What are you thinking of for this upcoming Thanksgiving Day? I've known in years past, the day before and Thanksgiving morning were a time of stress for the hostess of the family get-together. Stress such as, how's the turkey in the oven doing? Is it browning or is it getting over cooked? Will Ellen bring the cranberry jelly or forget it like Rose did at Easter? Say, sister Nancy, watch out and don't sprinkle too much paprika on the deviled eggs. You know Uncle Spencer is allergic to that. Jeanie, how is the brown gravy doing? Don't let it get too watery. Wanda, would you please stick a toothpick into the corn bread to check if they are done?
John, did you bring in the Sweet Potato Marshmallow Casserole from the car? Greg, that pecan pie your mom made looks perfect. Where is that Carolyn and Dennis? Are they going to be late again? Hey, kids! Stop running around! All you little monkeys clear out of the kitchen, we women have a lot of work to do and y'all are under foot. Go watch the game with the men. Git! Scat!
Yes, Thanksgiving can often appear to be more hectic than quiet or serene. Has Thanksgiving lost its original meaning? I mean, how can normal conversations compete with the supposed entertainment value of cellphones and the blaring television? The true meaning of Thanksgiving should focus upon relationships. Once the meal is tabled, good conversations between relatives and friends should abound. But let's not forget the Thanksgiving bonds Christians share with God the Father.
Those bonds, by the way, are a longstanding tradition stemming from the Pilgrims' arrival at New Plymouth. Their view of Cape Cod must have been an extremely welcome sight after more than two horrendous and sickening months at sea. Surely, the Mayflower crew and the diverse group of Puritans, Separatists, and tradesmen passengers gave thanks to God.
Of the 149 people that disembarked from the Mayflower, 48 were officers and crew while 101 were passengers. 56 of those were known to be Londoners and 35 were from South Holland. Only 41 of the men passengers could be classified as “true” Pilgrims, religious separatists, seeking freedom from the Church of England.
The Mayflower Compact, as it is known today, was signed by those few “true” Pilgrims on 11 November, 1620, and became the first governing document of Plymouth Colony.
Not only was this a governing document, it was the first piece of writing that established the “Christian foundation” in this new land. One of the three surviving copies, from the 17th century, reads:
In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our Sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc. having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colonies unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape-Cod, 11 November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign lord, King James, of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Dom. 1620.
At least nine of the adult passengers were indentured servants and hired artisans who were selected to work in the colony and in the fisheries. Also, there were thirty-one children, 20 boys and eleven girls. Except for one, none of these children had either a father or mother among the passengers. They may have been waifs sent to Virginia—an increasingly used practice. Now the mystery of the waifs had puzzled historians for the longest of times. That story is not suitable for a Bible Study topic but can be read at https://strangeco.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-waifs-of-mayflower.html.
We must keep in mind and be thankful ourselves that these brave souls were fleeing the religious persecution of King James the First of England. Had they not—who knows? America might have developed badly and not become the stronghold of freedom, liberty, and democracy that it has been. Originally, I wrote that “it is” but of late, I feel “has been” is more accurate.
Even as America was formed, God was central to the lives and hearts of most of the people in the young colonies. Then, during and after the Revolutionary War, God's hand guided this fledgling nation.
Less than six months into his presidency of the United States of America, George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation—the words of which are just as important today as they were on the third of October 1789.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the benevolent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interposition's of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general, for all the great and various favors which he has been pleased to confer upon us.
Thanksgiving begins with acknowledging God as ever faithful, earnestly giving Him thanks in advance for His abundant blessings.
Philippians 4:6 should provide for our inner tranquility. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
The spirit of thanksgiving does not begin in 1621 but goes back to man’s first breath, where the spirit of thankfulness was a natural response from Adam and Eve toward God. This was, of course, before their fall. Afterwards, Adam knew he and Eve had sinned—and their firstborn son, Abel, killed the firstborn of his flock as a sin offering (Genesis 4:4)
But has humankind been slowly losing the spirit of thanksgiving until now? Is it almost gone? Many express a general thankfulness but not expressed toward our God Almighty. It could be argued that Thanksgiving has lost its spiritual significance in America, if not the world. Many see it as just another day off, a time for families to come together. A time of feasting and football.
This trend is another sign that marks the days in which we live. Surely these are sorrowful signs—and we have heard much talk about the signs of the times. Which are sign of advancing warnings. Paul may have described it best.
Paul spoke of these days, our current days, in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Do people love money today? Are they abusive? Do they love their day-to-day pleasures more than they love God? What stories have you heard on the news about teachers teaching untruths? Can boys be girls if they want to and girls be boys? Can men give birth? America has degenerated to the point that a sitting Supreme Court Judge cannot, or most likely would not, define what a woman is. Is this not a sad state of affairs?
These idiotic beliefs were not expressed late in the twentieth century, but as the twenty-first century opens we seem to be accelerating our nation's downward spiral. I predict it will get far worse as the sharp fingernails of Satan clutch wandering souls tighter and deeper.
