Everyday is Thanksgiving Day for Christians!
 
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thes. 5:18)
 
         The famous landing of the Mayflower at Plymouth in Massachusetts in 1621 was followed by a celebratory meal, Thanksgiving, in which new friends were made and hope was restored. This feast lasted three days and as recounted by pilgrim Edward Winslow, it “was attended by 90 Wampanoag Indians and 53 Pilgrims.” Most Americans recall this “first Thanksgiving” with pride, as an icon of ‘where-with-all’ and the example of working together in peace. After a tragic winter of death and fear, the kindness and generosity of the native peoples made this celebration a true salvation celebration!.
 
But there was another “first Thanksgiving”!
 
In the 1600’s, every nationally- sponsored ship of exploration and discovery bore the responsibility to honor God when success was at hand and petition God when trouble was near. The Christian faith was as much a staple of colonization as the sails were a part of the ship. Our some-time tragic history of forced conversions and purges bear sad witness that our faith was often proclaimed by those who had little understanding of what Christianity is truly about. Still, no matter what came next, every ship’s landing was inaugurated by a liturgical moment  of prayer and proclamation thanking God for divine provision.
 
 On December 4, 1619, the Good Ship Margaret landed at what is now Berkeley Plantation with 35 settlers. Upon landing, Captain John Woodlief,  the crew and passengers, per instructions from the Virginia Company, “immediately conducted a religious ceremony of Thanksgiving.” This was not a feast. There was no cornucopia overflowing with fruits and vegetables, no fat turkey or bowl of cranberry sauce, this was a simple and (hopefully) sincere liturgical moment of devotion and praise. On land that was to become the State of Virginia in the United States of America, this was The First Thanksgiving.
 
There is no doubt that we have room for both of these Thanksgiving accounts. The simple beauty and directness of the Virginia landing Thanksgiving speaks to faith responding directly to God from a gathered community. The celebration Thanksgiving of Plymouth tells of faith in action reaching beyond itself to embrace the possibility yet unhoped for. The common thread that binds these two observances is the belief that God is sovereign and present, caring and leading, ever guiding us for the good.
 
 Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, with a proclamation by President George Washington after a request by Congress. It was Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, who proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", calling on the American people to also, "with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience .. fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation...". Lincoln declared it to take place on the last Thursday in November.
 
A Somber note to our Thanksgiving remembrance.
 
No telling of the Thanksgiving story would be complete without recognizing the tragedy that accompanied the ship full of British colonizers. With them came many diseases like smallpox and yellow fever that the Native American people had not encountered.
 
Once prosperous and thriving, the Wampanoag suffered enormously at the hands of these diseases during a period known as the “Great Dying,” which lasted for three years. Through the years that followed, as people celebrated with thanksgiving the founding of our new nation, an estimated 56 million Native American people died from violence and extreme exposure to a plethora of unknown deadly pathogens. 
 
This staggeringly large number means Thanksgiving Day is a time for mourning for many people. Our founding celebration should always remind us and bring us closer and draw us to prayer. We are all God’s children, so as you pray prayers of Thanksgiving on this special day, include a prayer for the lost souls and for those who mourn. Without the help of the Wampanoag people, the United States would not be what it is today.
 
‍On a deep level, perhaps the truest spiritual meaning of Thanksgiving Day is the awareness that each moment is sacred. Each opportunity for discovery—of new lands, new people, new information, new ways of seeing the world, history and  the self for people of faith,  of Thanksgiving is that everything can regenerate and restore. Even within bleak and devastating moments, there is a glimmer of hope, and we can always look to God to guide us. 
 
However you celebrate your Thanksgiving Day, with turkey or order-out-Chinese, surrounded by family or blissfully bingeing on NetFlix, this National Holiday with all its accumulation should ever be a reminder to us of God. Every day is a thanksgiving day to God; Thanksgiving Day is no exception.
 
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thes. 5:18)
 
 
While reading Psalm 24, Hila Ratzabi, a Jewish poet, writer, and editor, felt inspired to write a poem for feasting on Thanksgiving Day. The Psalm, written by David, looks beyond our false claims of ownership and authority to God’s rightful ownership of everything. Verses 1 and 2 proclaim,
 
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.
 
She wrote about her poem,
 
[The Prayer] begin(s) by acknowledging that this land belongs to no one. We then honor the ancestral Native peoples who cared for this land, followed by our own immigrant ancestors who endured hardship to come here. We then thank those who cooked our meal, and those who planted and harvested the food we eat. Finally, we state our commitment to sustaining the land for future generations.
 
This Land Belongs to No One
By Hila Ratzabi
 
“The earth is God’s, and all its fullness;
The world and those who dwell upon it.”
—Psalm 24
 
This land belongs to no one
but God. The Earth was here
before us and will endure
after we are gone.
Let us walk gently
upon this precious earth,
taking only what we need,
leaving little waste,
nurturing the soil,
revitalizing the land
to sustain future generations.
 
This land we dwell upon today
is the ancestral land of the Mattaponi,
Pamunkey and Chickahominy peoples.
 
We acknowledge their historical roots
in this place, the many generations
who were stewards of this land.
We hear the echoes of their prayers
to the Great Mother Earth
and seek to learn from their wisdom.
 
