know why I dislike candy corn so much. I said, “Because there’s not enough chocolate in it.” I rest my case.

Fun Highlight #4: My son-in-law rocked Mrs. Mosby to sleep, after which she apparently had a charismatic dream (see below). I’m thinking she’s a Pentecostal. 

O.k., time for some real Thanksgiving humor. 🙂 Enjoy!

Table cleared. Kitchen cleaned. Thanks given. O.k., NOW we can decorate and play Christmas music in this house!

When You Have Eaten and Are Satisfied

On By Tim ValentinoIn General2 Comments

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” – Cicero

“Ingratitude produces pride while gratitude produces humility.” – Orrin Woodward

“Gratitude bestows reverence…changing forever how we experience life and the world.” – John Donne

 “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you?” – William Arthur Ward

“It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.” – Anonymous

Prior to the Israelites’ entry into the Promised Land, Moses issued a call to his countrymen for the ongoing praise and remembrance of God for his miraculous deliverance from Egypt and his gracious provisions in everyday life. His call is really a summons to daily thanksgiving—a fitting reminder on this day of feasting in the United States:

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”

Deuteronomy 8:10-18

The Apostle Paul echoes a similar sentiment in 1 Corinthians 4:7: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” 

Israel’s many psalms of thanksgiving in the Psalter fulfill Moses’ call to the Israelites to express their grateful praise to God. Moreover, such is the abundant blessings of God to his people in all ages that Paul can instruct believers to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18). As Nancy Leigh DeMoss has said:

“I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine or I can worship! And I can’t worship without giving thanks. It just isn’t possible. When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others.”

DeMoss is right. The latest lockdown has altered our plans for today, but we still have much to be thankful for. The table will be full and so will our hearts. We’ll eat and be satisfied, sharing the delights of the season, albeit with a smaller group than originally planned. And in the process, we’ll remember the Lord our God for who he is and what he has done.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all the readers of This New Life. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to drop me a line if you have a need, would like to share a prayer request, or just want to chat.

May God richly bless you!

Image Credits: shutterstock.com.

Name Them One By One

On By Tim ValentinoIn General, Songs2 Comments

It may be a bouncy, outdated, sing-songy little piece, but it contains a lot of wisdom: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one.” Today was a good day for doing exactly that. 

>>> Got to have a meaningful time of worship this morning for “Christ the King Sunday.” We sang some of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving and throne songs, which always chokes me up.

>>> Got to see our first attempt at livestreaming the worship service work well this morning. Livestreaming will supplement our existing radio ministry and enable folks to see us as well as hear us.

>>> Got to see my niece from out-of-state this afternoon—the one from whom I may have purchased about $65 of Girl Scout candy to help get their start-up troop launched. (The “Milk Chocolate Mint Trefoils” are phenomenal.)

>>> Got to watch my daughter and her husband co-lead worship at their special Thanksgiving service earlier tonight. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4). They even sang “The Blessing,” which I gushed about in a previous post.

>>> Got two packages in the mail today from Amazon. That’s always a good day, even when they’re not books for me. 🙂 Early online Christmas shopping is a must this year because of the virus. Prime makes it fast, which is also good because of the shipping crunch that’s coming.

>>> Got to spend some time tonight thinking about family, friends, and loved ones—new and old alike—remembering the best in each, and how God has loved and taught me so much through them.

And all those years you guided me
So I could find my way.

And with God, being who he is, the best is always yet to come.

Time now to go top off a wonderful day with two episodes of The Crown, a beverage, and a few more pieces of that Girl Scout candy.

Image Credits: kendrickhome.net; vistapointe.net.

And Guide Us When Perplexed

On By Tim ValentinoIn Bible & Theology, SongsLeave a comment

The Sunday before Thanksgiving is typically a precious time of worship for many believers—on at least two counts. First, according to the liturgical calendar, it’s the last Sunday after Pentecost, known in many traditions as Christ the King Sunday. Worshipers take the opportunity to ascribe glory and honor to King Jesus, who is Lord of chronos (or “unfolding”) time as well as kairos (or “epochal”) time. It’s a way of putting an exclamation mark on the longest season of the church year before the calendar starts all over again next week with the season of Advent. King Jesus “was, and is, and is to come.” He is Lord of all time.

Second, on the civil calendar in the United States, it’s the Sunday leading into Thanksgiving Day. Many North American worshipers therefore take the opportunity to thank the Lord for his many blessings and providential care throughout the year. “We Gather Together” is a meaningful hymn that we often sing on this day, but we skipped it this year because so many parishioners aren’t able to gather in person. Instead, they livestream the service to avoid exposure to the virus. Equally poignant to me, however, is Martin Rinkart’s evocative and stately hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” This piece, too, puts a lump in my throat, and we’re singing it today.

Rinkart was a German clergyman who served in the town of Eilenburg during the horrors of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). Overrun with refugees during the Great Epidemic of 1637, he conducted between 40 to 50 funerals a day. I can hardly imagine such a calling. Nevertheless, he found a way to be thankful under the most trying of circumstances, penning these memorable words:

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

I’m especially struck this year by the line, “And guide us when perplexed.” No doubt the presence of all that plague and war death around him took its toll personally and emotionally. How could it not? Rinkart, however, turned his mystification into a prayer request. “Guide us now, Lord, in these perplexing times. And as you keep us in your grace, free us from all ills, in this world and the next.” Such a request is appropriate in any age.

We’re not always sure why life unfolds the way it does. Chronos can be confusing sometimes, but believers know the ultimate kairos is on its way. Christ is coming back for his people, and all will recognize him then as the true King. Every knee will finally bow to him (Phil 2:10). “For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.”

Amen.

Image Credit: myjewishlearning.com.