'This is a day of good news ... Let's go at once ... " 2 Kings 7:9

As I write to you I am watching a gaggle of geese soar over a glittering patchwork of yellow, red, and orange trees lit up by the morning sun. The colors pop as they are framed out by a clear blue sky. The geese seem to be honking their good-byes as I wish them Godspeed to their destination. Autumn has come and there are signs all around us; the days are shorter, the nights are colder and clocks are ready to be set back. 'Bean' the cat comes in at night now and sleeps at the foot of our bed, while Ann is 'suggesting' that we see if the wood burner and fireplace work. Jack Frost visited a few times this week so the growing season has ended, and now it's time for harvest-and harvest time always leads to Thanksgiving.

Every school child knows that there was almost no first Thanksgiving (well, at least they used to ... what, with ice caps melting and polar bears drowning now. Sorry, couldn't resist.). There almost were no Pilgrims. Those Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock got hit very hard their first winter. Many of them died, and many more could have died from starvation if it hadn't been for one man, an Indian brave they called Squanto. As a young man, he'd been kidnapped and carried off to England to be a servant. While Squanto was there he learned English and he learned about Christ. Because of the kindness of some people he met, he eventually made it back across the Atlantic to his people, except his people weren't there anymore.

While he was gone they'd been wiped out by an epidemic. He was the only one left. This was a man who knew a lot of tragedy and he knew a lot of hurt, but still he reached out to those early Plymouth settlers, struggling to survive. He taught them what his people knew about how to grow crops in that environment. He helped to build bridges between them and the Native Americans who surrounded them. He understood their language, he understood their faith, and he helped save their lives.

If you belong to Jesus Christ, Squanto is more than just an interesting character in the story of the First Thanksgiving. He's a picture of your life, your assignment from God. Because Squanto was Native American, he knew how to live in the new land of the pilgrims. Because he'd been hijacked to another country, he understood the people who were struggling to survive in his land. Everything in his life seemed to prepare him for a vital mission - to help save the lives of people who otherwise would have died.

That's you-divinely positioned by God to help some people in your personal world meet His Son, Jesus,  ­their hope of having meaning in this life, their only hope of heaven when this life is over. And you're divinely prepared by God. The experiences, the interests, the personality, the pain, they're all gifts He's given you to connect with people who will listen to someone like you.

In 2 Kings 7:9, we see another picture of the Iife-or-death mission God has entrusted to each of us. It's the story of four lepers who eked out a life outside the walls of their city. They weren't allowed in the city because of their leprosy. But when an enemy army besieged their city, nearly starving them into surrender, well there was no food to keep them alive. Each morning, they could hear the anguished cries of mothers in the city whose child had starved to death during the night. In desperation, they decided to walk into the enemy camp and try to surrender, and to their amazement, they found the enemy camp deserted. God had miraculously frightened them into retreat. So the lepers went from tent to tent, gorging themselves with food.

Finally, they woke up to the mission they had because of what they had found. The Bible says, "They said to each other, 'We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves ... Let's go at once and report this ..'' They did, and they saved many lives.

You have Jesus. You have the good news that people around you need. Are you keeping it to yourself? Whatever you're afraid of, whatever is keeping you from telling the people you know about the 'good news', can it possibly be as bad as letting them live and die without knowing their only hope? God has divinely prepared you to be the kind of person they’ll listen to.  Your biography is your credential, and God has divinely positioned you to help the people you know be in heaven. Freely you have received, freely give.

Let’s purpose to make November a month of “Thanks-living”, for you and I live in a day of good news.  Let’s tell those in our world why we are thankful people.  Let’s purpose to be transparent, real and grateful 

So, now even as we prepare to bring the harvest in—let’s go ‘ye thankful people’ go!