Volume 2, Issue 40 - November 22, 2006
Thankful for what?
By Wayne Harris
What do I have to be thankful for?
Shall I begin at the beginning? Should I be thankful that God knew me even in the womb? He designed me, created me and then introduced me to His created world. I cried at first, but it was a good cry. I was alive. It was the beginning of a voyage filled with years of exploration.
Before I ever got here others had blazed trails that made the location of my home to be where it was. I did not know George Washington, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Thomas Jefferson, Betsy Ross and the mighty folk that risked life and limb to create a free, independent nation. They did the work. I enjoy the freedom.
When I was born in Asheville, North Carolina I was surrounded by beautiful mountains. I had nothing to do with their creation. He did. I still find it hard to imagine why I was blessed to know the freedom of running through the woods and climbing mountains.
Can anyone not be thankful if he or she knows the blessing of a loving family? How many have no idea of the joy of a thanksgiving table? I would have to be extremely selfish and self-centered to believe that I deserved all of those excellent meals during a time to pause and be thankful.
How can I thank God enough for providing leaders that have defended my nation all of my life? I do not have to ride down the road and see bunkers with loaded weapons as the South Koreans do. And when I see American military members I do not fear them. I respect them. I am grateful for them. They are holding the ravenous wolves at bay.
The water in the shower feels good. Where did that water come from? Once again, I leave my self-centered cocoon and rejoice in the Lord. “Thank you, Lord. You created the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes.” The little beads that bounce off of me remind me that I have a God who cares about the necessities.
I reject the negative thoughts so many of today’s critics set to print. Do they not enjoy the many blessings I enjoy? To hear them, you would think they were in Alcatraz. I lift up both hands to heaven and give thanks.
God’s hand was moving on my nation before I got here. The Great Awakening changed lives as a wildfire of revival hit our nation. A constitution was written without my input. I am so grateful to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and all that helped form a government that has maintained freedom in this great land.
We have a God who has done mighty miracles to set us free and keep us that way. There have been battles that could have been lost, but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob saw fit to give us victory. We have defeated enemies that might have defeated us had it not been for God’s awesome intervention.
We have a God who saw our pathetic sinful state and provided the ultimate in freedom. He sent His Son to set the captives free. He sent His beloved Son to die on our behalf. Through His Son divine freedom was made available. To be free from the curse of sin is but one of the many benefits our Lord delivered to us. He has given us a free gift that makes one free.
Before I was born God’s Son had died. Before I was born God’s Son had resurrected. Though I had no input into what God did, I have reaped the rewards of freedom in my soul since I met Jesus Christ. He became my Lord and Savior, ripping the chains of sin from around me. Now that is worth all the thanks I can muster.
Recently, I saw white sand in the middle of a great vast space. Before that I walked up to cactus in the Phoenix, Arizona area. I have watched the leaves gently fall to the ground near Sleepy Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. And I have rejoiced.
Thank You, Lord for such an abundance of blessings.
Send feedback and comments to: weharris44@hotmail.com
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THANKSGIVING SERMON
By Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas
“As for me, says the Lord, this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants, says the Lord, from this time and forevermore.” (Isaiah 59:21)
If one would ask the typical American why the Pilgrims braved a dangerous journey to come to the shores of America, most would declare, “They came to escape religious persecution or they desired the freedom to worship God according to the Bible.” Though these perspectives have sentimental value for Christians in America, it does not square with the actual history the Pilgrims themselves recorded for posterity. The journal of William Bradford provides a more accurate depiction for the Pilgrims determination to face unimaginable hardships to traverse the stormy seas of the Atlantic to come to the New World.
As you read this article, you will come face to face with the true reasons for the undertaking of the perilous expedition that led to the Mayflower Compact and the first pure Christian settlement at Plymouth. It’s my sincere prayer that once you learn the reality, you too, will make a similar commitment as our Christian forefathers made in establishing this Christian Republic. For what established this blessed nation and prospered her is the very solution that will eventually restore her to the God-ordained vision and the destiny it holds for us as a people.
First of all, the main reason why the Pilgrims did not come to America to escape religious persecution, was the fact that they had already been afforded religious freedom in Holland. For the 12 years they lived there, they were allowed to practice the Christian religion according to the Scriptures and their conscience without interference from the State. The question that remains to be answered then is, if they found what they needed in Holland why would they endanger themselves and their families to come and settle in the New World?
According to Bradford, there were a host of considerations that provoked the decision to embark on the hazardous trip. Some of the reasons stem from their desire to preserve their own language and customs of life while others involved their livelihood. It was difficult finding similar employment that they were accustomed to in England. Therefore, their work was hard and took its toll upon the health and well-being of not only the adults, but the children as well. The following quote from William Bradford summarizes these harsh working conditions and also provides a glimpse to the main purpose for coming to America.
“Thirdly; as necessity was a taskmaster over them, so they were forced to be such, not only to their servants, but in a sort, to their dearest children; the which as it did not a little wound the tender hearts of many a loving father and mother, so it produced likewise sundry sad and sorrowful effects. For many of their children, that were of best dispositions and gracious inclinations, having learned to bear the yoke in their youth, and willing to bear part of their parents burden, were, oftentimes, so oppressed with their heavy labors, that their minds were free and willing, yet their bodies bowed under the weight of the same, and became decrepit in their early youth in that country, and the manifold temptations of the place, were drawn away by evil examples into extravagant and dangerous courses, getting the reigns off their necks, and departing from their parents. Some became soldiers, others took up them far voyages by sea, and other some worse courses, tending to dissoluteness and the danger of their souls, to the great grief of their parents and dishonor of God. So that they saw their posterity would be in danger to degenerate and be corrupted.”
