22 Nov Cultivating Thankfulness Amidst The Grief

Dear Westwood Family,

I hope this note finds you all doing well as we move ever closer to the holiday season. Although I missed worship last week, I have heard that both worship and the Thanksgiving lunch went really well. For those of you who didn’t know, I was attending the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. I am a co-chair of the Religion and Ecology and the Animals and Religion steering committees. It is work that I love and I am grateful to play such an important role in shaping the future of these important fields of study.

At the same time, conferences such as the AAR spend a great amount of time focusing on analyzing what role religion can play in addressing global issues. Spending so much time dwelling on the pain and suffering of our world is important but depressing work. With so much going on in the world, who could blame any of us for not feeling very “thankful” despite the November 23rd holiday.

How can we celebrate Thanksgiving knowing that so many people are struggling with food insecurity, or a place to live, or a community to belong to, or their physical and mental health? How can we celebrate Thanksgiving when so many innocent people are victims caught up in a war in Palestine?

It is in these moments that I am reminded just how important it is to be grounded in the truth of God’s love for us and to remember all that has happened to enable us to exist. In remembering the stories of our ancestors we can have a longer view of history recognizing that our current circumstance was not inevitable nor was it solely based on our individual hard work. We are the answered prayers of our ancestors. In remembering God’s love for us, we are reminded of the moments in our life when we felt the Sacred Source of Compassion wash over us, hold us, and even carry us along our way when we couldn’t walk ourselves.

This Thanksgiving I want to invite you to remember the suffering of our community and the world and pray that God will grant us the wisdom to know how to build God’s Beloved Community, on earth as it is in heaven. I also invite you to remember how God has held you, your family, and those friends who we call family in loving compassion so that we can remember what we are thankful for.

Love and Solidarity,

Rev. Dr. Carter