The Thanksgiving Dinner Table

One of the iconic symbols of American culture is the Thanksgiving Table, the meal around which the family gathers to give thanks and enjoy a bountiful feast. In fact, the feast is usually so bountiful that we spend the next two weeks eating turkey sandwiches and finishing off the sweet potatoes for desert. The Thanksgiving table is also, of course, a symbol of our ongoing political and religious debate for those families which are brave enough to talk religion and politics together. Many families have a standing rule not to talk religion or politics because of the potential discord and dysfunction that might ensue. 

Growing up, I never really made it to the Thanksgiving table at my grandparents house in Hickory, MS. The grandkids were relegated to kids table in the den, where football was on the television. That was fine by me. However, I do remember my grandfather, CJ senior, presiding over the table with my parents, aunts, and uncles all patiently enduring his monologues and my grandmother occasionally chiming in with nervous laughter attempting to redirect the conversation to something less tense.  I could be wrong, but from where I was sitting, it didn't always seem like the Thanksgiving table was the best seat in the house. 

I'm sure we all have examples of places and conversations that are unilateral and overbearing, one way or the other. Hopefully, we have also experienced productive, respectful conversations around contentious issues where everyone is heard and all perspectives are welcome. 

It seems to me that, today, we cannot avoid the symbolic Thanksgiving table in our culture. Social media has become the table around which we gather, and most of what is said is one sided and too often disrespectful. My hope is that the church can provide a table, perhaps an altar, around which we gather to speak our truth with respect and dignity to all involved. The church should, I believe, set an example of a table around which we can courageously express our views and maintain civility.  

Perhaps we, as the church, can set a better example for the kids sitting at the kid table. 

Rev. CJ Meaders, Rector