All around the country, people will gather with loved ones to share in a meal. I won't deny my excitement, but I am prodded to ask deeper questions. What is the purpose of Thanksgiving? Have we lost sight of the intended purpose and potential power of this day? The conclusions I am reaching may trouble you. Maybe they will be the catalyst for some kind of change. Nonetheless, I move forward.
We share a connection. Whether or not you or I are conscious of it in our everyday lives doesn't make it any less true. You may remember from my first post that I used the phrase "relational power"; well, here it is again, reminding us of something I believe we all need to hear. Relational power is a phrase that expresses the belief that all things, at all times, are inextricably interconnected. This reality radically shapes and informs my life.
So, with this foundation I return to Thanksgiving. As has been taught in American schools for as long I know, the celebration of Thanksgiving is the annual commemoration of what has become known as The First Thanksgiving. In this story, the pilgrims celebrate harvest with the Native Americans by sharing in a peaceful meal.
As I said before, I must ask deeper questions of this day. What I wonder is how are we (the dominant, "normative" culture) remembering and honoring the truth of this story? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a meal with loved ones as much as anyone else, but are we claiming our relational power in this story? Simply, are we telling the truth to the younger generations? Do they know, for example, that we forced Native Americans off of their land and gave them blankets with smallpox not long after this first Thanksgiving? Do they know of all the broken promises? Do they know of the economic disparity in our country?
Again, don't get my intention in this post wrong, it isn't about a guilt trip on a holiday. To the contrary, it is a call to claim the connection we share. How can I, or any of us sit down to tables with more than enough food to eat, offering thanks for our connection to others (as I believe this is what Thanksgiving is about) without acknowledging that this is not how it has been or is for many in our country? Where's the connection in that?
Statistics from Feeding America state that in 2009 50.2 million Americans (33 million adults, 17.2 million children) lived in "food insecure" households. This statistic may shock you, but it is a reality. Too often we in America seem to think that we are exempt from issues that face the rest of the world on a daily basis. We seem to have the mentality that, "Sure, they may be starving in places like Africa, but that could never/doesn't happen in America." Well, sadly it does. As you and I sit down to meals that truly display our economic and social wealth.
This is not the way it should be. As a theologian, I cannot help but think of Jesus on a day like this. I am reminded of words that come from the author of Luke that are attributed to Jesus that are familiar, but often overlooked, "Give us this day our daily bread." This short sentence is of course found in a longer prayer, and sadly I think it has lost its powerful meaning. It was written at a time when those of lowest economic standing would have been worried about where their next meal was coming from. For such words to be spoken would have been an expression of hope. Can we imagine these words coming to us, "Please, can you share some food with me?" Our relational connection, calls us to respond, just as I believe the pilgrims would have been prompted to in their time, we respond not because we hold power over another, but because our survival - our common life together as humanity - is dependent upon the welfare of another.
It is my hope that we are aware of the true history that comes with this holiday. Yes, it was a peaceful gathering all those many years ago at the "first Thanksgiving", but that is not the whole story. We celebrate connection today, and in doing so are persuaded by that connection to respond in life affirming, healing, and transformative ways for all of creation.
We gather together,
one creation,
not just one tribe or nation
we now share six billion faces
We gather together,
seeking wholeness,
reaching out to young and oldest
We gather here,
transformed hearts,
this new moment is the start
We give thanks for all we have,
committing to a brand new path
We acknowledge wrongs we've done,
our mouths are stuffed with love unsung!
No comments:
Post a Comment