Pilgrims and Thanksgiving

During these hectic holiday preparation days, it is easy to forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving as celebrated in the United States of America. The loud voices of political correctness often drown out the voices of those Pilgrims who risked everything for a new life in a new world. While we may have a general idea about Pilgrims and their funny clothes and odd habits, we often fail to remember that they were real people, and faced tremendous hardships and adversity with amazing faith and strength of character. Even politically correct authors, like Sarah Vowell, in her recent interesting book about the Puritans, The Wordy Shipmates admits her admiration of them for their faith, tenacity, and perseverance.

On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England. It carried a total of 102 passengers - all of them seeking freedom – primarily religious freedom. Of those 102passengers, 34 of them were children. According to the Mayflower Compact that they all signed, they undertook their voyage "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian Faith."

The grueling journey to the New World took 66 days in a ship no larger than a basketball court. Planning to arrive in northern Virginia, a storm at sea blew them off course. And when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts on November 11th, they found (according to William Bradford's detailed journal) a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. But they did not despair. Their first act when setting foot upon land was recorded by Bradford:

"Having thus arrived in a good harbor and come 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 dangers and miseries thereof, and permitted them to again set their feet on the firm and stable earth.'"

During the first winter, half the Pilgrims died of starvation, sickness, or exposure. Six died in December, eight in January, seventeen in February, and thirteen in March. Thirteen of the eighteen wives died; only three families remained unbroken. Bradford's young wife drowned when she fell overboard. Yet when the Mayflower returned to England in the spring, not one of the remaining Pilgrims went with her. They were dedicated to their God and the freedom to worship Him as they wished. Like the Pilgrims, we must learn that:

Psalm 92:1 says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. . ..” In Scripture, we see that God blesses things that are good. From the beginning of creation, we witness this pronouncement “and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:4) God then blessed His “good” creation. (Genesis 1:28) It follows then, that if “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,” then God will bless a grateful person.

The Bible has a lot to say about thanksgiving, mentioning it nearly 140 times. In the book of Psalms alone, we are told over 30 times to “be thankful” and "give thanks unto the Lord.” Psalm 92:1 says, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High." Nineteen out of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament mention the need for thanksgiving. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

A few years ago, Jodi and I visited Plymouth, Massachusetts. We spent an afternoon at Plimoth Plantation (www.plimoth.org), the re-creation of the original colony of Pilgrims. There, in the original setting, surrounded by people playing the part of Pilgrims, I gained a better understanding of the hardships these people endured. Although they were not wealthy members of the ruling class in England, they left behind security – homes, jobs, and families - to pursue a dream: To find a place where they could put down roots, raise their children, and worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, not according to the mandates of the King of England.

The word “worship” comes from the Old English words for “worth-ship,” meaning “the ascribing of worth, worthiness, or honor to a person, place or thing, ardent devotion; adoration.” Worship truly flows from a heart of gratitude. The liberty to worship God freely, according to your own convictions, has been a fundamental right of our citizens since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. To them, worship was a good thing. They valued the ability to worship God more than the security of home, even if it meant traveling through the perilous ocean to a wilderness land filled with unknown dangers.

The Mayflower II, built in the 1950’s and now docked in Plymouth Harbor (you can take a virtual tour at http://plimoth.org/features/mayflower-2/journey/), is an exact replica of the original Mayflower. At first glance, it is not easy to imagine that such a small vessel could hold a cargo of supplies and over 100 passengers while crossing the Atlantic. While aboard this summer, I couldn’t help but think about the hardships, the seasickness, the storms, and unknown danger lurking ahead of those Pilgrims in 1620. It must have been terribly difficult to maintain an optimistic outlook and express gratitude. But since worship was so important to them, it is not surprising that one of their first acts after landing at Plymouth Rock was to make the following declaration:

“May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: 'Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness: but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their distress. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever.'”

Billy Graham wrote, "Giving thanks to God for all blessings is one of the most distinctive marks of a true Christian. A heart that is attuned to God naturally pours out thanksgiving. Some things the believer thanks God for are material blessings, the people in your life, His promise of presence and care in the midst of trials and even persecution, salvation, and His continued presence and power in your life."

Weeds grow without effort. But if you want a beautiful bouquet of flowers, they must be planted and nurtured. You must cultivate the soil, keep the pests away, provide proper nourishment, and pull the weeds. That’s the way it is with gratitude. Like weeds in our hearts, taking things or people for granted comes naturally. But gratitude must be nurtured. As we mature in our faith, we learn to appreciate the Lord and others who have blessed us. That appreciation will result in our verbal expression of thanks.

The author G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) said "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."

In Vermont a farmer was sitting on the porch with his wife. He was beginning to realize how much she meant to him. It was about time, because they had been married for forty-two years. She had been such help, a very willing worker. One day as they sat together, he said, "Wife, you've been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you."

