By Wayne Martin, Chair, Interfaith Task Force, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia
THANKSGIVING, 2015
Nearly every day—somebody—somewhere in America…is honoring some historic day…
Observing a particular occasion or celebrating a noble tradition…whether
The “Fire Ant Festival” in Ashburn, GA, during the last full week in March…
The National “Hollering Day” on the third Saturday in June in Spivey’s Corner, NC…
The “Georgia Peach Festival” on June 6th in Byron, GA…
National holidays like July 4th…Labor Day…or certain days considered ‘Holy’.
Today—this very day—a group of people…somewhere in our country…
Is celebrating a favorite cause…a cultural tradition…or a sacred moment long passed!
The cause for the ‘celebration’ of a chosen day often becomes as much
About the ‘festivities’ of the gathering as about the ‘reasons’ for the celebration.
What is so special about Ashburn, Georgia? Visiting the Fire Ant Festival, of course.
What is so attractive about Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina? To go to a Hollering contest.
Why drive a 100 miles to a small town in central Georgia? To see a Peach Festival parade.
Is it really July 4th without fireworks? Can we celebrate Labor Day without a picnic?
How can it be Thanksgiving if we don’t have ‘turkey’ and pumpkin pie for dinner?
Isn’t something missing in our religious holidays, if the most important things are
The gifts of Christmas….the ‘latkes’ of Chanukah…or the ‘breaking of the fast’ of Ramadan?
As the years go by, we face the growing temptation to make
Patriotic holidays…sacred days of remembrance…traditional cultural gatherings
Times of fun and frolic more than occasions of contemplation and meditation!
So, whatever our faiths…however different our traditions or diverse our cultures…
In the depths of our hearts, may we feel God’s loving care…
In the resources of our spirits, may we sense the Lord’s tender mercy and
In the corners of our souls, may we feel His guiding presence as we face these times!
In the Spirit of Thanksgiving…
We thank Thee—O God—for Thy presence with us in these days of fear…
We are grateful for the friendship we have with our brothers and sisters of other faiths…
Bless us, we pray, with ‘people of peace’…those individuals of different persuasions but…
Who live by the principle of ‘tolerance’…who realize the importance of ‘respect’…
Who know the power of ‘acceptance’ and who constantly seek ways to work together
In the building of a greater community and in creating peace among Thy people.
In Thy great community of faith where each and every one is called to love one another…
May we rejoice in our friendship with those of other traditions and different customs…
In that friendship, may we, O Lord, discover the sacredness of ‘thy community’…
And in that friendship may we learn what it means to be part of the Family of God…Amen”
Rev. D. Wayne Martin on behalf of The Interfaith Task Force of the CBF of Georgia
Baptist Spirituality 
One of the very best. I am thankful for you, your family and the example you set by participating in the larger community of faith. Orrin
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