Thanksgiving is a day proclaimed by our
government for giving thanks to God for all of
His abundant blessings poured out on this nation
and on each one of us. This is not "turkey day" or
"harvest festival" as the godless public
schools try to tell our children (in opposition to our government), and this is not a day for giving thanks to the Indians,
as the politically correct tell us. Now, there is nothing wrong with turkeys and
there is nothing wrong with Indians, but there is something terribly wrong with avoiding
giving thanks to God, who gave us all the good things that we have.
So, whatever else we do on Thanksgiving (and I plan to
stuff myself with a stuffed turkey), let's thank God for His great love for us -- a love
we do not deserve, but a love He pours out on us anyway.
The first European settlers in our land
often gave thanks to God, and it is from them that we have received the
beautiful tradition of Thanksgiving. The story of the Pilgrims and their
struggles and their thanksgiving to God is what should form the center of our
celebration. The Pilgrims are what it is all about.
Well, actually God is what it is all about, but the Pilgrims teach us that.
The term "pilgrim" means
"wayfarer" and "sojourner"--a traveler, a wanderer.
And the truth of the matter is that we are all pilgrims. This world is not
our home. We are just passing through. (Read Hebrews 11:13-16)
We keep looking for peace and rest, but it
is not here. I have got to say that, for
a nation founded on commitment to God, the United States has gone a long ways astray.
We seem to want to be as decadent as the European nations the Puritans
escaped from. We seem to be drying out, and ready to be blown away.
Sometimes I think that it would be nice to, as the
Pilgrims did, just go off to find some other place to try to do it better. I
probably couldn't be as brave as they were, heading across wild seas to a wilder lonely
wilderness. I, like the rest of us, am a pretty spoiled child of those hardy
pioneers. And I don't think there is any place left to go where a person really
could start over anyway. So, we'll just have to change things here. Or else
learn to tolerate the long fall we are in.
Just remember, when things do seem to fall apart, that
God does love us. When the abundance He has given us disappears, we must continue to
thank Him for that love, and cling to it. May God help us to say, as Paul did:
I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I
know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have
learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or
hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I have the strength to face all
conditions by the power that Christ gives me. (Philippians 4:11-13)
So let's enjoy the fantastic blessings God has
already given us, and let us remember that He has much more to give us. Whatever
happens in this world, He will make all things right in the end. The abundance that
we enjoy now is nothing compared to what He has planned for us. John saw into the
future for us, and this is what he saw:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. ...I heard
a loud voice speaking from the Throne: "Now God's home is with mankind! He will
live with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them, and He
will be their God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be
no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have
disappeared." (Revelation 21:1,3-4)
"Youth" by Thomas Cole
That is the place we are heading, and the
road we travel leads to that, if we are following the Leader. So give
constant thanksgiving to the God who saves us. And, while you are praying to God anyway, pray for Him to
be a little more patient with the people of this nation. Pray that
they shall come to know the faith of their fathers, so that we may have peace
and abundance along the trail.
I have got to admit that I love the
Pilgrims. They were tough beyond compare, and besides that they dressed
cool. So I am going to show you some statues of Pilgrims. My
favorite is of Roger Conant in Salem, Mass. (My wife and I saw this on our
travels):
On the left below is a statue of Bradford by
Dallin, and next a little statuette.
Here are a couple of cool pictures, the
first by Jeff Jones.
In the second page of this Thanksgiving site, I
give you a brief history of the Pilgrim adventure. It's structured so you can read a
section every day for the four days preceding Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving day itself.
If you would like to know about the Pilgrims and the
amazing adventure that started our nation, click here.
I have also prepared a cute Thanksgiving
page, so if that sounds fun, click here.
If you would like to explore some other Thanksgiving
sites, here is some help for you:
1. Start here:
very good historical documents, including the Mayflower Compact, the peace treaty with
Massasoit, the first Thanksgiving proclamation, the Continental Congress' Thanksgiving
proclamation, George Washington's Thanksgiving proclamation, Abraham Lincoln's
Thanksgiving proclamation, the "real" first Thanksgiving (a biased Indian view);
there are also a lot of good other things (e.g., poetry, recipes, games, links, etc.)
2. another
3. another
The midi that you hear playing is for the song "Faith of our
Fathers," written by Frederick W. Faber, and music written by James G.
Walton. The words to the song follow:
Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whenever we hear that glorious Word!
Refrain
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
We all shall then be truly free.
Refrain
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Now, if you want to return to my holiday
page, click here.
