| Originally Broadcast Nov 2001The fourth | | | | festivals, with which the Separatists would |
| Thursday in November is called Thanksgiving | | | | have been very familiar. In their native |
| Day in the USA. Whether you live here or not, | | | | England, days of feasting and leisure |
| are you going through a tough time this | | | | commonly followed the harvest. Earlier such |
| Thanksgiving? Aside from all the | | | | harvest festivals include ancient Greek |
| international unrest, are you finding it hard | | | | Thesmophoria, ancient Roman Cerealia, and the |
| to find anything to be thankful about in the | | | | Jewish Sukkot.Not to imply that the 1621 |
| midst of your own life? If so, maybe this | | | | feast had more in common with pagan festivals |
| message will minister to you.Did you know it | | | | than with their first Christian Thanksgiving, |
| wasn't until the American Civil War | | | | which they observed in 1623 to celebrate the |
| (1861-1865) that Congress officially | | | | now infamous crop-saving rainfall, after |
| recognized Thanksgiving Day? Even though it | | | | apparently skipping the occasion in 1622. |
| all began over 200 years earlier in the | | | | From the Separatist perspective, everything |
| Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, 1621. The | | | | fell within the bounds of faith. EVERYTHING. |
| Separatists (it was much later when they | | | | As Leland Ryken wrote in "Worldly Saints: The |
| became known as "Pilgrims"), who founded | | | | Puritans As They Really Were": "Puritanism |
| Plymouth Colony in 1620, ignored most | | | | was impelled by the insight that all of life |
| holidays. In fact, they recognized only | | | | is God's. The Puritans lived simultaneously |
| three: the weekly Sabbath, the Day of | | | | in two worlds--the invisible spiritual world |
| Humiliation and Fasting, and the Day of | | | | and the physical world of earthly existence. |
| Thanksgiving and Praise. The latter two were | | | | For the Puritans, both worlds were equally |
| not set on the calendar but were proclaimed | | | | real, and there was no cleavage of life into |
| in response to God's perceived favor or | | | | sacred and secular. All of life was |
| disfavor. Colonial life was so tied to the | | | | sacred."In simple English, whether you go to |
| harvest cycle that fasting days were most | | | | church on Thanksgiving or not, the day can be |
| often called in the spring, when there wasn't | | | | seasoned with what Puritan Richard Baxter |
| much to eat anyway. Feast days often | | | | called "a drop of glory." For that matter, |
| accompanied the autumn harvest. Both | | | | EVERY day can be seasoned in this way. As |
| observances occurred on weekdays, usually the | | | | Paul and King David put it, "The earth is the |
| day of special sermons (known as Lecture | | | | Lord's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1, 1 |
| Day), which was on a Thursday in Plymouth | | | | Cor.10:26).After their first few traditional |
| Colony.Their first dreadful winter in | | | | celebrations of Thanksgiving, the custom of |
| Massachusetts had killed about half the | | | | such a day soon spread to other colonies, |
| members of the colony. But new hope arose in | | | | becoming a time of celebrating the harvest. |
| the summer of 1621. The settlers expected a | | | | In 1777, the Continental Congress proclaimed |
| good corn harvest, despite poor crops of | | | | a national day of Thanksgiving after the |
| peas, wheat, and barley. Thus, in early | | | | American Revolution victory at the Battle of |
| autumn, governor William Bradford arranged a | | | | Saratoga, an important battle which proved to |
| harvest festival to give thanks to God for | | | | the world that America could stand toe-to-toe |
| the progress the colony had made.The festival | | | | with England, who had the greatest army in |
| lasted three days. The surviving Separatists, | | | | the world at that time. Notice it was a |
| numbering about 50, feasted with 90 members | | | | holiday motivated by armed conflict. Twelve |
| of the Wampanoag Indians who brought gifts of | | | | years later, George Washington proclaimed |
| food as a goodwill gesture. It was not an | | | | another national day of Thanksgiving in honor |
| "official" day of thanksgiving. In the only | | | | of the ratification of the Constitution and |
| surviving firsthand account of the meal, | | | | requested that the Congress finally establish |
| Edward Winslow described it this way: "Our | | | | it as an annual event. They declined. So, it |
| harvest being gotten in, our governor sent | | | | would be another 100 years, after the |
| four men on fowling, that so we might after a | | | | nation's bloody Civil War, before President |
| special manner rejoice together after we had | | | | Abraham Lincoln would proclaim that the last |
