Thanksgiving - Remembering It's Origin

By Leonard Taylor  

The Pilgrims came to America for one reason - to form a separate community in

which they could worship God in freedom. 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 of journey 1620 William Bradford and the other elders wrote an extraordinary charter - The Mayflower Compact.

Why was it extraordinary? Because it established just and equal laws for all members of their new community - believers and non-believers alike. Where did they get such revolutionary ideas? From the Bible, of course... It wasn't an economic system that allowed the Pilgrims to prosper. It was their devotion to God and His laws. And that's what Thanksgiving is really all about. Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God - even our sorrows.

Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace. II Corinthians 2:14

The Puritan approach to life was the result of a sincere desire to serve God and seek His will for their lives. As such, those devout Christians did not shun life's wholesome pleasures as often is thought; after all, the first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days and took place in 1621, the Fall after the Mayflower Pilgrims arrived.

In 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first national day of thanks. Our young republic had survived the snows of Valley Forge to triumph over the greatest empire on earth - reason enough to give thanks, the father of our country thought. Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a holiday, by a proclamation issued on October 3, 1863.

As we celebrate this historic holiday next week with our families and friends, let's spend a lot of this time in thankful reflection for the bountiful blessing we daily receive from our awesome God.

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