Wow what a Thanksgiving!

It was a really busy season and holiday for me and now it is almost gone. Besides Thanksgiving there was birthdays, farewells and other engagements all throughout the week. On Thanksgiving Day our congregation gets together at 6:30 am and we start the "Potato Mash". They set up assembly lines in our fellowship hall where people peel potatoes. When those people fill up big mixing bowls with freshly peeled potatoes---those bowls get hauled to the kitchen for washing and touch-up cutting. From there they go to a homemade potato slicer. It is a PVC pipe with a plunger. Young fellows put the potatoes in the top hole while Grandpa runs the plunger. Knives are stuck into the pipe, so the potatoes get diced as they slide through the pipe. Next the pieces are hauled to a table of men who sort and grade the pieces for cooking. Too big a pieces need to be cut so they don't take too long to cook. Small pieces need to be seperated, because they take less time to cook. Outside of the building is a group of brethren with propane cookers boiling water. The potatoes are then cooked. The final process is that they are given to a table of big mixing bowls to be mashed by blenders and put into tinfoil pans. Each portion is weighed before blending. People go back and forth putting in salt, butter and milk as needed. The end result is the mashed potatoes are boxed and ready to go to the veterans hall to be used to feed the homeless in our local city. The other next door congregation does the turkey and wraps up a number of sweet potatoes for the same meal.
We hope in a small way that we can serve Jesus and fulfill the verse:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in    Matt 25:35

We as a people are so much in debt to mercy and grace that it is only right to find something to do to show our gratitude. Find a need in your local community and see if your congregation can fill that need. It is interesting to work together on a project like this. They have done it for four to five years instead of our Thanksgiving service. I think it would be advised to have singing and devotions incorporated into your gathering. We finished at around 9:30-10 am. Alot of hands pitching in to help clean-up. By the time the noon meal comes around you have had time to reflect on what Thanksgiving is really all about....Can you Guess?  Kind of like the little girl that was trying to figure how God, who is so big, could fit in her little heart...She guessed that he would just end up sticking out everywhere. The Truth is that is how it should be, he is too big to only stay in our hearts. Enough said--- I just hope I can find the grace not to only think about my selfish wants and needs this Thanksgiving--Christmas Season. JLT