It is Sunday today and it is Thanksgiving Sunday at church, the service proper started at 8:30 in the morning, there was no Sunday school service to give way for the Thanksgiving celebration, the flow of the program was a bit different than normal Sundays, there was also a part where you have to go up front to give testimonies of Thanksgiving, I went up front to say something, the last time I spoke in front of the congregation giving testimony was when I graduated from College, that was 11 years ago and I didn’t go there on my own because my name was listed in the program, when I return to my seat Mrs. E held my hand, only few has the courage to go upfront and I think she felt happy that I took courage when every Sunday I just silently sit in front and listen to the sermon.

The scripture reading was found in Psalm 103: 1-5 with a scriptural topic of “Bless the Lord, O My Soul“, Pastor E talked about what are the verses all about and he said that someone called these passages as  David’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” Pastor E, cut the verses into three parts as follows;  Praise the Lord and count your blessings (vv. 1-2), Life in relationship with God is whole and healthy (v. 3), and Life in relationship with God is meaningful (vv. 4-5).

In verses 1-2, he set David as an example, that instead of complaining about his burdens, he counted his blessings.  The two verses were a prayer of nothing but praise to God. There is no supplication, no request, no petition or plea in this prayer.   Verse 3, God heals our diseases, soul and physical. In verse 4, God forgives our sins, because He gives us a relationship, because He heals our soul’s diseases (Psalm 147:3), then we see that life is meaningful. This verse can be rendered, “He keeps your life from going to waste.” God gives His people purpose in living. He gives us meaning. He keeps our lives from going to waste. Our lives are lived with eternal purpose. All life, not lived in Christ is only a shell of what they are intended to be. This is one of the benefits of knowing God, our lives count; they have not lived in vain. They have eternal significance. This is one of the things David is praising the Lord for. In verse 5: He satisfies our  mouth, he gives us satisfaction in our old age, it says that one of the benefits of being God’s people is that when we are old we will not have to look back upon our lives with regret. Regardless of your age, or of how many years you have walked upon the earth, God will give us satisfaction.

Well, I am writing the sermon every Sunday and when the verses or the sermon fits into my life situation I took it personally, as if God is talking to me, giving me hope, assurance, answers and etc.

When the Thanksgiving Sunday service was finished, there was lunch as expected. Every zone brings their own food, my aunt asked for the contribution the day before in our zone, the church celebrated two Thanksgiving Sunday and the Thanksgiving in March is the biggest one where the church shouldered all the expenses and slaughtered pigs.

There was a raffle event after lunch, contrary to the norms where the church bought items to be raffled and members have to buy tickets, the method used today is to bring items to be raffled and it will correspond to two tickets, bringing one item to be raffled will give you two raffle tickets, I brought two items so I got 4 raffle tickets.  I got a clothes hanger as one of the minor price, then a plastic pitcher, and a red pail and the second major price which is a pot. #feelingthankful

Yep, all of my 4 raffle tickets won a prize. While doing the raffle, I have told my cousins I am going to get a pail and as I told, I got the last pail, then my number was called for the second major prize and Mrs. E gave me five and his husband too, and guess what they got the major prize which is a flat iron. I even jokingly says, I passed my lucky vibe to them (lol).