Thanksgiving means different things to different people. Sometimes we get caught up in the actual meal itself and therefore the whole day revolves around overindulging our bodies in delicious, but not so healthy foods. For others, Thanksgiving has become the gateway to the Christmas season. That’s when the gluttony really begins. Black Friday may be the jumping off point for the commercial side of Christmas, but after Thanksgiving most Americans spend the next several weeks overspending, overeating and overemphasizing material things. Let’s take a little stroll back in time and take a look at the first Thanksgiving and how it has progressed. Sometimes looking back on where we came from can help to shape the best direction on where we need to go.
What I remember being taught most in elementary school regarding Thanksgiving is the harvest celebration between the pilgrims and a few of the Native Americans who helped them once they landed in the new land on the Mayflower. This first harvest took place around 1621. The Pilgrims had lost several loved ones in the year or so since they had landed at Plymouth Rock. The harvest celebration was really meant to show their “thanks” for the fall season they had just enjoyed and to show honor and thankfulness that they were alive and beginning to thrive. It was a true bipartisan celebration between the natives and the pilgrims.
The leader of the pilgrims sent several of the men out hunting for fowl. They termed every foul at that time a “turkey.” The feast and celebration was not repeated the next year, however, within a few years the larger settlements, including Massachusetts, etc. were celebrating every year around the same time. By 1777, all thirteen colonies were celebrating a day of “Thanksgiving” each year.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday, Thanksgiving Day. Each President following Lincoln followed suit, until President Roosevelt moved it back one week to allow more of the Christmas shopping season. A public outcry arose, and therefore it was changed back to the original fourth Thursday and Congress permanently sanctioned it as a national holiday.
The original pilgrims had fled England to escape religious persecution and made a stop in The Netherlands. They commissioned a London Stock company to finance the sail of the Mayflower voyage that would eventually land at Plymouth Rock. Arriving originally in December of 1620, the first winter was particularly difficult and there were many deaths. Once again, this led to the celebration after a profitable fall harvest in 1621. The Pilgrims who succeeded had formed a relationship with several Native American Indians, and by working together, there was a lot to celebrate. What a great lesson we could take from this today, if we could just learn to work together and march toward a common goal.
Although we may not all have the same political views or worship at the same churches or denominations, for those of us who serve the same God, we should unite in “giving thanks” and we will then enjoy a magnificent harvest, just like the one in 1621.
I ask each of you my friends, loved ones, and associates, join me in my mission to pray more and serve the Lord at every opportunity possible. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, scroll down or look to the right and click on the blog entry, “A Hundred Prayer Journals.” Let’s unify in our service and worship to the Almighty. May God bless all of you abundantly as you plant your seeds and wait for the ultimate Harvest.
No comments:
Post a Comment