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Giving Thanks For Fellowship

Thanksgiving is pretty high on my list of favorites. It’s a holiday that isn’t connected with gift-giving or intense decorations. Instead, we spend this holiday around the table, giving thanks for the blessings we have, the things we have overcome and the family and friends we are blessed to know and love. Is there anything greater than that? The turkey and mashed potatoes don’t hurt its ranking, either.

These days, sharing a meal with more than just my little family has become a special occasion in itself. With our hectic schedules and all that we have to get done, carving out time for those ever-important get-togethers sometimes falls by the wayside. I love Thanksgiving for this reason — my family comes to my house, we share a meal together and catch up. The few hours leading up to the meal can be a little stressful — but the effort proves well worth it when everyone comes together.

Breaking of bread with loved ones has long been a special occurrence. Jesus shared a meal with his friends and followers on the night before he was crucified. He gave us one of our most blessed sacraments on that night, teaching us us the way to celebrate Communion in remembrance of him. Then, after he was resurrected, the Lord shared another important meal with his followers. However, it wasn’t until after he had broken the bread that they realized it was him. In Luke 24:30-34, he is revealed — “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Did not our hears burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!'”

These meals are of special importance in our faith. Communion and the revelation of our Lord’s resurrection occurred around the table with loved ones. Jesus made these extraordinary occurrences happen over a meal, breaking bread, giving thanks and embracing fellowship. Look at how important this must be to him — and there are more than these examples in the Bible — how important must sharing a meal with others be for us?

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