The Bible tells of other signs that people would be “unthankful.” Romans 1:21 People knew God, but they did not honor him as God, and they did not thank him. Their ideas were all useless. There was not one good thought left in their foolish minds.
Most Christians would be thrilled and very thankful to be used by the Lord to see other people saved, but Jonah was not thankful at all when God asked him to go on a mission of warning.
The people of Nineveh were sinners and did not follow God's laws. So, God tapped Jonah, a true believer, and asked him to go to Nineveh and tell the people that in 40 days, he will destroy their city. However, Jonah disliked Nineveh and its citizens. So, he decides to sail away from the city of Nineveh rather than going towards it.
The Lord spoke to Jonah, son of Amittai: “Nineveh is a big city. I have heard about the many evil things the people are doing there. So go there and tell them to stop doing such evil things.” But Jonah tried to run away from the Lord. He went to Joppa and found a boat that was sailing to the faraway city of Tarshish. Jonah paid money for the trip and went on the boat. He wanted to travel with the people on this boat to Tarshish and run away from the Lord.
It is hard to imagine that a believer would disrespect God to that extent or be so unthankful.
But Jonah, as we all know, finally was bent to doing God's will after the ordeal with the fish and being thrown up onto the shore. He relented and gave warning to the people of Nineveh. It is assumed that it was around the 9th century when God forgave the people of Nineveh. Jonah’s message to the people on Nineveh opened their eyes. The people of Nineveh then turned into godly people. They started to follow God’s teachings with all their hearts. They started to pray to God. From the path of sinfulness, they moved towards the path of virtues. That is why God decided to forgive them and did not destroy the city of Nineveh, at that time.
But as human nature is often ungrateful and unthankful, the children of Nineveh grew to adults and reverted back to their sinful ways. And God did destroy that city of more than a million souls.
Romans 3:3 speaks directly to us when it says: It is true that some Jews were not faithful to God. But will that stop God from doing what he promised?
I ask, “will it stop us because some people hate God.” Many people think it is up to the Church to keep the things of God alive—including the spirit of thankfulness. But is that true? I believe the task belongs to me and you. We must find ways to express thankfulness to God every day in almost every way. So what if the world forgets God or blames Him for their troubles? We believe in Him and we should give thanks to Him. Our acts and attitudes should not be based on the unresponsiveness of the unbelieving world towards God. It must be based upon our experience, our own thankfulness for all that He has done for us.
For what if some do not believe? Shall their unbelief make our faith of God without effect? No!
If we have the faith of God, and openly express our faith in Jesus, He will show us, in many ways, more and more blessings to be thankful for. Revelation 11:17 says: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
Several years back, I was driven to place pen to paper and write prose. One of those poems follows.
Thanks Be to God
Dear God, Thank You for the gift, the blessings of
bringing us together, now and for all time.
Thank You for forgiving us and cleansing our transgressions
of action, omissions, or our reoccurring imperfections.
For, from Your all seeing vantage point, You saw…
our silent needs, then answered all unspoken prayers…
As You merged flawed souls into many precious solitaires,
knowing Jesus shed His blood for us, hear our promise to
Always to believe in You, always hold You in awe and each day praise You.
Please God, cast Your special Grace upon all our dear children,
blessing each as You have blessed us.
For it is only You, the Holy Trinity, that holds our trust, our salvation.
Dear Creator Divine, please hear our fervent and prolonged pleas.
If times of turmoil are forthcoming, God please bless all our extended families.
To be near You, God, we open our hearts, give You our love, our thanks
By placing this poem to pen… In God we pray, Amen.
DDK 10/31/2003
Remember to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive in your life. Think back, almost everybody has heard, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father above.” Thank God for your blessings and goodness!
First Thessalonians 5:16-18 instructs us; Always be joyful. Continually be prayerful. In everything, be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Jesus. Ephesians 5:20 teaches us to always be giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be thankful for what you have because many people, in America and virtually in every nation across the world have nothing. People without clean running water, no electricity, therefore no air conditioning over the hottest of summers and no heat in the coldest of winters. No cellphones, no headphones, no television, no oven or microwave.
But more importantly, no Bible, no church building, no pastor, no way to learn of God and all of His grace of faith.
Count your blessings daily. Do not ever let anyone see you being unthankful towards God or rebelliousness towards God. Never be a bad example of an angry or ungrateful Christian.
Colossians 3:15-17 tells us well. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Psalm 79 sings the feelings of a grateful, thankful soul.
O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
The dead bodies of Your servants
They have given as food for the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
How long, Lord?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.
Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight
The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
And return to our neighbors seven-fold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
Also, there are many other Psalms of Thanksgiving. Here is a smattering.
Psalm 7:17, I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Psalm 28:7, The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 50:14-15, “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 69:30, I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 95, Let Us Sing Songs of Praise: Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Let your heart range free in your free flowing expressions of love towards God and all the souls you meet—be they friend or foe.
The End
