An Act of Thankful Civil Disobedience

Last updated on: November 23, 2020 at 4:30 pm by Grayson Gilbert

An Act of Thankful Civil Disobedience 2020-11-23T16:30:02-05:00 Grayson Gilbert

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Like many others around the globe, our plans for Thanksgiving have changed a little bit in light of Covid-19. This is, after all, a year fraught with foiled intent. This is not to say that the day itself will change all that much for us as opposed to any other year. However, it is to say that this year will nonetheless be different because our giving of thanks will be enshrined in an act of civil disobedience.

We will not form an acceptable, mass gathering for a mostly peaceful protest, nor will we band together under the auspices of election results or the celebratory victory of our favorite sports team’s victory. We will likewise not consider the “essential” nature of abortion procurements, strip clubs, casinos, and the like as we consecrate our gathering.

Instead, we will be all the riskier in our apparent coup as we sit around the table with friends and family numbering more than ten, and bow our heads in thanks. We will greet one another with handshakes and hugs without gloves or plastic sheets; there will be genuine human interaction that will be a time to relish in. We will enjoy pleasurable food and drink. We will laugh as the kids run free, sans masks and social distancing protocols, and dwindle down the remaining hours of the day with a good cup of coffee and a delightful piece of pie.

At the end of it all, we will have eaten all too much and regret none of it. We will not find ourselves feeling guilty for eating and drinking and merry-making to our heart’s content—and this will be our gloriously insignificant act of defiance and rebellion in an age where giving thanks is considered such a thing. Our food will be rebellious food, our drink rebellious drink. Our songs will be songs of insurgence; our prayers will be prayers of insurrection.

Then, in another few weeks we will do it again as more family comes to town to join in our revolt as we give praise to the King of kings. We will lavish free gifts to those we love and invite our neighbors to join in our raucous cause. Our hearts, minds, and souls will unite as one in reverential worship of the One of whom Scripture says, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Is. 9:6-7).

Thusly, we will sing merry songs with warmed bellies, remembering not only the first advent of our Lord and Savior, but of His second advent yet to come. Our hope will once again be pointed heavenward, enjoying the kind and tender mercies of a God who has given us much to be thankful and merry for. We will do it without apology, caveat, embarrassment, nor even a thought to how those paralyzed in fear shall think of us. We will do it without a second thought to our safety—yet we will likewise not act presumptuously, as if future prospects await for us to give thanks then.

We will do it all with a smile on our faces and much delight in our hearts, all as a protestation to the powers that be who seek to forbid such things and the people who gladly submit to their illegitimate authority. We will dissent against the greatest of enemies in the midst of it all, knowing that it is not against flesh and blood which we wrestle, but the powers and principalities seeking to undermine the simplest expressions of adulation and praise to the One who has so richly blessed us.

To be sure, this act of mutiny will carry with it the grand significance of every other waking moment of our existence, where we are committed to much the same agenda. For you see, as we assemble each Sunday and commit ourselves to praise, prayer, participation in the ordinances, and the presiding of the Word, we partake in a glorious rebellion. We raise as one body and in one Spirit in defiance to the things this world holds dear, the subversive ideologies and worldviews they embrace, and their dangerous sequestering between the sacred and the secular.

Consider joining us in an act of thankful civil disobedience. The Lord has given us much to be thankful for this year and undoubtedly, much to be merry over as we look toward His great and tender mercies, past, present, and those yet to come.

Previous Post

November 19, 2020

Luther and the Beauty of Christ

Next Post

December 8, 2020 Toward a “Radical” Hospitality in an Age of Fear

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #ShoutYourAbortion 10 Commandments 2016 Election 2017 2020 Election Abortion Accelerate Books Adultery America Andy Stanley Arminianism Ashley Madison Atonement B&H Academic Baptism Barry Horner Beauty Biblical Elders Billy Graham Blog Book Review Bruce Jenner Caitlyn Jenner Calvin Calvinism Cheating Chick-fil-A Children Christ Christian History Christian Living Christian Podcasts Christianity Christmas Church History Church Leadership Civil Disobedience Constitutional Coronavirus Culture Death Demoninations Discipleship Doctrine Doctrine of God Donald Trump Ecclesiology Entertainment Eschatology Ethics Evangelical Evangelism Evil Evolution Fear Forgive Yourself Forgiveness Francis Chan Future Israel Gay Marriage Gender Genesis George Floyd Gospel Government Gun Control Halloween hamartiology Heavenly Reward Hermeneutics History Hollywood Holy Spirit Homeschool Homosexual Homosexuality Hope Hospitality Humor Husband Infant Baptism Interview Jesus John Piper Josh Duggar Joshua Harris Judgment Justice Kathy Griffin Kim Davis Leadership Logic Love Manhood Marriage Martin Luther Messianic Prophecy Miscarriage Mocking Modesty Money Movie Reviews Music Music Review Netflix New Testament Obergefell Old Testament Parenting Pastor Pastoring Persecution Planned Parenthood Podcast Politics Pop Culture Pornography Prayer Preaching Predestination Pride Prosperity Gospel Rachel Held Evans Racism Ravi Zacharias Redemption Reformation 500 Reformation Day Reformed Theology Relationship Repentance Salvation Same Sex Marriage Satan Satire Scripture Seminary Sex Sin slavery Sola Scriptura Soteriology Sovereignty Spiritual Gifts Spurgeon Star Wars Steven Furtick Suffering Sufficiency of Scripture Sunday School Supreme Court Technology Testimony The Church The Lord of the Rings The Problem of Evil The Shack Theology Theonomy Tithing Transgenderism Tullian Tchividjian Uncategorized Universalism Vanity Fair Video Games Virgin Birth Voting Wife Women Worldview Worship

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz