“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.”

          -Psalm 100:4

I’m not against Black Friday. I wasn’t a big proponent of many local stores beginning their sales on Thanksgiving Day, but I did nonetheless serve as chauffeur and cart pusher in-chief to those in my family who had their eyes on some special bargain. Every year I diligently fulfill my assignment, waiting near some tall, brown pallet of merchandise to (hopefully) help a loved one snatch a deal without losing life or limb in the process. Even if you’re able to escape without injury, however, dealing with disgruntled employees and angry shoppers during the holiday season is inevitable.

But even though I’m not against Black Friday per se, I’m certainly not a fan. Just as the Christmas season seems to be more about lights and gifts than the birth of our Savior, it seems Thanksgiving, a day which once upon a time was about gratitude and contentment, is now the greediest day of the year. People were diving over other shoppers, pushing, shoving and yelling – all so they could save $20 on luxury. I understand the need to save money, but is 50% off really worth giving someone a black eye on Thanksgiving? Even though the scene was no less violent and chaotic than I’ve seen in years past, something about the fact that these people weren’t even waiting until the turkey had settled in their stomachs really put a knot in mine.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

          -Colossians 3:15

Even if you’re someone who stays a mile away from the nearest department store when Thanksgiving rolls around, what’s the first thing you think of when the holiday is mentioned? Traveling to see family you really don’t like? Eating lots of food? Having a few days off work? It seems that very few people have been able to preserve much of what Thanksgiving was originally intended to be: a day to express our gratitude to the Giver of all good things (James 1:17).

So, no, I’m not preaching against Black Friday. As I’ve pointed out, I’ve generally participated in it to some extent myself (although I vowed after Thursday’s events to avoid it completely next year). My conviction is not that we should wait one more week to do our Christmas shopping; it’s that we cannot fail to give God thanks and expect His blessings to continue. So will you join me in seizing today’s opportunity to express our thankfulness to God? In the words of the Psalmist, “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord” (Psalm 92:1).