ERIC BUTTERWORTH PAPERS (3014) BOX 24 FOLDER 15
THANKSGIVING, RETROSPECT OR FORECAST
NOVEMBER 22,1987
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THANKSGIVING. .REIROaPiai .OR /.QRE.CAS.T.
11/21/
07
PSALM Too - 'MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD,
ALL THE LANDS. SERVE THE I CRD WITH GLADNESS. COME INTO? HIS PRESENCE WITH SINGING. KNOW THAT THE LORD IS GOD. IT IS HE THAT HATH MADE US, WE ARE
ENTER
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HIS PEOPLE, AND THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE.
HIS GATES WITH PRAISE. GIVE THANKS TO HIM,
HIS NAME. FOR THE LORD IS GOOD, 'NtlS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER, AND HiS FAITHFULNESS TO ALL GENERATIONS.'
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^jCOLD "lOOV WILL BE READ AND PREACHED ABOUT AND SUNG/lN CHURCHES THROUGH T?HE LANd/aLL THIS WEEK AND ON THURSDAY.^THANKSGIVING DAY./ BUT I * WONDER HOW OFTEN THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION/
IN THE# SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING/WILL REFLECT THE
TRUE ATTITUDE
INVOLVED
IN THE RITUAL OF WORSH|p/mAY B£ ENGA*

GING IN WHAT GILBERT A?ND SULLIVAN CALL/.. 'PLATITUDES IN STACIMED GLASS ATTITUDES.'
I
A LITTLE GIRL WAS 'SLEEPING OVER' AT HER AUNT'
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SAIO HER PRAYERS./THE AUNT SAID, 'WHAT A JOY TO HE JR YOU SAYINGf YOUR PRAYERS SO WELL./YOU SPEAK SO EARNESTLY AND SINCERE^’/ HlftE LITTLE GIRL REPLIED,/»’3UT AUNTIE YOU SHOULD HEAR ME GARGLE''
/prayer WAS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MEMORY AND
IMITATION.
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LET'S 3E CERTAIN THAT IN OBSERVING THANKSGIVING,/ WE ARE INOT JUST PLAYING GAMES.71T MUST 3E MOR THAN A MATTER OF TAKING ONE DAY/tO SING OUR RAISES TO GOD./GOD ISN’T THE LEAST 31 T MOVED
Y YOUR FLATTERY./ REALLY, IT MAKES NO DIFFERENC
"=3-^	tr./^A/ecs * or
O GOD/WHETHER YOU THANK HI^OR NOT/ ftwtfULDdE
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DAY/OF
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AND THANKSGIVING TO GOD/OUT OF A SENSE OF OBLIGATION./.AND YET NEVER EXPERIENCE A THANK-FILLED
C.ONSCIOUSNESS./GODJiS NOT A PERSON TO THANK AND PRAISE,/BUT A PRESENCE IN WHICH YOU LIVE/AND ON WHICH TO 3UILD A POSITIVE AND CREATIVE LIFE./
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IN THE PLAY,
!,/the FEMALE LBAD IS PREPARING A THANKSGIVING DINNER/fOR A LOAD OF VISITING RELATIVES,/AND SIGHS, 'THIS HOLIDAY IS AN
AVJFOL LOT OF WORK./.NO WONDER NO OTHBER COUNTRY CELEBRATES IT.1
BUT DESPITE THE WORK IN PREPARING LAVISH FEASTS/ AND THE FACT THAT MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS SETTLE INTO A LIGHT-HEARTED AND FESTIVE EX PER IENCE/OF WHAT TTRWIN S. COBH USED TO CALL 'THE ROYAL GORGE/'
YET THANKSGIVING IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE PUREST HOLIDAY
/
OF THE YEAR./FOR MOST OTHER HOLIDAYS HAVE BEEN PERVERTED/BY MATERIALISTIC ENDS AND NATIONAL PRIDE OR ETHNIC VAN I TY/ .AND A GOOD FOR IMBTANCF IS CHRISTMAS/WHICH HAS DETER I OR A?TED FROM 1 HE OBSERVANCE OF A BEAUTIFUL IDEA/TO A FRENZIED EXCHANGE OF NON-DURABLE GOODS./ THANKSGIVING ALONE HAS RETAINED ITS ORIGINAL CHARACTER./ EXCEPT FOR ! A FEW TURKEY GROWERS ANDiCRANBERRY MERCHANTS*/
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NOBCDY IS DESPERATELY TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON THIS HOLIDAY./THANKSGIVING STILL BELONGS TO THE
people./to the family./ oTther hTolidays TRUMPET
OUR VICTORIES./OR FLATTER OUR CONCEITS ./.EVEN
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MOTHER'S DAY''BECOMES A COMPETITION IN EXHIBITION-ISTIC SENTIMENTALITY.____________________________
OFTEN ON THANKSGIVIWC/OUR THOUGHTS TURN TO THAT
FIRST THANKSGIVING FEAST |ji|iiYnrt if"'WIHEM THE PILGRIMS SAT AT THE TABLEjWITH THE INDIANS./THERE WAS LITTLE gOOD ON THE TABLE/AND PRECIOUS LITTLE IN THEIR BARNS./- - WITH THE PROSPECTS OF A HARD WINTER AHEAD./.AND THE MEMORY OF GREAT SUFFERING BEHIND TSHEM.
