[The primary content of this post first ran on Thanksgiving Day, 4 years ago. In preparation for the week ahead — and noting all that currently surrounds us, all that makes us busy, and all the news that tempts us to shift our focus to things of lesser importance — my sense is it would be wise to remember the origin of Thanksgiving… and put such into personal practice…]
After a treacherous transatlantic voyage during the fall of 1620, the adventurous Pilgrims landed at what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Their original destination was somewhere in the northern part of Virginia; however, stormy winds blew them off course. The succeeding winter on the Cape was then grueling and harsh. Few families survived in tact.
The following summer, when life abounded with a fresh hope and rich harvest, the Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving dinner in America. Legend has it there was no turkey, but there was pumpkin… boiled, I believe. According to the account written by the leader of the colony, the feast included ducks, geese, venison, fish, and berries. (No disrespect to the beloved Pilgrims, but I much prefer fresh baked rolls, mashed potatoes, and apple pie… lots of it…)
The original feast was designed to thank God for his unmerited favor. After surviving the rigorous winter and witnessing significant death in their close community, the settlers were grateful for a life in which goodness still obviously existed.
In 1789, after approving the Bill of Rights, Congress then “recommended a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” to thank God for blessing America. On November 26th of that year, President Washington declared said day as the first national day of prayer and thanksgiving, proclaiming: “Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks…”
75 years later, after the Civil War ended, President Lincoln established the last Thursday in November as a day to acknowledge “the gracious gifts of the Most High God,” recognizing that “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.” Every president repeated this acknowledgement until 1941 when Congress officially made Thanksgiving a national holiday.
The Intramuralist finds it interesting that according to Wikipedia, “Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.”
Perhaps the practice is now secular, but if Wikipedia is accurate, cultural developments have altered the original meaning of the Thanksgiving celebration. The original meaning is to give God thanks.
As the retailers and some irreverent quietly creep increasingly more into the sacredness of the celebration — all the more as we see the day approaching — may our motive this week be simple and pure… to slow down… following in the footsteps of Washington and Lincoln…
… and thanking God for his blessing… for his gifts, available to all.
Respectfully,
AR