One thing I like about November is the fact that we get to celebrate our 118th Church Anniversary, Thanksgiving, and the First Sunday of Advent, all in the same month. Church Anniversary is a chance to look at the past. Since 1904, God has blessed OGBC to operate non-stop. We’ve had 9 pastors, but the same “One Lord, one faith, and one baptism.” We’ve come through 7 wars and several conflicts; Spanish Flu, Jim Crow, Polio, and Covid 19 without missing a beat.
When we look backward, we must conclude that we have much for which to be thankful, which puts us in a present looking, “Thanksgiving state of mind.” Happy Thanksgiving. “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…” (Ps 103:2-3 NIV).
No one can think about Thanksgiving without paying attention to what comes next, Advent; the beginning of the Christian Calendar Year which is a view into the future. During Advent our minds are on the coming of our Lord. Advent is a season of waiting and anticipating the Second Coming, bound to be more glorious than the first. Maranatha – “Come o Lord.” Let us make room for the Master.