When we think of the first thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims, we assume it occurred during the first year of their residency here. In fact, we know they did have a 3-day feast in the fall of 1621 where wild fowl and venison were served. A letter by Edward Winslow is the only surviving description of the event itself. The hard winter months that followed brought extraordinary suffering and even more deaths to the small band of Pilgrims.

But the first real extended thanksgiving celebration took place a full three years after their arrival in 1620. Those three years were filled with much hardship, toil and suffering. Their days were spent combating sickness, drought, inner conflicts, and the elements. But it wasn’t all bad news. The Indians had taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod, hunt for game, and skin beavers for coats. They had planted gardens, built a blockhouse for their protection, houses for their own comfort, and a meetinghouse to worship God.

Just when things seemed to take a turn for the better, they again got worse. In the summer of 1623, a drought threatened to destroy their vital crops. So the colonists prayed and fasted for relief. When the rains came a few days later, disaster was averted, and their crops were saved. Not long after, Captain Miles Standish arrived with staples and news that a Dutch supply ship was on its way. Because of all these blessings and answered prayers, the Pilgrims held a day of thanksgiving and praise. This 1623 event appears to have been the origin of our Thanksgiving Day because it combined a religious and social celebration. It was a time for expressing gratitude to God and sharing with their native American, Indian neighbors. Governor Bradford made the following proclamation:

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meetinghouse, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 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."

The provisions for that thanksgiving feast included: "twelve tasty venisons, besides others, pieces of roasted venison, fruit pies, roasted wild turkeys, plums, nuts, grapes, corn, popcorn, vegetables of all types, fish, roast pork, etc. But before all this, the first course was served: on an empty plate in front of each person were five kernels of corn. . .lest anyone should forget" (the hardship of the previous winters.)

We should never forget our heritage as Americans, regardless of the diversity of our backgrounds. In fact, our diversity can celebrate the fact that many of our ancestors, whether from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, the islands of the sea , or parts in between, endured suffering, so we could enjoy prosperity. Moreover, for followers of Jesus Christ, we should never forget that we are citizens of a greater kingdom, without natural or civic boundaries. We have a lot to be thankful for. With those realizations, we will never take our blessings for granted.

Born with neither sight nor hearing, Helen Keller (1880-1968) could have become a bitter recluse. But the persistence and love of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, reached through to her heart. Helen Keller's gratefulness to God for what she had been given made her one of the most influential women in the history of the world. She said "So much has been given to me, I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied."

Helen Keller was deaf and blind from an early age. But she saw and understood more than most people with all five senses. Many people fail to recognize God’s blessings and presence in their lives. Those who have been helped the most are sometimes the most ungrateful.

Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) was an American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a physician, educator and politician. He worked relentlessly for the abolition of slavery and the humane treatment of the mentally handicapped. His insight into the human condition is revealed in this quote: "I have found the least gratitude from those families in which I had performed the greatest services."

Sometimes, oddly enough, the opposite is true. Because sometimes it is people who begin life with a real deficit, (like Helen Keller: physically, socially, or in life circumstances), that are the most grateful to God and others when blessings do come their way. If you’re born with no ability to communicate, and someone gives you the gift of speech, you are grateful. If you are born without the ability to ever walk, and a surgeon’s skills change that, you appreciate every happy step you take. If you are born into a “family” that isn’t a real family, but a nightmare of abuse, and someone takes you into their loving family, you never take that privilege for granted, like the rest of us sometimes do.

Let’s never forget “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto His name.” Always remember gratefulness produces peace, faith, contentment, and a positive attitude. We can cultivate a thankful spirit by trusting God, and learning lessons from the pilgrims, Helen Keller and others about being thankful. But we need to develop thanksgiving in our own hearts, in our own time, in our own circumstances. Difficult circumstances are occasions for us to grow better or bitter. We grow better with a thankful spirit and a heart that is grateful to God.

The thankful heart enjoys blessings twice - when they're received and when they're remembered. The thankful heart will overflow with blessings given and received. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Here are some suggestions to help this be your best Thanksgiving holiday ever:

This Thanksgiving week:

• Do a word study on thanksgiving and reflect on the meaning. Find every verse you can about being thankful in the Bible, or quotes from others on the topic.

• Count your blessings, especially as you meet with family and friends this week.

• While visiting with family, discuss how God has protected, provided for and preserved your family through the years. How many family members have memories of God’s guiding Hand?

• How many generations back can you trace your heritage? Were there people of faith in your family’s past? Even if there are negative circumstances in your family heritage, can you find blessings there to be thankful for?

• Choose to give thanks. Decide to express gratitude "in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

• Thank someone everyday for his or her positive influence in your life.

• Memorize Psalm 92:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Keep Christ in Christmas!

