The Day Before Thanksgiving

The discipline of a national day of thanksgiving is a worthy one, and an American import that I wouldn't mind us adopting on this side of the Atlantic... so long as it isn't accompanied by the ludicrous overindulgence with which we already mark the birth of Christ.
I don't buy the origin myths of this day, but I suppose it adds a little historical colour (or should that be color in this case) to the whole thing...
Last year a friend posted the following video by Darrell Scott on facebook, at the time I said, being an outider to the USA and its culture I would be wary of posting such a powerful critique of American society at such a precious, if not sacred time for American citizens... but it is a critique that needs to be heard.
Around the same time last year I had been reading Rob Bell's "Jesus Wants To Save Christians", and when reviewing it I said that many had suggested that he should stick to theology and not get political, meaning "not criticise America and its military and economic policies." But as I said at the time, Christianity, the Gospel and the Bible as a whole is intensely political... It may not be party political but it has massive political implications... You need read no further than the story of Jesus upending the tables of the money-lenders in the temple to see that... Although some leaders in a certain cathedral on this side of the Atlantic seem to have missed the implications in that particular story...
So here I am, doing what I said I would feel wary of doing, but feeling a need to tiptoe into the sacred space known as "Thanksgiving" and, if not upend the dinner tables, at least introduce a prophetic (American) voice into the mix.

Selah

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