Thanksgiving 2009
Posted Tuesday, December 01 2009 @ 06:03 AM by Michael Adee
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for God's extravagant love for all of God's creation ...no exceptions, no one outside of God's embrace.This Thanksgiving we give thanks for God's sustaining grace in and through difficult times, loss of those we love, illness, economic hardships and war.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for the peace that passes all understanding that comes from trusting that God's redemptive love and justice is at work in our lives, in the lives of others, in our Church and in the world.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for the 218th General Assembly's redemptive action that removed the 1978 anti-gay church policy that had failed to recognize the sacred nature of same gender loving people and the gift of love and family for all persons, not just heterosexuals. For 30 years this anti-gay policy prevented thousands of gifted Presbyterians from serving God in our Church. We give thanks to God that this barrier no longer exists. Our world needs all the people God calls to serve to share the good news of God's love and care for all, and to relieve human suffering.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for all of the people who believe that discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our Church is wrong, not just, loving or Christ-like and therefore voted for the Ordination Amendment 08-B.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for the passage of the first Ordination Overture passed yesterday by the Presbytery of Detroit and the passage of the first Marriage Equality Overture passed recently by Baltimore Presbytery. We give thanks that both of these opportunities for our Church to become a more open, welcoming and affirming denomination can now be prayerfully and faithfully considered at the 219th General Assembly, July 3 - 10, 2010, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for all people who keep their hearts and minds open to God's Spirit that calls all of us to live out our faith by loving God, neighbor and self. We recognize that this openness of heart, mind and spirit is not a possession of those who hold similar beliefs to us, or those who look or vote like us. We truly give thanks for all, regardless of ideology or politics, who keep their hearts and minds open to God's spirit. All of us are in need of "more light" in our faith journeys.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for the mission service work done in the name and spirit of Christ this past week rebuilding houses in New Orleans through RainbowCorps, the mission service initiative of More Light Presbyterians.
This Thanksgiving we give thanks for you. We give thanks for your generosity of heart, spirit and action. We give thanks for your spiritual and financial partnership that make possible this work for justice and these opportunities of service.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and those you love.
Michael J. Adee, Executive Director & Field Organizer
Vikki Dearing and Janet Edwards, Co-Moderators, and the National Board of Directors, More Light Presbyterians
More Light Presbyterians, National Field Office, 369 Montezuma Avenue # 447, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 USA (505) 820-7082, michaeladee@aol.com, www.mlp.org