Seeley Swan Pathfinder, Passages, Weekly Newspaper, Seeley Lake, Montana

Taste and See…

By Mark Bond
Elder
Swan Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church
Condon

November’s when it really hits us. Our family starts pulling out the Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving Day–even though the kids generally beg to do it sooner.
“Wait ’til Thanksgiving,” we always tell them. “Otherwise the tree will be dead before Christmas!”
That happened one year. By the time Christmas rolled around, our tree was nothing more than a pathetic maze of dead, brittle twigs, and there was a carpet of pine needles two inches deep on the floor. We never did get all those pine needles out of our plaid flannel Christmas tree skirt. But we kept it anyway.
Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season for us, because that season is all about family and friends–about gathering together, reminiscing, and feeling like we belong. But, more than that, it’s about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.
Because we all know that, in reality, this world isn’t that great. Not really. I’ve hardly been able to stomach the news headlines lately. Even on the best of days for me, someone out there is suffering. Someone I love is dying. Men are jobless, children are shivering and hungry, and an angry generation is committing unthinkable acts of violence against innocent victims.
As time goes on, the lines between good and evil seem to be getting more and more blurred, and there’s so much confusion about what’s right and what’s wrong.
So our family celebrates Thanksgiving for different reasons than many. We don’t celebrate how things are, necessarily, but how they will be someday. Because we firmly believe that family reunions on Thanksgiving and Christmas are just practice for what is to come when the Lord returns to declare, “Enough is enough!” and take His people home.
That great event would be nothing to celebrate, or anticipate, unless we firmly believed that God is good–and we do. And we believe that the evidence of His goodness outshines all the evil in this world.
All year long we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on His goodness, both now and forevermore.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).

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		Passages - November 26, 2009
		Taste and See… By Mark Bond Elder Swan Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church Condon November’s when it really hits us. Our family starts pulling out the Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving Day–even though the kids generally beg to do it sooner. “Wait ’til Thanksgiving,” we always tell them. “Otherwise the tree will be dead before Christmas!” That happened one year. By the time Christmas rolled around, our tree was nothing more than a pathetic maze of dead, brittle twigs, and there was a carpet of pine needles two inches deep on the floor. We never did get all those pine needles out of our plaid flannel Christmas tree skirt. But we kept it anyway. Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season for us, because that season is all about family and friends–about gathering together, reminiscing, and feeling like we belong. But, more than that, it’s about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Because we all know that, in reality, this world isn’t that great. Not really. I’ve hardly been able to stomach the news headlines lately. Even on the best of days for me, someone out there is suffering. Someone I love is dying. Men are jobless, children are shivering and hungry, and an angry generation is committing unthinkable acts of violence against innocent victims. As time goes on, the lines between good and evil seem to be getting more and more blurred, and there’s so much confusion about what’s right and what’s wrong. So our family celebrates Thanksgiving for different reasons than many. We don’t celebrate how things are, necessarily, but how they will be someday. Because we firmly believe that family reunions on Thanksgiving and Christmas are just practice for what is to come when the Lord returns to declare, “Enough is enough!” and take His people home. That great event would be nothing to celebrate, or anticipate, unless we firmly believed that God is good–and we do. And we believe that the evidence of His goodness outshines all the evil in this world. All year long we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on His goodness, both now and forevermore. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). Back
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