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IF YOU SHOULD 'BE IN A PCS I Tl ON/WHERE*YOU THINK YOU HA* LITTLE OR* NOTHING/TO GIVE THANKS FOR/.. THE PILGRIMS HAD LITTLE TO GIVE THANKS ££R.
BUT WE CAN GET A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE/BY TURNING THE QUESTION(AROUND./.WHAT DID THEY HAVE
TO GIVE THANKS FROM? ( THEY WERE GIVING THANKS FROM THE CONVICTION OF THE GOODNESS AND ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF GOD./ IT WAS THIS FAITH THAT BROUGHT/lHEM TO HKX AMERICA./.AND WOULD SUSTAIN THEN IN THE YEARS
AHEAD.	______
w ONCE WHILE FLYING HOME FROM EOROPf/l FOUND MYSELF MUSING ON THE PILGRIM CROSSING/lN THEIR AWKWARD LITTLE WOODEf/SHIp/tHAT WAS BUILT WITH THOUGHT OF COMFORT./PROPELLED BY THE KIND AND THE SET OF IIS SAILS./ - TAKING ABOUlflSftO HOURS TO TRAVEL THE SAME DISTANCe/tHAT WAS TAKING US ABOUT 6./I COULD VISUALIZE THE PILGRIMS DOWN iTHERE/ BEING TOSSED ABOUT BY THE PITCH OF THE SHIP,/THE DASHING WAVES FLOODING OVER THE DECK./NIGHTS AND DAYS FILLED WITH ANXIETY.[. .AND (/THOUGHT OF HOW INCREDULOUS THOSE FOLK WOULD HAVE BEEN/HAD THEY BEEN TOLD THAT WITHIN 365 YEARS/SO MANY WOULD
CROSS THE ATLANTIC IN THIS WAY.
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AND I RECALL THE STORY OF THE CATERP1LLAR/LOOKING UP AMD WATCfH IMG WITH AWE/A LARGE BUTTERFLY FLITTING AROM'ID,/AND SAYING,, ’THEY'LL NEVER GET ME UP IN ONE OF THOSE CONTRAPTIONS. ’
BUT THE«P|LGRIMS W.ERE LOBKING UP./. .AND SETTING INI TO OPERATION A VITAL ENERGY/THROOGH THANKSGIVING IT WAS A CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO TURN FROM DARKNESS TO UGHT/TO LOOK UP BEYOND APPEARCANCES./ AND IT WAS THIS LOOKING UP/THAT PREPARED THE WAY FOR THE RICH BLESSINGS OF OUR MODERN WORLD/MORE THAN THEY KNEW /OR THAT WE MAY ACKNOWLEDGE.
iOBVIOUSLY THANKSGIVING IS NOT JUST A D^r/ON WHICH
/YOU DO CERTAIN THINGS^/BUT A CERTAII); WAY/YOU DEAL
I! WITH ALL THINGS EVERY DAY./ AS WITH EVERYTHING WE
DEAL WITH IN TRUTH,/IT BOILS DOWN TO ATTITUDES/
THE BIBLE DOES NOT CALL FOR A SPECIAL DAY OF
ffrHANSKGIVING./ WE A?RE TOLD, 'IN ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS.' /IN OTHER WORDS THE GOAL IS TO LIVE IN
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A PERPETUAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF THANKFULNESS./.AND THT IS nToT EASY.
WE HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF THANKSC-IVING/AS A RETROSPECTIVE PROCESS/.LOCK I KG BACK AND COUNT ING THE MANY BLESSINGS THAT HAVE COME TO US/
AMDS IT IS HERE THAT DOWN,/WITH THE FE?EL TO GIVE THANKS FOR?’
SOMETIMES WE GET BOGGED * ING,/'?WHAT DO WE HAVE TO
3UT YOU SEE, WHEN WE UNDSERST4ND THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED,/WE SEE THAT THANKSGIVING IS NOT A REACTION *11? Y EMOTION,/3UT A CAUSATIVE FTORCE./ ACTUALLY PLATO HAD THIS AMAZING INSIGHT 2500 YEARS AGC /HE SAID, 'A GRAEFUL MIND/lS A GREAT MIND/WHICH EVENTUALLY ATTRACTS TO ITSELF GREAT THINGS./ AGAIN, THANKSGIVING IS NOT SO MUCH/WHAT IS ON THE TABLE /OR WHAT IS IN THE BANK./.BUT WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS./.OUR FAITH./.OUR CONSCIOUSNESS.