In December of 1965 I was about to turn eleven years old and a fifth grader at Dundee Elementary School in Dundee, Oregon. It was a tradition for the fifth grade class to recite the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-14 in the annual school Christmas program. Harold Wilson, our teacher, instilled in us a belief that our recital of these fourteen verses from the King James Version would be the highlight of the evening’s festivities.

So at the appointed hour, the school gym, where hours before we had played basketball or “red rover,” became a nativity scene. With anxious parents looking on from their folding chairs in neatly formed rows on the floor, we took our places on the stage. Although I have many memories of Sunday School and grade school Christmas pageants where I alternately played a shepherd, wise man, or Joseph while wearing my bathrobe and sandals as a costume, none stand more clearly in my mind than that particular night as we stood before that audience. Hours of memorization paid off as we began to recite the familiar words, “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. . ..”

As we finished with, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” the audience rose to their feet with thunderous applause. Mr. Wilson beamed, our parents glowed, and we were all thankful that we had completed our assignment without missing a word. Looking back, that evening was a highlight of my young life. I had quoted many great authors from that stage—Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Patrick Henry’s “the war inevitable” and various works of prose and poetry. But none seemed as inspiring as quoting from the greatest story ever told.

Even the knowledge that the event would soon culminate in a visit from Santa Claus, played by Mr. Vinson, our school janitor, who at 120 pounds was a skinny substitute for the real thing, did not stem my enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment at that moment. The reward for all the students was a coveted sack of candy, which Santa Claus distributed to all participants. Inside the brown paper bag was an obligatory inventory that included an orange, a few walnuts and hazelnuts (Dundee was known as the “nut capital of the USA” in those days!), a peppermint candy cane, assorted hard or ribbon candies that stuck together and nobody ever liked, and a few jelly/gummy orange slices. If you were lucky, you received a bag that contained the most cherished prize: one or two delectable mounds of flavored sugar, covered with chocolate. Maybe I’m just sentimental, or given to nostalgia, but the warm feelings from that evening fill my heart to this day.

It was no secret that Mr. Wilson was a born-again Christian and a member of the First Baptist Church. Nor was it a secret that he was an excellent teacher, devoted to his craft and to his students. I knew him as an engaging teacher, a caring coach, a volunteer vacation Bible school leader, and a man that impacted my impressionable young life by showing me that the world was bigger than the humble environment of our family farm.

I remember the bulletin board he prepared for our school that year. In those days it seemed fashionable to abbreviate Christmas as "Xmas". Mr. Wilson would have none of that. In capital letters his bulletin board message boldly proclaimed "Keep Christ in Christmas." No one protested or ridiculed—at least not publicly. Deep in our hearts, we knew that the message was true. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, not just another “happy holiday.”

A lot has changed since then. The freedom to express his Christian faith that Mr. Wilson enjoyed as an American educator has slowly eroded over the last forty-three years. Most would agree that the erosion of that freedom has coincided with an erosion of values. Courts and school boards in many jurisdictions have decided it is illegal for public expressions about the real meaning of Christmas, and that is a shame.

The fact is, you really can't remove Christ from Christmas. After all, it is His birthday. It would be politically incorrect to try to distance most holidays from the birthdays they commemorate. For example, to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without a discussion of his life, death and accomplishments would be unheard of in the twenty-first century.

Jesus Christ was a real person cutting a far wider swath in history than any contemporary human being. We even count the years on our calendar from His birth. So why shouldn't we allow the historical details of his birth, life and death to be publicly proclaimed? D. James Kennedy wrote:

"The truth is this: Had Jesus never been born, this world would be far more miserable than it is. In fact, many of man's noblest and kindest deeds find their motivation in love for Jesus Christ; and some of our greatest accomplishments also have their origin in service rendered to the humble Carpenter of Nazareth."[1]

For the past thirty some-years, our family gathers around the tree on Christmas Eve. These days, that circle includes our children and two granddaughters, sometimes accompanied by other assorted family members and friends. Before opening our presents, our traditions include my recitation of the Christmas story. Those timeless and familiar words from Luke’s Gospel entered my mind in 1965, but they also entered my heart. They never left my heart, and I hope they never do.

About twenty years ago I wrote a similar article on this theme that was published in The Pentecostal Evangel. I sent a copy of it to Mr. Wilson, thanking him for the impact he made on my young life. Later I met with him and we reminisced about those days. Since then, we’ve lost track of each other. I’m not sure if he is still living, but if he is, I’d like to say, “Thanks, Mr. Wilson. Thanks for taking an interest in children and devoting your life to helping them learn and become better citizens and better people. Thanks for helping us remember to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas.’” It was good advice back then, and it is good advice today. In fact, it always will be.

[1]Kennedy, D. James What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1994, introduction.

(c)2008 Don Detrick