happy thanksgiving - pastor steve

​Thanksgiving is tomorrow. We are having a small family gathering at our house for a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet rolls and cranberry sauce.  Of course there will also be plenty of gravy… and pumpkin pie for dessert.  It is comforting to keep this annual tradition. 

But some things are quite different. Janelle’s father passed away in July, and our son, Josiah, will be in Spokane at school until mid-December.

Some things are the same. But some things are different.  Very different. And the difficult kind of different. 

But we are still thankful. Thankful for the simple things in life like food to eat and a home to provide us shelter. Thankful for family and friends. Thankful for our church home. 

Thankful also that in the midst of a broken world plagued with war, hunger, and immense suffering, we have the great hope that one day the brokenness will be of the past and we will spend eternity in the presence of our Lord. 

I don’t know what our earthly future holds for us, but I am sure it includes some joys and plenty of sufferings as well.

In the midst of such uncertainty, we do have this certainty: God is with us. For that I am so thankful.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” -Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

Happy Thanksgiving!  May the Lord bless you in this season with the richness of his presence. 

In His Grace and Love,

-Pastor Steve