As the days shorten while the crisp, cold nights lengthen, and the trees lose their leaves, the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching and Christmas along with New Year’s Day are just another month away. This is one of my favorite times of the year, especially Thanksgiving, when we take time to reflect on what we are truly thankful. God has lavished us with an abundance of blessings. We live in a rich country where we have freedom. This freedom was just clearly demonstrated by the historic election on November 4th. Now as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, my prayer is that we each spend some heartfelt time thinking carefully about what we are thankful for and how God has blessed us. Our Lord and Savior challenges us: "In everything give thanks." (1 Thes 5:18).
The Holy Spirit inspires us to search for the good in all things and never give up hope, even when times are dark and discouraging. Our nation and the world are going through tough economic times now. We need to pray hard for our national and world leaders to learn from past mistakes and make sound decisions for our future recovery. And as a church family, here in Lancaster, during this time of economic hardship, we need to be extra sensitive to and perceptive of those of us who may be hurt more severely by these trying times, offering Christ-like help, support, and encouragement when it is needed most.
---Roger Mathewson
