One of the lepers, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus shouting, “Praise be to God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. [Luke 17:15–16]

Where will you be for Thanksgiving? And with whom will you be celebrating the day? Still a nice occasion for our nation to pause and give thanks to God and to reflect on his generosity in the company of others.

From George Washington forward, nearly every American president is on record with some meaningful words of thanksgiving for the country. Washington wrote, “Let us thank God for his care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation…for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of our government for our safety and happiness.”

I counted 49 times that a form of the word “thanks” appears in the New Testament. And here is an observation: Rarely is thanks given from one person to another. Commonly, though, thanks is given to the Lord for another person. Chew on that a bit.

Thanksgiving news
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving Day on the final Thursday of November to be celebrated each year. A large meal shared with loved ones is the centerpiece of most Thanksgiving celebrations, where the average gathering size is seven and most people consume between 3,150 and 4,500 calories. Chew on that bit, too! Or maybe don’t.

Lincoln was inspired by a popular book. A writer and abolitionist from New Hampshire, Sarah Josepha Hale, was instrumental in cementing many of the Thanksgiving traditions we celebrate today. Her 1852 novel Northwood, a Tale of New England described a feast with a roasted turkey, stuffing, plum pudding, and pumpkin pie. She wrote dozens of editorials and letters to politicians campaigning for the day to become a national holiday. In 1863 she was finally successful in convincing President Lincoln to make it official.

What began as a humble meal among neighbors celebrating a good harvest has been transformed into an annual economic and cultural powerhouse! The day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for air travel as Americans prepare to eat

40 million pounds of turkey and 80 million pounds of cranberries. And the day after Thanksgiving…well, you know all about that.

Here is a history of pictures from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in NYC. Snoopy made it to the parade in New York in the 1980s.

You bet your life
Move over, Mafia: From a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that turbocharged legalized gambling to present media saturation, we’ve reached the sad and dirty and inevitable: betting scandals rocking the sports world—as well as all the ugliness and vices that are attached to gambling, like ticks on a mongrel dog.

Here is an article about how sports betting is affecting NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL players. They describe how FanDuel and the like have changed how fans now interact with them in volatile and threatening ways.

Check out this all-too-common sample experience from an NBA player: “I personally hate gambling. Hate everyone talking about parlays this, parlays that. I hate getting DMs in my Instagram talking about, ‘You messed up my parlay.’ I hate people sending me threats because I messed up their parlay.”

We wrestle not with flesh and blood…but sometimes we do that, too
In a not an uncommon occurrence, a mob of Hindu nationalists attacked a Christian “missions team,” leaving at least four members of the group seriously injured. The Christians were accused of forcibly converting Hindu residents to Christianity. These prevalent threats and accusations are made even when acts of mercy (e.g., healthcare and education etc.) are done by (Indian) Christian organizations.

A group of Christians in Mumbai are seeking to have anti-conversion laws reviewed and changed. Presently the laws even criminalize “acts of kindness.”

Given the ambiguity and loopholes in the laws, it is feared that future application of anti-conversion laws will open the door even wider to harassment and persecution of religious minorities under the guise of “attempted conversion.”

In Africa, hundreds of children were abducted in an attack on a Catholic school in Nigeria. 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday. The Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Nigerian chapter of the Christian Association, said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18.

Things that make you go “ew!”
A Pennsylvania court informed some unfortunate new homeowners that the seller didn’t have to disclose the swastika tiled into their basement floor. And you thought the 70’s leopard shag carpeting was creepy!

A museum in Beijing now offers a coffee brew which has ground-down cockroaches sprinkled on the surface of the drink. The cup of joe is also laced with dried yellow mealworms. Drinkers say it has a “burnt and slightly sour” flavor. Mmmmmm. I think I’ll order a venti!

A fully functioning solid 18-karat gold toilet sold at Sotheby’s auction last week for $12.1 million. “I actually think that reality is far more provocative than my art.… I just take it; I’m always borrowing pieces—crumbs, really—of everyday reality,” said toilet designer Maurizio Cattelan.

Our Tuesday Afternoon Thanksgiving prayer
“Holy Father, we thank you for your holy name, which you have caused to dwell in our hearts. And we thank you for the knowledge and faith and immortality that you have made known to us through Jesus, your servant. To you be glory forever. You, the Almighty Lord of all, created everything for the sake of your name.

“You have given food and drink to humanity for their enjoyment so that they would give you thanks. But to us, you have given spiritual food and drink and eternal life through your servant. Above all, we give thanks to you because you are all powerful. To you be glory forever.

“Remember, oh Lord, your church, to deliver her from all evil and to perfect her in your love. Gather her from the four winds once she has been sanctified for the kingdom you have prepared for her, for yours is the power and glory forever.

“May grace arrive and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David. If anyone is holy, let him come. If he is not, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.”

[The Didache, circa 100]