Miss-Lou residents were reminded of their greatest blessing Tuesday during a community Thanksgiving service at First Presbyterian Church.

&uot;The greatest gift that God has given to you and to me is his son Jesus,&uot;&160;said the Rev. Bob Zawacki of Holy Family Catholic Church.

When people lose sight of God’s blessing, sin enters their lives as it did with Adam and Eve, Zawacki said. &uot;They didn’t realize how blessed they were,&uot; he said. &uot;They ended up losing paradise because they were not grateful for what God had for them.&uot;

In his sermon, Zawacki also told the crowd they needed to share God’s blessing of Jesus with other people.

People need to share this blessing just as candles at Christmas spread light to symbolize the light of the birth of Jesus, he said.

&uot;With the candles we’re telling everybody there is a light in the darkness of the world and that light is Christ,&uot; Zawacki said.

Sharing the message of Christ is what the holiday season is about, he added. He also said people need to remember Jesus gives them the power to forgive and to have peace in their lives. &uot;The reason we see these wars, this bickering is because people don’t have that peace with them,&uot; he said.

The Holy Family Choir also performed at the service.

The Natchez Ministerial Alliance coordinated the service, which concluded with testimonies from three Natchez residents Jane Loy, Jeff McManus and Sharon Blake.

Loy and Blake talked about God’s help in the midst of personal illness, and McManus talked about his son’s illness and the power of prayer.

&uot;I can tell you something right now,&uot; McManus said. &uot;God is working in our lives.&uot;

Blake spoke about how she had come to find &uot;a resting place&uot; with God while fighting cancer.

&uot;I’m just thankful that he won’t leave us,&uot; she said. &uot;I’m praising God for the resting place and I thank him so much.&uot;

Blake views her suffering as a learning experience.

&uot;There’s a lot of things we have to experience to find out the love of Christ,&uot; she said.