My American Thanksgiving Day in Scotland

In Britain there is nothing quite like American Thanksgiving. Many
churches here in Scotland have a Harvest Thanksgiving service some
time after harvesting is completed in late September or October. The
church where I now attend, Cupar Old Parish Church, had a Harvest
Thanksgiving service on October 3rd. It was a special service and I look
forward, God willing, to leading such a service in a church next year. I
have had people ask me about the special American tradition of Thanks-
giving. It is fun for me to share fond memories of Thanksgiving over the
years; they seem to sense my excitement about Thanksgiving. During
my first five years in Scotland I had great community Thanksgiving din-
ners with American students at the University of St. Andrews. Most of
us were connected with the theological college at the University, but we
invited friends who came from all over the world to be with us. Indeed,
those were special times.

Last Thursday, Thanksgiving Day in the USA, I was invited over for an
American Thanksgiving Day meal at the home of Harry and Fay. Harry
is a recently retired Church of Scotland minister who has been hired
by Cupar Old Parish Church to be a part-time assistant minister. Both
Harry and Fay are from Northern Ireland where they were active in
the Methodist Church there. The short story is that Harry, Fay, and
their two sons were moved to Scotland. Harry sensed a call to ministry
in the Church of Scotland, and he served as minister in three parishes
since the mid-1990s. Last year, just after Harry had retired, he and Fay
spent three months in Portland, Oregon, with their son, his American
wife, and two children (Harry and Fay's grandchildren). There they
learned about the American Thanksgiving meal and took a lot of notes
and gathered a lot of recipes, with a stress on the latter. Fay and Harry's
son is a chef. He must have picked it up from his dad, because Harry, as
I had the great pleasure of experiencing, is an excellent chef himself.

David and Joan were also invited to the American Thanksgiving dinner.
They are an amazing couple who have been a great support to me over
the last two years I've been in Cupar. They both grew up just south of
Cupar, got married, lived in East Africa for a time, and then returned to
the area when their three boys were in their teens. David and Joan are
two of the friendliest people I have ever met. They are great at welcom-
ing people to church and greeting visitors. David and Joan also have a
heart for older children and teens. While Fay kept Joan, David, and me
entertained in the sitting room, Harry was doing his chef thing in the
kitchen. And, boy, did he do his chef thing. We started out with a sweet
potato soup before going to the main course of turkey, dressing, pota-
toes, and a variety of vegetables fixed in different ways. It was so deli-
cious; excellence in fine cuisine! It was a great American Thanksgiving
meal with great friends from Northern Ireland and Scotland.

After Christmas Pudding (a more English dessert) we sat and talked
for more than four hours. We shared about ourselves and heard and
told stories about experiences in Africa, Scotland, Northern Ireland,
and on ships at sea. It was a great way to get to know one another bet-
ter. What a delightful afternoon and evening of food, fellowship, and
fun! For me it was a great way to celebrate an American Thanksgiving,
and it meant a lot to me. David and Joan gave me a ride home. As we
passed through town we saw that the civic Christmas decorations were
up and the Christmas lights lit. It is now officially the Christmas season.
Last Sunday was the First Sunday of Advent. Attendance at Cupar Old
Parish Church was low because Cupar, like much of Scotland, was bat-
tered by heavy snowfall. A lot more is expected later in the week.

Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season!

Blessings to you and yours,