Notice that the Pilgrim’s great dilemma was not religious persecution, but to their great grief and dishonor of God, they were losing their children to the pagan culture of Holland...
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He deserves our thanks
By Judge Roy Moore
Thanksgiving Day, like so many holidays, seems to have lost its original meaning. The Pilgrims would be surprised to learn that the tradition they began has now become a day to thank the Indians and to enjoy turkey, football and Christmas preparations. The first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 did involve feasting with Indians, but it was about thanking God for His providential hand so evident in their endeavor and, indeed, their very survival.
To appreciate why the Pilgrims were so thankful, we must understand the difficulties they had been through the year before. In the summer of 1620, the English settlers left Europe in the Mayflower bound for the fledgling Virginia colony. Instead, they were blown off-course to Plymouth Rock at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The records of William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Plantation, describe the Pilgrims' arrival in November 1620:
Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.
That first winter, almost half of their number died from starvation and disease...
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The True Origin of Thanksgiving
For Christians, Thanksgiving means more than just turkey and football. Most of us have a vague notion that this holiday began when the Pilgrims invited their Indian neighbors to dinner to thank God for his provisions. But there really is much more to the story.
The Atlantic crossing in the fall of 1620 had been an extremely difficult journey for the Pilgrims. For two months, 102 people were wedged into what was called the “’tween decks”—the cargo space of the boat, which only had about five-and-a-half feet of headroom. No one was allowed above deck because of the terrible storms. This was no pleasure trip, but only one person died during the voyage.
The Pilgrims had comforted themselves by singing the Psalms, but this “noise” irritated one of the ship’s paid crewmembers. He told the Pilgrims he was looking forward to throwing some of their corpses overboard after they succumbed to the illnesses that were routine on such voyages. But as it turned out, this crewmember himself was the only person on the voyage to become sick and be thrown overboard. God providentially protected His people. A little-known fact about the Mayflower is that this ship normally carried a cargo of wine; and the wine spillage from previous voyages had soaked the beams, acting as a disinfectant to prevent the spread of disease...
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The True Thanksgiving Story
by Dennis Rupert
It seems that every year we are treated to articles attempting to disprove the "myth of Thanksgiving." In these articles we are told that:
- the Pilgrims weren't the first people in America to hold a thanksgiving
- that the first thanksgiving had no religious significance at all, but was merely a harvest festival
- that our traditional Thanksgiving dinner has nothing in common with the Pilgrim's meal.
Some of these accusations are not a serious concern. After all, who cares if the Pilgrims served cranberries or not? But what seems to lie behind some of these articles is a desire to devalue the religious nature of our present Thanksgiving holiday. This is unfortunate since Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays on the America calendar that is not swept away with commercialism or mixed with pagan elements.
So here is "The True Thanksgiving Story." We have included references to primary sources which you can read for yourself. After reading I believe that you will still be able to eat your turkey with a happy stomach and a grateful heart to God.
Who observed the first Thanksgiving?
Okay, it wasn't the Pilgrims. Of course, native Americans celebrated many thanksgiving festivals before Europeans ever arrived in America. For example, the Wampanoag (Indian allies of the Pilgrims) held six thanksgiving festivals during the year.
The first recorded Christian thanksgiving in America occurred in Texas on May 23, 1541 when Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, and his men held a service of thanksgiving after finding food, water, and pasture for their animals in the Panhandle.
Another thanksgiving service occurred on June 30, 1564 when French Huguenot colonists celebrated in solemn praise and thanksgiving in a settlement near what is now Jacksonville, Florida.
On August 9, 1607 English settlers led by Captain George Popham joined Abnaki Indians along Maine's Kennebec River for a harvest feast and prayer meeting. The colonists, living under the Plymouth Company charter, established Fort St. George around the same time as the founding of Virginia's Jamestown colony. Unlike Jamestown, however, this site was abandoned a year later.
Two years before the Pilgrims on December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation in what is now Charles City, Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God. Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkley Plantation which specifies the thanksgiving service:
"Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god."
In addition to 1619, the colonists perhaps held service in 1620 and 1621. The colony was wiped out in 1622. It was a private event, limited to the Berkeley settlement.
Thus Spanish, French and British colonists held several Thanksgiving services in America before the Pilgrim's celebration in 1621. Most of these early thanksgivings did not involve feasting. They were religious in nature, i.e. worship services of thankfulness to God...
[Editor's Note: Special thanks to "John from Minnesota" for sharing this article. AW]
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Comforts
GIVER OF ALL GOOD,
Streams upon streams of love overflow my path.
Thou hast made me out of nothing,
hast recalled me from a far country,
hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge,
from darkness to light,
from death to life,
from misery to peace,
from folly to wisdom,
from error to truth,
from sin to victory.
Thanks be to thee for my high and holy calling.
I bless thee for ministering angels,
for the comfort of thy Word,
for the ordinances of thy church,
for the teaching of thy Spirit,
for thy holy sacraments,
for the communion of saints,
for Christian fellowship,
for the recorded annals of holy lives,
for examples sweet to allure,
for beacons sad to detour.
Thy will is in all thy provisions
to enable me to grow in grace,
and to meet for thy eternal presence.
My heaven-born faith gives promise of eternal sight,
my new birth a pledge of never-ending life.
I draw near to thee, knowing thou wilt draw near to me.
I ask of thee, believing thou hast already given.
I entrust myself to thee, for thou hast redeemed me.
I bless and adore thee, the eternal God,
for the comfort of these thoughts,
the joy of these hopes.
AMEN
[Taken from "The Valley of Vision", Puritan Prayers and Devotions, pages 300, 301.]
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For His Glory,
Angela Wittman
Publisher/Editor of Christian Heritage News
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