In 2 weeks, on November 21, we will celebrate our annual Thanksgiving Dinner together, and I want to encourage all of you to join us. Songs of praise, testimonies of thankfulness, and a bit of food (or maybe a lot?!) promise an evening of delight for body and soul.
Speaking of testimonies of thankfulness, I want to encourage all of you to be thinking of a brief word you should share with the rest of us—perhaps something remarkable you’ve seen recently in God’s word, a good work God has done in your life, or a gift He’s given that affects you with fresh gratefulness. Sharing encouragement like this is normal activity for God’s people:
I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. Psalm 40:10
Plus, it’s profoundly edifying for each other when we share our experience of God. In fact, the rest of us will actually enjoy less of God’s glory if you don’t attend or don’t share what God has done for you. C. S. Lewis explains why. In his book The Four Loves, he tells of a trio of friends who used to gather often and enjoy one another’s company: himself, Charles, and Ronald. When Charles died, Lewis expected he would “have more of Ronald” than he had before. What he found, however, was that he actually got less of Ronald because there were aspects of Ronald’s personality that only Charles drew out. Lewis writes:
In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets. Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald’s reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him “to myself” now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald.
How much more is this true of God, whose infinite personality has more facets of glory than any other? We will know God better as we praise Him together. So join us for dinner in 2 weeks, for God’s glory and for the joy of all peoples!