We acknowledge the history of pain,
disease, and bloodshed
the Native peoples’ endured
when they were colonized.
Though we can’t reverse the course of history,
let us not ignore it.
Let us look history in the eye
and accept its painful truth.
Let us honor the memory of those who died on this land,
who lost their sovereignty.
Let us honor the Native people who, to this day,
keep their sacred traditions and culture alive
and seek to reclaim, reassert, and revive their sovereignty.
 
Our ancestors came to this country
from all over the world,
often enduring hardship
that laid the foundation for our freedom.
We acknowledge their sacrifices
so that we could enjoy better lives.
 
We are grateful for the bounty we enjoy today,
the abundant variety of foods this earth provides.
We acknowledge those who cooked this meal,
and set this beautiful table.
We acknowledge those who planted
and harvested this food,
many of whom are immigrants.
We send them blessings for safety and freedom.
 
We commit to sustaining this earth
so it will continue to sustain us,
our children and grandchildren.
We commit to give more and take less
from this fragile earth.
                                           Amen,
In all things Thanksgiving!
Fr. Bill+

Dear Creator Family,

Blessings to you in this glorious fall season! I hope you have been enjoying the warm sunshine, the glorious fall colors, and the fresh, crisp air, reminding us of the coming year’s end (and our new beginning in the cycle life of a church family!) 

As we draw closer to the Advent season (and our daylight hours decrease) our parish activities and events increase. Please mark your calendar and make a point of attending and/or helping out with the events listed below, so that we all can gather and support each other over the coming months.
Our events include:

Nov. 2       Creator Stew Sale 
Nov. 3      Daylight Savings Time Begins (Remember to set your clocks back one hour the night before Sunday morning services!)
Nov. 3        First Sunday Fellowship - on the portico following 10:30 service
Nov. 23     Creator Stew Sale
Nov. 24     Bishop’s Visit - one service at 10:00 a.m. followed by Reception in Parish Hall
Dec. 8    Parish Annual Meeting during the 10:30 service with Fellowship (to replace first Sunday fellowship not happening on December 1)
Dec. 15      Richmond Brass Christmas Concert at Creator at 3 p.m.
Dec. 22      Greening of the Church after the Sunday service
Dec. 24      Christmas Eve Service at 4:00 p.m.
Dec. 25      Christmas Day Service at 3:00 p.m.
Jan. 6         Feast of the Epiphany Service at 7:00 p.m.
 
November 2 and 23, Stew Sales 
To start us off, this coming weekend a team of our parishioners and other volunteers are gathering for the first of two 2024 Brunswick Stew sales. The preparation actually began last week as Don Lafoon, our Stew Master, inventoried and prepared for the set-up process.

Creator’s first ever first stew sale was spearheaded by Bob Barclay, who was our original Stew Master and the stew genius. I say stew “genius" because it was Bob’s trying and tinkering over several years which produced the award-winning stew we now sell. Over the course of its top secret development, the Creator recipe has won many awards at the Richmond Chili Cook-Off, as well as the two-time first place winner at the Virginia State Fair.

This parish tradition not only provides financial support for our parish ministry, but it is a time of community and gathering during which new friends are made and old friendships re-kindled.
This Saturday, November 2nd is our first sale followed by our second sale on November 23rd. If you aren’t able to help on the 2nd please dig deep to be a part of the second sale.

November 24, Annual Bishop’s Visit, Sunday
Each year, the Diocesan Bishop visits or is represented by a Bishop’s visit to our Parish. This year, The Rt. Rev. Susan +Goff, former Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese, will be the preacher and chief celebrant at our combined 10:00 a.m. service. Please note the change in service time and make a point of being there to enjoy this celebratory event. Fresh from the stew pots and probably pretty exhausted, we will nevertheless gather with gusto and host Bishop Goff with our famous Creator hospitality.

The reception is a short time to mingle and speak with the Bishop directly. It need not be fancy or over-done, but we are hopeful to have many helpers to lighten the load at a busy time of year. 

Logistically-speaking, our “heaviest lifters” will be busy cooking and selling Brunswick stew that same weekend. Here, then, is an opportunity for each and every member to contribute in a way that suits you and also helps with what is needed. Please respond to our Reception Coordinator in the call for donations of food and paper goods, and with preparation help leading up to the 24th. And don’t forget the clean-up help! An hour of your time will be doubly appreciated on this busy weekend!

Dec. 8, Parish Annual Meeting
Every year we meet to review the past year and elect Vestry members for the new year. This meeting will be less than one hour immediately after an abbreviated 10:30 service.

Dec. 15, Richmond Brass Christmas Concert at Creator at 3 p.m.
It is a joy to welcome again the Richmond Brass Consort for a festive Christmas concert. This is a FREE brass concert at Creator provided for us and our friends and neighbors. Please put this event on your holiday calendar and invite EVERYONE!

Dec. 24      Christmas Eve service, service at 4 p.m.

Dec. 25      Christmas Day Service, service at 3 p.m.

Christmas eve this year is a Tuesday night. We will have our traditional Christmas Eve service at 4 p.m., followed on Christmas Day at 3p.m.
 
More details to come.

We have a very full fall schedule this year as we praise and worship Jesus into 2025!

Peace in Christ,
​
Fr. Bill+ ​