8 Ways to Center Thanksgiving Around God, Not Food

1. Inviting the Lonely to the Table

As Thanksgiving soon approaches, we are given the opportunity to set our minds, hearts, and spirits in preparation. It is often tempting to allow this holiday to be all about classic foods like turkey, mashed potatoes, and yams, but is that what the holiday is really about? If we are truly living out the holiday by the name of having a heart of thanksgiving, how can we do so by honoring God more than our stomachs?

2. Mind and Heart

Much of the preparation for Thanksgiving is more than just a trip to the grocery store. If we genuinely want to make the holiday about God, then setting our minds and hearts for a spirit of thanksgiving is vital. Part of this is slowing down from the constant consideration of what we lack or need. It is often easy for us to come before God with requests for what we don't have, for what we want to see happen, or what we are struggling for, but a spirit of thanksgiving is not one of a spirit of desire. Instead, a spirit of thanksgiving births a spirit of gratitude. Our mindset and heart focus are not on what is lacking but on what has been supplied, graciously given, and poured out in grace from God.

3. Time of Recalling What He Has Done

A spirit of gratitude will also bring us to recall what God has done before. In the book of Joshua, there is a story where God moves in a significant way. The people of Israel are entering the Promised Land, and to do so, they must cross the Jordan River. It was at flood level, the highest level of the year, God parted the waters, and the people crossed over on dry land. To recall what He did, they set up a monument of twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. What areas of your life can you remember where God moved on your behalf? What monuments or testimonies are evident in your life? Take the time to recall His faithfulness and where He has moved on your behalf, and praise Him for doing so.

4. Time of Prayer

As the day of Thanksgiving arrives and you gather with your friends and family, a way to honor God before the meal even begins is to spend time in prayer. Take the time not just to say a quick prayer but to really have an authentic time of praise and gratitude before God. Even just the time to spend together with loved ones can inspire a deep prayer of joy and thankfulness as we remember a time not long ago when we could not see one another due to the Pandemic.

5. Communion

Making Thanksgiving a time of focus on God can also provide an excellent time for Communion. Partaking of the elements of bread and wine with a remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus is a time when our hearts are not only focused upon God but are set humbly before Him, recognizing how great He is that He died for us and kept His promise in rising again. Consider having an intimate time for Communion before or separate from the Thanksgiving meal.

6. Fellowship

Part of the Lord's heart for us is to be enriched in community and fellowship with one another. Acts 2:42 shares with us how the early church gathered and encouraged one another, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." In the same way, gathering together, be it for a holiday or not, provides the opportunity for fellowship, authentic connection, and the gathering to support one another. This fellowship might come at the exact time when someone close to you needs something to uplift them or a time when they are seeking in their hearts for answers. God may just use you during that time, and the gathering can provide the means to being a vessel of the Lord.

7. Hands and Feet of Jesus

The holidays are indeed a beautiful time when so many opportunities present themselves to serve others, truly living out what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells of what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ and to whom, "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

When we step out to help others, we are serving God. If that means sacrificing time to help at a soup kitchen or Church Thanksgiving dinner, giving resources and funds, or assisting in other ways, we can serve God by serving people. Ask the Lord how you can be used best during this season to shine His Light during this time.

8. Inviting Others to the Table

Thanksgiving can be challenging and lonely for those without family or community. It can become more apparent what is lacking, and it can become a difficult act to see the good and to be thankful. This is where we, as Christians, can invite others to our table to share with one another. In the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims were assisted and helped by kind Native Americans when they were on the verge of death. Through the generosity of others, they were not only spared but learned how to thrive in a new land. Coming together despite our differences and with a heart of gratitude is the very core root of Thanksgiving. Consider the coworker you see who is new in town and could use a place to go or someone who does not have a good relationship with their family, and you know they might spend the day alone. Ask God to highlight how you can bless His children by inviting them to the table this year.

Thanksgiving ought to be focused and centered around God because every good gift truly comes from above. James 1;17 reminds us, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." In that heart, consider how you can truly honor God with this holiday and what it means to carry the spirit and heart of Thanksgiving as a practice in your daily life. This might just become the holiday that shifts your whole perspective from food and events to the good of God.

Cally Logan is an author and US History teacher from Richmond, Virginia. Her works have been featured on "The 700 Club Interactive" and Christine Caine's "Propel Women," among several notable outlets. She served as a mentor for young women for several years and enjoys challenging ladies to develop deeper relationships with God and to live fearlessly and authentically. She received her B.A. Degree from Regent University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, having genuine chats over coffee, and woodworking. Her new book, The Wallflower That Bloomed, will be available everywhere on May 1, 2024. It is set to be featured in Jesus Calling and on The 700 Club on May 28, 2024. @CallyLogan Instagram CallyLogan.com