Where Worship Meets Wonder: Three Evenings of Thanksgiving Grace

November 15, 2025

Three evenings this Thanksgiving season, I experienced the sublime harmony of humility in worship of God – and when people gather to give thanks. The circumstances couldn’t have been more different. Let me try to capture with words the ineffable for you…

On the first night, over 250 of us had gathered for a Thanksgiving celebration – at an LDS church. For me, this alone was a significant draw factor. Never before had I been invited to attend an event at a space that belonged to the Latter-day Saints! I happened to be seated at a table with the evening’s emcees. Two of them were a part of the LDS community – and they disarmed me with their easygoing personalities and genuinely engaging manner of conversation. In a world that is so divided, what a gift to simply meet people from a faith background that has generally been inaccessible to most.

I was extremely touched as well by the invitation to pray alongside a few other women clergy from other traditions before we carved the turkey together. I have recently been in a season where I’m not in as much public leadership, and most of my prayers take place in hidden spaces – private homes, senior care facilities – with individuals, one-on-one. It was simply a joy to get to pray aloud together – with friends from so many different traditions – in a space that felt large, yet intimate.

Less than a week later, some of these same friends had invited me to a Turkish ensemble concert in Mountain View. It was an elegant performing arts space, and the room was full of mostly Muslim attendees in the audience. I wondered if I was the only Asian-American present. No matter that fact, I felt drawn in by the songs performed by the 6 very talented musicians, and especially the words recited by the emcee who would emerge between songs to share powerful verses of love poetry from Sufi mystic Rumi. At various points, the audience would gently sing along to these well-known songs, clearly enjoying the music and uplifted by the messages of adoration for Allah and love from Allah.

What first struck me was that the 6 talented musicians created a unity of sound from their diverse instruments (zither, flute-like reed instrument, percussive, guitar). Their sound would build slowly and subtly. Despite each individual’s talent and skill – they communicated a oneness that they shared in equally. There was no clamoring for spotlight or jostling to attract attention to any one person. As soon as introductions were made, which was in itself humble and straightforward, the music began – yet without the typical dramatic pause. They simply began making music together, and I immediately noticed this harmonious aspect in their offerings.

Every few songs, a whirling dervish would emerge to dance along. What is a whirling dervish? Many wonder. It is an ecstatic, passionate worshipper of Allah who would emerge from the side of the auditorium, caped in black garb, with a tombstone-shaped hat atop his head. He would dramatically remove his cape and lay it carefully on the floor, revealing a bright white shirt and equally bright pair of white pants beneath. Otherwise, his feet were shod in black leather slippers, and these stood out as his body would begin to spin and whirl in rhythm with the music.

Soon, the dervish’s heart for worship of Allah would become visible in his facial expressions, as his arms and body would whirl around in circular movement, over and over and over again. You could see his eyes close with ardor and love, you could see the power of his beaming smile as it at times broke forth. What a transcendent experience, to hear passionate words of love and devotion to Allah pour forth in song lyrics – and to see the whirling dervish wrap up each song by literally wrapping his arms around himself in loving embrace, to slow himself down until he could stop right when the song would end. He would then proceed to put on his black cape atop his all-white garb – and walk backwards off stage, bowing in reverence as he did so. Apparently this sort of dance requires years and years of training and practice to be able to dance in this way without falling over from dizziness. What a unique expression of pure-hearted devotion to Allah.

Once again about a week later, on actual Thanksgiving evening, 6 of us adults gathered with 5 children – for a roast turkey accompanied by sweet potatoes, green beans, and the usual signature dishes. Two of us had taught English in China twenty years ago, with the hope that students might master the language – and perhaps some might also encounter the gospel of Jesus. One of those students did – and she had stayed in touch over the next two decades as a result! She and her husband had travelled to the Bay Area to spend Thanksgiving week with her two teachers + their spouses and children. All of this was very special indeed. But no one expected that the Holy Spirit somehow, as we heard the story of the student meeting her husband through

By Christine Teng-Henson