BUT….

Job 23: 1-9, 16 -17. V 17 ‘ v 3 “If only I knew where to find God! I would go where He lives”

Job had everything taken away, his wealth, his family, and his health BUT not his life. He was to the point when all he had left was the ability to think and speak. That was even getting difficult “My complaint is bitter again today. I try hard to control my sighing” He struggles to find God and despite looking in all different directions He( God) seems to be out of reach BUT “I am not silenced by the dark or by the thick darkness that covers my face.”

This weekend is Thanksgiving and a time for family gatherings ( no more than 25 inside) . A celebration of the bounty of the earth first celebrated in 1859 and on January 31, 1957, the Governor General of Canada Vincent Massey issued a proclamation stating: “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October.” ( Outside gatherings limited to 100)

BUT this year we have many worries of living through a pandemic, of families divided by vaccination status, of rising prices for housing and gas, of abuse issues of the most vulnerable in our society , children by governments and the church. Can we be thankful?

BUT just as Job holds on to his belief and as long as we have breath we can be thankful.

Prayer: Lord of all , thankyou for the bounty of the earth that we are able to enjoy this weekend, for the family and friends that enrich our lives, and your love that sustains us in all we do. Amen.