Next week Americans will once again gather with family and friends for the annual Thanksgiving Day holiday. In striking contrast to the rampant secularism that normally pervades our culture. the country as a whole pauses on this day to give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings we enjoy.
Thanksgiving is an opportunity for all Americans no matter their social or economic circumstance, religious faith or ethnic background to gather together and celebrate our many freedoms and liberties.
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding the people responsible for the American Thanksgiving tradition. In America the teaching about Thanksgiving sometimes takes on the secular view because of the reluctance with the religious and Christian dimension of the holiday. Yet, there is no way to divorce the spiritual connections from the celebration of Thanksgiving – at least not the way the Pilgrims envisioned it, a tradition dating back to the ancient Hebrews and their feasts of Succoth and Passover.
The Pilgrims came to America for one reason – to form a separate community in which they could worship God as they saw fit. They had fled England because King James I was persecuting those who did not recognize the Church of England's absolute civil and spiritual authority. On the two-month journey of 1620, William Bradford and the other leaders crafted a charter known as the Mayflower Compact. It established just and equal laws for all members of their new community – believers and non-believers.
When the Pilgrims landed in the New World, they found a cold, rocky, barren and desolate wilderness. Bradford, who would serve as the Governor of Plymouth Colony noted that there were no friends to greet them; no houses to shelter them and no inns where they could refresh themselves. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of sickness or exposure to the harsh elements of the winter – including Bradford's wife.
As life improved for the Pilgrims they came to realize it was their devotion to God and His laws that aided them in their survival and prosperity. The Pilgrims recognized that everything is a gift from God – even hardships and sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace.
We look back upon the first Thanksgiving not simply with nostalgia, but with an eye towards the real meaning of giving thanks. In a spirit of true thanksgiving they gathered together as a community to give thanks to God, the author and creator of all the good they were seeking. In the same way, we as a nation must authentically give thanks to God for His graciousness to us personally and as a nation. However, we must not forget those among us who still suffer hardship and despair, intolerance and bigotry.
Yes, there is much to be thankful for in America. Let us rejoice and give thanks to God the author and creator of it all.
