During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, celebrating Thanksgiving often becomes merely a ritual, with it nestled between Halloween and Christmas. Instead of being a ritual, it should be a time to truly give ‘thanks’ for all of the positive influences in your life—as well as being thankful for life itself.
On Wednesday, November 27, the ‘Mid-Day Mid-Week Meditation’ held at noon at Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, 1014 14th Ave. N., will include a Thanksgiving worship service complete with communion and a Thanksgiving feast to follow. It is customary that this Wednesday ‘Noon Meditation’ lasts 30 minutes, allowing the final 30 minutes for lunch—so that working participants are given time to spend their lunch in fellowship within their lunch hour.
“We look forward to this hour with a message of meditation in the middle of the week,” said a frequent visitor. “It is close to my job and I enjoy the variety of speaking and the method of worship.”
The worship service will also provide the sacrament of Holy Communion, in remembrance of the Last Supper. Following communion and the close of the service, everyone will go to the fellowship hall and enjoy a special prepared Thanksgiving meal in lieu of the normal prepared lunch.
On Thanksgiving Day itself, November 28, a special service will be held at 9 am with a message from Rev. Herbert L. Lester, Jr., senior pastor. This one-hour service is an effort to maintain the importance of remembering why we give thanks. Thanksgiving day is not just a ritual that leads into Christmas. There are many things to be thankful for that may often be neglected.
“We just want to take this time out as an expression of thanks as we share this time with our neighbors,” said a long-time member. “Who are our neighbors? Our neighbors are not just the people where we live, but, the people who are in community with us wherever we are.”
Both services will be held at Clark Memorial UMC, 1014 14th Ave. N. For information, call the church at 615-329-4464.
Rev. Dr. Herbert L. Lester, Jr. is senior pastor.
