Out of them shall come thanksgiving
    and the sound of merrymakers.

Jeremiah 30:19a

If you were to ask Tom Hanks to write down his first initial and his last name, it would look like this:

T.Hanks

Can you believe it? “Thanks”, right there in his name! I think I should invite Tom Hanks for Thanksgiving dinner! He’d be the perfect guest to make the holiday fun and memorable.

He could steer the conversation, regaling us with stories of the dozens and dozens of roles he’s played. He’s a Christian–he’s an active Greek Orthodox, of all things. So, after dinner we could get into a deep talk about how God plays a role in our lives. And then, of course, who doesn’t love The Polar Express? He plays 7 different parts in that movie. A perfect end to a holiday party.

There are probably other reasons to invite T.Hanks for T.Hanksgiving, but all in all I think he could only improve the celebration. Tom, if you’re reading this, we’re planning to eat at 3:15.

Just for fun, I spent some time thinking about who I could invite who could have the opposite effect–ruining the whole celebration. Several names came to mind, but I settled on the prophet Jeremiah. He’s like the anti-Hanks–guaranteed to bring any party down. He’s known for only one role, that of “the weeping prophet”. This guy preached so much gloom, doom, and despair that he might leave your family in tears for the fate of the world.

Jeremiah was intensely political, so if you’re looking to avoid politics, he might be a problem. He was a man of faith, that’s for sure, but talked a lot about God’s punishment of the nation for its faithlessness. He’d probably take a look at our world today and shake his head in disgust. And, since he would have been extremely strict about his dietary laws, he might have even debated if eating turkey was kosher!

Yes, you couldn’t do much worse than breaking bread with Jeremiah. Except…

There in chapter 30 of his book, it’s as if the sun comes out. Jeremiah’s frown turns upside down. He relays a message of hope to those Jews in exile in Babylon. Soon, the good times would return. People would be returning home with their families, to enter into a restored relationship with God. Even with the difficult times, there was reason to celebrate, give thanks, and make merry.

Maybe Jeremiah would deeply understand just how important it is to gather and offer thanksgiving. The world is in a terrible state, but God is on the scene. God is ready to ACT in ways even Tom Hanks could only dream of. God is worthy of our thanks and praise, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Wow. Maybe I’ll leave two seats empty this year. One for T.Hanks, and the other for Jeremiah. That way Thanksgiving can be entertaining AND a deep reminder of the never-ending Love we must be grateful for.

Plus, I’d just like to see how I’d get along with those two guys. We’re all three people of faith who want great things for the world. That’s something we could build a lasting bond upon.

Perhaps, over a piece of pecan pie, we’d all become…

bosom buddies.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mitch