Thanksgiving: A Peace Offering

I've done some studying on peace this year and one of the things that caught attention was a sacrifice in the Old Testament called the Peace Offering.  Unlike what you might be thinking, it wasn't to pacify God or to buy Him off.  Nope, in fact it was an offering of thanksgiving.  It was one of the only offerings that was allowed to be sacrificed any time someone felt like it.  One might offer the sacrifice for the completion of a vow, or out of thankfulness for some gift the Lord gave them.  One might also offer it as a thank offering for the Peace that they had with God.  After the animal was sacrificed, the one offering it ate the meat in community with their friends and family.

This year, that was our Thanksgiving meal.  We very consciously offered all the preparing, planing, time and money as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for the community He has blessed us with here and for the Peace that we have with Him. 

And what a fun day it was!!!

We had our growth group over on Saturday for a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner with a huge turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, mashed camotes, rolls, green beans, salad, pies, and ice cream! I love how this year, our tico friends brought  traditional dishes like pumpkin pie!!

There were games, zips on the zip line, jumping on the trampoline, watching the parade, eating, laughing and being together, to enjoy the Peace God has given us through Jesus.

Thankful. Very, very thankful.

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household" -Ephesians 2:19