Thanksgiving

     Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, and overshadowed by chaos of Black Friday, Thanksgiving tends to be a little overlooked. The attention it does get is often focused on football and turkey. And yet, Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays of the year. It is the one day that Americans have set aside to thank God for His goodness, blessing, and provision. But with the true meaning of Thanksgiving becoming more and more forgotten year after year, is it any wonder that America is where it is today?
     I would venture to guess that most of my readers know the story of Thanksgiving, but I'm going to tell it again. In the early 1600's, a group that we now know as the Pilgrims began the long voyage to America. They were willing to make this dangerous and nearly uncharted journey in order to follow God in the manner they believed was right. Finally arriving in America after months at sea in cramped conditions, with many sick, the Pilgrims then had to face winter in this new land. At times, only seven or eight adults were well enough to care for the sick and help build houses. Out of the 102 passengers that had set out for America in the Mayflower, only 47 were left after that winter. They were further impaired by the conditions of their contract with the merchants who had funded their journey, which held that the Pilgrim's land and houses should be owned by the merchants. William Bradford, who was governor, realized that this was not good at all for the settlers, and instead gave a plot of land to each family that would be their own. Then, the Indians Samoset and Squanto came and helped the settlers learn to plant, among other things, in America. When harvest time came, the Pilgrims were blessed with a large harvest. They then had a feast, and invited the Wampanoag Indians to join them. During this feast, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for providing them with a bountiful harvest, for the lives of those who had survived, and for the Indians.
     That was just the beginning of Thanksgiving in the U.S.A., however. Throughout its history, American presidents George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison, have proclaimed days of Thanksgiving for God's blessing and provision. Then, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln designated it to be a national holiday every final Thursday in November (the date of Thanksgiving has changed since then).
     I know this post is a bit late (sorry about that!), but whenever this time of year rolls around, I would urge that we all, once again, make giving thanks to God for His blessings the "main idea" of our Thanksgiving.


In Christ Alone,