| gathered the fruit of our labors. They four | | | | Thursday in November would become |
| in one day killed as much fowl as, with a | | | | Thanksgiving Day. That was 1865, the year the |
| little help beside, served the company almost | | | | Civil War ended. Surprisingly, it took |
| a week. At which time, among other | | | | another 40 years, the early 1900s, before the |
| recreations, we exercised our arms, many of | | | | tradition really caught on. See, Lincoln's |
| the Indians coming amongst us, and among the | | | | official Thanksgiving was sanctioned in order |
| rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some | | | | to bolster the Union's morale. Southerners |
| ninety men, whom for three days we | | | | boycotted the new holiday, seeing it as an |
| entertained and feasted, and they went out | | | | attempt to impose Northern customs on their |
| and killed five deer, which they brought to | | | | conquered land.Today, Thanksgiving is an |
| the plantation and bestowed upon our | | | | annual Rockwellian event filled with |
| governor, and upon the captain, and others. | | | | football, feasting, and family that causes |
| And although it be not always so plentiful as | | | | over 35 million Americans to "head home" for |
| it was at this time with us, yet by the | | | | their family feasts. But that's not the |
| goodness of God, we are so far from want that | | | | historical picture of this idealistic |
| we often wish you partakers of our | | | | holiday. From its inception, it has more |
| plenty."The very first Thanksgiving | | | | often been associated with adversity, bloody, |
| observance in America, two years earlier, was | | | | and difficult times. Before a day of |
| entirely religious and didn't involve | | | | Thanksgiving ever existed in a place called |
| anything remotely resembling a feast. Sorry, | | | | the United States, the Apostle Paul, writing |
| it wasn't the Pilgrims either. On Dec. 4, | | | | from a prison cell and probably knowing that |
| 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived | | | | he would soon be killed, wrote to the |
| at Berkeley Plantation, on the James River | | | | Philippians, "I give thanks to my Lord and |
| near what is now Charles City, Virginia. The | | | | Savior Jesus Christ."Out of great suffering |
| group's charter required that the day of | | | | have come many glorious expressions of |
| arrival be observed yearly as a day of | | | | gratitude such as Paul's over the centuries. |
| thanksgiving to God. Captain John Woodleaf | | | | One wonders, what motivates Christians to |
| held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the | | | | give thanks at all when a more reasonable |
| section of the Charter of Berkley Plantation | | | | response would seem to be bitterness and |
| which specifies the thanksgiving service: | | | | murmuring? Well, does not a new baby enter |
| "Wee ordained that the day of our ships | | | | the world only after a time of travail and |
| arrival at the place assigned for plantacon | | | | transition? Does not an expectant couple |
| on the land of Virginia shall be yearly and | | | | prepare a baby's room, and isn't the infant |
| perpetually keept holy as a day of | | | | showered with gifts, before he or she ever |
| thanksgiving to Almighty god." In accordance | | | | arrives? We celebrate the good things to |
| with this 1619 charter, the colonists most | | | | come, in faith that the good things WILL |
| likely held service in 1620 and 1621. The | | | | come.In the wake of the recent terrorist |
| colony was wiped out in 1622. Thanksgiving | | | | attacks, the Afghan war, the anthrax scare, |
| was a private event, limited to the Berkeley | | | | the economic turmoil, and the flight 587 |
| settlement.For those who see Thanksgiving as | | | | crash, in keeping with American tradition, we |
| being more of a religious holiday, where the | | | | have all the more reason to celebrate |
| Separatists, or Pilgrims, were concerned, it | | | | Thanksgiving. Let's give thanks, EXPECTING |
| wasn't intended to be such, though Separatist | | | | new life to come as a result of the turmoil |
| leader, William Bradford wrote in his diary | | | | that surrounds us today.American or not, |
| that their voyage across the ocean was | | | | Thanksgiving - giving thanks - in the midst |
| motivated by "a great hope for advancing the | | | | of dark and troubled times, if nothing else, |
| kingdom of Christ." Hunting, contests of | | | | is in keeping with the way of the cross |
| skill and strength, and entertainment | | | | ...the CHRISTIAN tradition. Give thanks at |
| generally have no place in religious | | | | ALL times - even in the midst of your own |
| observances. However, these were a part of | | | | trying situation. |
| the long tradition of pagan harvest | | | | |