It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers together to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”
the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,4 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. – 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NRSVUE)
I horrified my family earlier this month by suggesting that we could have ham instead of turkey for Thanksgiving. O what disregard for tradition I was showing, apparently. I pointed out that when I was growing up it was not unheard of to have ham, either instead of turkey or alongside the turkey. Besides that, there were some years while we lived in Malaysia that it was not possible to get a turkey and so we had chicken. But no, not having turkey was going too far! The family was not entirely serious, as we have always needed to be flexible with holidays as part of living abroad. At the same time, there is a reality in the reaction of how easily traditions become ironclad rules. Something done as a way of celebrating abundance becomes a rule that must be followed.
The line between doing things in a comfortingly familiar way versus becoming stuck in the rut of requirement is always a fine one. That is true for holiday meals as well as religious rituals. We quickly collapse an effective choice into a way that things must be done without question. The Reformation continually addressed this in its core writings, noting that we are freed in Christ and that means free from being told that things must be done in a certain way. At the same time, there is great value in holding on to traditions and the rhythm of returning again and again to ways of doing things that have been handed down to us. The key is understanding why traditions are what they are, including what they are meant to express. When we have a grasp of this intention, then we can find meaning in the traditional ways of doing things while also feeling free to adjust those traditions if we see ways that better express the message of God’s work in our lives. So too with traditions like Thanksgiving dinners. The goal is to be thankful for what we have, especially at the end of a harvest season, and recognize God’s goodness in what we have. Choosing whether to do that with a turkey dinner or a ham dinner is a matter of preference, not a rule.
May your Thanksgiving be full of a mix of comforting traditions and surprising newness. Whatever your Thanksgiving may have in store, may it be a time of recognizing the abundance of what we have, but even more the abundance of God’s goodness.