Greetings friends
In worship and communion together tomorrow, we invite you to step into this Thanksgiving week with grateful expectancy.
Along with its cherished place as a magnet back “home” for millions of families, Thanksgiving is a landmark of liberty in the heart of this nation.
The theme for the holiday was set a long time ago – beginning in the days when the taming of a wilderness had become the life-long work of many Pilgrim parents and their kids. Tough times yielded great spiritual treasures, not only for those early pioneers, but for the millions who still enjoy the fruits of freedom in this land today.
Time and time again, presidents and other leaders recognized that a day set aside for the express purpose of giving thanks to the Lord in public and private settings was an essential expression of the American dream.
One of George Washington’s early official acts was to call citizens to join hearts and homes in giving thanks to God, explaining that “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly implore His protection and favor”.
Thanksgiving has stood the test of time ever since, quietly drawing attention to the way God birthed the freedoms we enjoy.
From that rugged beginning when the first Pilgrims “arrived in a good harbor…and fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven” until this very day, there have been followers of the Lamb, champions of truth who see the “why” behind Thanksgiving.
For the redeemed people of God, thanksgiving arises first from knowing Him who “called us out of darkness into His glorious light” (I Peter 2:9). But in another sense, Thanksgiving (as an American experience) has always been a gift that flows over into all the arenas of civic life that a nation needs to be cohesive.
These truths carried wise leaders and resilient patriots through harsh territory in generations past. It’s astonishing to realize the widespread influence of Thanksgiving in the darkest days of war, as when Abraham Lincoln first formalized the holiday in a year when the phrase “these United States” was teetering on the edge of disaster.
Lincoln instinctively drew from a deep well of inspiration, reaching back to 1620, when he issued that declaration. And so that long arc of a godly heritage is still with us, even in these turbulent times of sharp cultural conflict. We’re not the first generation to face fierce headwinds in the cause of liberty.
Whether it was Pilgrims carving out a community in the wilderness or soldiers trudging through muddy fields to share a turkey dinner prepared by USO volunteers in a distant land, the call to proclaim and celebrate our heartfelt thanks to Almighty God is a potent force in the cause of liberty, the kind of freedom that could only come from the Giver of life, our Creator.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
We love having friends join with us via the live stream at https://www.libertychurchlive.com/live/. It’s available both on YouTube and Facebook.
For livestream via the website click here ~ https://tinyurl.com/mvhby9er
Facebook live link ~ https://tinyurl.com/y2m6ec68
And audio podcast via Anchor FM or Spotify at this link: https://tinyurl.com/mr2y5jfe
Operation Christmas Child
As the Operation Christmas Child gift boxes are received today, we are blessed to send them off with prayer – thanks to all who have participated. Tomorrow (11/20/22) is the last day for receiving the O.C.C. cartons here at church. With each shoe-box or carton, we praise God for the lives of little ones, older kids and teens being touched by the personal care that followers of Jesus give to bless the needy in our world. Please keep Samaritans Purse and O.C.C. leadership and volunteers in your prayers.
Looking ahead…
Our Advent season service schedule is a bit different this year – quick summary here ~ join us!
Worship on Sundays, December 4th and December 11th at regular time – Cafe Liberty @ 9:45 AM and Worship @ 10:15 AM
BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST for JESUS ~ on Sunday December 18th @ 10:00 AM
Christmas Candlelight Worship ~ Friday December 23rd at 7:00 PM
On Christmas Day, Sunday December 25th, our morning service will be live-stream only at 10:15 AM
We return to the sanctuary together on New Years’ Day ~ January 1st ~ launching 2023 ~ celebrating our adventure in Jesus!
In His love,
Joe D. Ready
Pastor
Liberty Church
www.libertychurchlive.com
1641 Old Westminster Road, Westminster MD 21157
Mailing address: P.O. Box 295, Westminster MD 21158-0295
Church Office: 410.857.4313
Pastor’s Cell: 410.596.4096
email: libertychurch@comcast.net