Pastor's Blog: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
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One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving worship is the opportunity the season affords us to sing songs we don’t sing any other time of the year. Not that we shouldn’t give consideration to saying our thanks through song throughout the year, it’s just that certain hymns seem to sound better when we sing them closer to the Thanksgiving holiday.
One of those hymns, of course, is “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” There’s something about the words of that hymn that bring out the “pilgrim” in all of us. But the reason the hymn has such importance for me is because of its corporate nature. The invitation is to “people,” which I interpret to mean a reasonably large group.
As Baptists, we tend to emphasize the importance of individual faith, which is why so many of our hymns (and praise choruses) have titles that reflect the first person singular. While I appreciate that aspect of our Baptist heritage, I also recognize that without a healthy understanding of the communal nature of my faith, I will never become the fully mature follower of Jesus I yearn to be. I might even say I will never fully grow “in grace and generosity.” If you’ll think back to what you learned in history class about the Pilgrims’ ability to survive their first winter, you’ll see how they not only relied upon one another to make it through those harsh days but they also relied upon their Indian neighbors! If you read between the lines of the hymn, you will see that note reflected as well. The “people” who are invited to “come” aren’t just fellow pilgrims; they also include their Indian neighbors – an important word for us to consider in a day where tribal voices seem too often to have the floor.
This Sunday we’ll have our annual Thanksgiving celebration at MBBC. As is customary on this special day, we’ll have our Sunday Morning Bible Study at 9 a.m. and a combined worship at 10 a.m. Then we’ll move to the gym for a Thanksgiving meal. The buzz that marks this gathering is always a melodious sound to me, one that signals our thankfulness for one another and our deep appreciation for how the favor of God abounds in our church and abounds through our church so that we are open to others joining with us. I do hope you’ll be able to join us this Sunday and that you’ll come with a thankful heart. Because we need one another, I can honestly say that the day won’t be the same without you.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 4:15).