THANKSGIVING DAY MEDITATION
2020
"Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays." I can still hear Perry Como singing the refrain. It brings a good feeling of nostalgia for the old days.
In my mind's eye, I can see the thanksgiving table loaded to the gills with the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course the favorite – yams. Awaiting the end of the meal is pumpkin pie, and there is fudge for snacking. Dad sits at the head of the table with Mom at the other end, with my brother and sister and I spread around the table. I didn't know it at the time, but there is an empty place at the table. My brother, Harold, is gone, having died before I was born as a one-year old infant.
There is a lot of joy around the table as we fill our plates and our stomachs with the good food.
Those days are long gone, and I remember other wonderful Thanksgiving Day celebrations as the family gathered for the festivities. But now, usually Mildred and I spend the holiday alone. We may go the church for a meal, and sometimes go to our niece and nephew's home for dinner. But the days of the family together are a memory.
In my meditation, I also see another Thanksgiving table spread. My Heavenly Father sits at the head of the table and the Lord Jesus at the other end, with a huge extended family scattered around the table, enjoying each other. There is my father, my mother, my brother and sister and myself. And, oh yes, the place for my brother Harold is no longer empty. The circle is unbroken.
It is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It will be a time of great thanksgiving and joy for our great salvation, and I am looking forward to it with great anticipation. What a day that will be!
I do hope that you will be there – that there will be no empty at the table.
Love, Dad
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