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 Archdiocese of the Western United States

 


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Thanksgiving Day Message

November,28 2019

This day is Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving Day

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him
and praise his name.”
Psalm 100:4

Thanksgiving Day is the Day of the Lord,
Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions. St. Paul in his epistle to Philippians says: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6,7

Thanksgiving is the day when we cultivate our relationship with the Creator and teach our children the same. On this blessed day, we improve our spirituality the noble intention of sharing our gifts with one another. On this Day of Thanksgiving, we begin to walk on the path Bethlehem where we celebrate the miraculous Birth of Christ, our Lord.

Thanksgiving Day is one of the most respected and most regarded days in our annual calendar when we lift up our hearts and thank God for all the gifts bestowed upon us in this sacred traditional day. Thanksgiving Day is the most inspiring and uplifting celebration in our community life. It is a day to give thanks to God, for the gift of life and the sound of health. Amongst all gifts of Thanksgiving Day is family stands out to be the most sacred, for we see family reunion across the country who gather in prayer to cherish their sacred bond, to break bread together and make the promise to fulfill their Christian duties in everyday life.

Why some people do not thank God?
• The first group, are putting God in the margin of their life, they don’t believe in the existing of God (Atheist).
• The second group, believe in the existing of God, but God is not important in their life. Some of these sometimes are mocking on God when they pray “our Father who art in heaven, stay there, we don’t have anything to do with you).
• The third group; also believe in the existing of God but they believe the importance of God in their private life. When comes to society they feel they worship God but in daily life, they act differently.
• Forth group, which feels the God is their central life. These people bring God in all their daily life activities, and they praise God because He is the source of everything in their lives.

How we have to give thanks for everything”?
Thanking is a good thing when we teach kids to have something they have to say: please, and when they get it to say: thank you. In our relationship to give thanks to the one who helps you or show kindness to you. It is very important to develop this relationship.

When it’s come to give thanks to God it shows three things:
1. That we recognizing the importance of God to us, that’s why I refer to God when something good happens to me.
2. We feel that God is the source of goodness. This is a gift from God. (Not because we worked, we have a good harvest but because of the goodness of God, it is a gift from God).
3. We feel that we need help. As a human, we do our part but we need divine help to overcome the difficulties of our lives and achieve success, and when we give thanks to God we acknowledge His presence and importance and our need to Him.

Family Thanksgiving Prayer
Dear precious Lord,
We bow our heads in heartfelt, thankful prayer;
For all the ways You've blessed our lives
and for Your loving care.
We thank You for the hands
that have prepared this special treat
And pray that You will bless all those
who have no food to eat.

We're thankful for Salvation's plan
and for Your Holy Word;
And pray we'll help to spread
Your love for those who've never heard.
We're thankful for our freedom
and for churches that are near;
Where we can meet to praise Your Name
and worship without fear.

But still, our hearts are saddened
by our brothers who aren't free;
Who suffer death and torture
for their Christianity.
We pray You'll give them strength
and courage as their cross they bear;
And let them know God's family
remembers them in prayer.

We thank You for heroic troops
who fight for liberty;
And daily risk their lives
and limbs to keep our country free.
Forgive us of our many sins
and keep us close today;
And bless this food You've given us,
In Jesus Name, we pray.
Amen

We wish you and your loved ones a joyous Thanksgiving. May the Almighty God bless and protect you.





 

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The Western Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, providing spiritual guidance and leadership to the Syriac Orthodox community, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization comprised of 18 churches and parishes in 17 western states. It was established in 1952 as the Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church encompassing the entire United States and Canada. In November 1995 by the Holy Synod, the Western Archdiocese was formed to exclusively serve the 17 states of the western half United States.


417 E. Fairmount Rd., Burbank, CA 91501
Tel: (818) 845-5089 Fax: (818) 953-7203
E-mail: bishopric@soc-wus.org

 

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