Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” (John 1:50, NRSV)

 

We just finished our ninth Halloween in our Chicago home and I still can’t quite get used to the mass of humanity that descends on our neighborhood. Our neighbors gave us a heads up the very first year (“You won’t believe the number of kids who come by”), but I still didn’t believe that we would simply sit on our doorstep as lines of hundreds of children would come by. I soon learned that echoes of “Trick or Treat!” would be in my head for days afterward.

It’s cute, of course, to see all of the different costumes, but I’ve also found it amusing to see all of the different ways the trick-or-treaters receive their Halloween treats. There are traditional plastic pumpkins, pillowcases, backpacks, plastic grocery bags, cloth grocery bags (like my son used in 2009 above), paper grocery bags, and, to keep it simple, open hands. They all anticipate that something will be given (even if that something has coconut, which should be banned from Halloween…but I digress) and they open up to receiving it.

We will give thanks tomorrow. As it should be. We will spend time reflecting, thinking back, conjuring up memories. What a wonderful tradition this is and there will also be many calls for the necessity of being daily grateful. I wholeheartedly agree. But I also think there is something to be said for being open and ready for the daily gifts that come our way — anticipating gratitude. A simple prayer might be be based on the comment above that Jesus made to his would-be followers in the gospel of John: “Some greater thing will happen today, Lord. Every day, some greater thing happens. I eagerly await gratitude. I look forward to being thankful. What will come my way is a mystery, but prepare my heart for the gift coming my way.”

Pull out your pillowcases and grocery bags, your pumpkins and open hands. Open them wide for God’s generosity. Await thanksgiving.