Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. Families will gather around both traditional and non-traditional meals and pause to give thanks for the blessings and bounty of God on their lives.

The first thanksgiving was held by the pilgrims to give thanks to God for their safe passage from England to Plymouth Rock. Following a harsh winter, which resulted in the deaths of many of the pilgrim family, the survivors were befriended by a tribe of “native Americans.” Another Thanksgiving celebration was held to thank their new friends. Because of their help a harvest was reaped ensuring enough food to last the winter.

In 1777 Thanksgiving was an occasion to celebrate victory over the British.
Two years later, in 1789, the first national Thanksgiving occurred. The President of the United States was asked by Congress to issue a resolution stating: “Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer ….”
“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor … Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.”

Days of Thanksgiving were celebrated on varying dates throughout the nation for the next several years. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in hopes of bringing healing to a land that had suffered greatly in Civil War.

He set aside the last Thursday in November, declaring: “We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come … No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God … I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States … to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

In 1841, Congress established the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday.

May we all take time this Thanksgiving to lift up an offering of praise to God. We all have so much to be thankful for. As the hymnwriter put it, “Count your blessings, name them one by one…and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”