A HEART OF THANKSGIVING!

“With my hands lifted up
And my mouth filled with praise
With a heart of thanksgiving
I will bless Thee, O Lord.”

(Words by Teresa Muller)

This is my refrain to THE SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING AND CELEBRATION presented Sunday, November 20, 2011, by the Middle Tennessee Area Ministerial Fellowships, the South Nashville and the North Nashville Districts, and the Tennessee Conference AME-Women In Ministry to benefit The Recovery Movement and my Candidacy for Episcopal Service – 2012.  Special thanks go out to Pastor Broadnax and Greater Bethel AME Church, Nashville, TN, for hosting the Service; to Rev. Darrell Drumwright and The Temple Church for the anointed Word and Song; to Mr. Sam Robinson and the Tennessee Conference Choir, our featured musical ensemble; to the Program Committee and Participants; and to each of you who supported the Event with your presence, your gifts and your prayers.

I thank God for each of you.

Clement W. Fugh

A THANKSGIVING MESSAGE!

“No Hands But Our Hands”

“Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way
He has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

“We are the only Bible the careless world will read,
We are the sinner’s Gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed;
We are the Lord’s last message, given in word and deed…”
(Annie Johnson Flint)

The First Thanksgiving observed by the Pilgrims was during their SECOND winter in the New World. It was only by the grace of God and the help of a friendly tribe of local Indians that they survived their first winter. The Indians taught them how to preserve and to store what was in abundance in the summer for times of scarcity in the winter. So, when the second winter (November) came around, they were so well prepared with rations that the whole colony came together for a “thanksgiving feast.” They invited the local Indians, to whom they owed so much, to share in the festivities.

As was the case with the Pilgrims of early America, survival requires more than a one time gift of turkey and trimmings. It requires the sharing of skills and insights that can sustain in tough times.

Thanksgiving!

What better time than the “Season of Thanksgiving” to reflect upon the hard times, the rough places, and the storms the Lord has brought us through? What better time than Thanksgiving to celebrate the persons whom He sent in to our midst to be His hands, His feet, His eyes, His mouth, and His help to us? Even though we may not be able to share a common meal (feast!), we can at least pick up the phone (Yes! Phone! Voice/Words/Audible!) to inquire about the well-being of those who “walk with feet of clay” who were our deliverers.

The best expression of having received a blessing is to be a blessing!

“Pay it forward!”

Happy Thanksgiving!