Christian Advice from The Food Network

Homily for Thanksgiving Day, Year C
On this Thanksgiving Day, I have a confession to make. For about the last three years, I have been addicted … to the Food Network. Whether it’s watching Paula Deen bake a dessert that has more butter in it than you would ever want to know about, or watching Emeril Lagasse spice up the kitchen, I love to watch the Food Network, especially around this time of year. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, you can get great cooking tips, and it’s all about food. What could be better? The website for the Food Network is a great resource for recipes, but this year the website also included a list of tips on how to avoid stress when preparing for a Thanksgiving Day meal. What amazed me, though, is that the Food Network list of stress-free Thanksgiving tips could just as well be a list of tips for living the Christian life.

Here’s what the Food Network suggests for a preparing a stress-free Thanksgiving meal:
- Plan ahead – set the guest list, the menu, the shopping list, and the cooking schedule well ahead of the big day itself, and stick to it
- All things in moderation – don’t take on more of a crowd or more of a meal than you can handle
- Resist temptations – avoid overindulging in eating, drinking, and even spending
- Take a time-out – schedule in some quiet time, either before or after the celebration, or both
- Take a walk – it’s a good way to burn off pumpkin pie and get rid of excess energy
- Don’t lose sleep – no Thanksgiving feast is worth staying up all night just to impress people
- Shop – take advantage of day-after-Thanksgiving sales to get away from the kitchen

Now, with the exception of that last piece of advice, it isn’t much of a stretch apply these tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving meal to a healthy Christian life of giving thanks to God: as people of faith, we are called to think ahead – to plan not just for today but for the eternal banquet; we are called to take all things in moderation – to practice the great Christian virtue of temperance; we are called to resist temptations, both personally and as a society; we are called to schedule quiet time for prayer in our daily routines; to take a walk, enjoying the great gift of creation; and to take care of ourselves – even sleep is a welcome gift.

In some ways, Thanksgiving Day is no different than any other day of the year, because being thankful should be a life-long attitude, not just a once-a-year ritual. St. Paul says it well in his letter to the Colossians: “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Even preparing a meal can be an occasion of grace – an opportunity to act in the name of the Lord Jesus, to practice those very things that make us better Christians – patience, temperance, prayer, love, and fellowship. Just as we gather around this table, so will we gather around our Thanksgiving Day table, and so we hope one day to gather around the table of God’s banquet in heaven. God’s grace is everywhere.