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Pastor's Article |
Archive |
| Food for the
Flock |
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Thanksgiving: A New Take on an Old
Tradition
What does Thanksgiving Day mean to you?
I ask this question to set the stage to
hopefully not only get you to reflect on
this Holiday, but to share the original
intent of those who established this
day. Journey with me as we examine
Thanksgiving past as compared to
Thanksgiving present.
History records that the first
"Thanksgiving" occurred in the fall of
1621 when the Plymouth colonists and
Wampanoag Indians shared a harvest
feast. Although this is recorded as the
first Thanksgiving, many believe that
this celebration was in keeping with a
long tradition by the of the Colonists
as a way of giving thanks for a
bountiful crop. On November 29,1623,
William Bradford made a proclamation for
a day of Thanksgiving, which included
the statement,Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim
that all ye pilgrims, with your wives
and ye little ones, do gather at ye
meeting house, on ye hill, between the
hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on
Thursday, November ye 29th, of the year
of our Lord one thousand six hundred and
twenty three, and the third year since
ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock,
there to listen to ye pastor and render
thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all
His blessings. Notice the emphasis was to gather with
family and worship God for all his
blessings. I ask you to compare that
celebration with our modern day
Thanksgiving celebrations. There was no mention of turkey, dressing, ham, cranberry
sauce, or football. Notice the one thing
that was consistent in the above
mentioned historical records -- giving
thanks to God and being together with
families.
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Is it
about a day of rest and being thankful?
Or is it simply another day of hustle
and running, going from place to place,
eating until you are stuffed, and then
passing out from eating too much turkey
as you watch the Cowboys play someone on
the NFL game, and preparing to get ready
for the next day and the official
beginning of shopping season?
This year, I hope you will re-evaluate
your Thanksgiving plans and let the
records of the early Thanksgiving
celebrations inspire you to re-think how
you will celebrate. I want to challenge
you to focus on being thankful to God
who bestows all blessings on us this
year. Instead of running and fretting,
try going and enjoying the time with
family and friends, savoring the moments
of laughter, and memories made, as much
as you savor the turkey on the table.
Take time to stop and remember how much
you have truly been blessed with, and
instead of worrying so much about a
score from a game, take time to play
with your children and children in the
family -- something all of you will
remember long after the game is over.
Lastly, as you prepare for your
Thanksgiving Day celebrations, take a
moment to read Psalm 100.
May the Lord bless you this
Thanksgiving,
Pastor James Wright |
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