The Real Story of Thanksgiving

The very first Thanksgiving services were held in Jamestown in 1607. There was no food served at this event, only prayers of Thanksgiving to God for His bounty and protection.

In the fall of 1620, 102 frightened passengers crossed the stormed-tossed Atlantic from England. The Pilgrims arrived in the New World on December 11, 1620, but lost almost half the community over the next year. On December 13, 1621 they held a feast thanking God for a bountiful harvest that autumn. This meal, celebrated by Pilgrims and local Indians, marked the first Thanksgiving Feast celebrated in the United States.

In 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the first Thursday in November as an annual day of giving thanks to God. Unfortunately, for the next almost 75 years the holiday was celebrated in only a few states.

Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of “Godey’s Lady’s Book”, deserves much of the credit for making Thanksgiving a national holiday. For 30 years she promoted the idea with each new President. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation making the last Thursday in November an annual day of giving thanks.

Lincoln’s Proclamation came after he delivered his famous Gettysburg Address. Lincoln told a friend, “When I left Springfield [to become President] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.”

For the next 75 years each succeeding President issued an annual Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. Finally, in 1941, a law was passed making the fourth Thursday in November the official Thanksgiving national holiday.

Since 1941, almost 70 years ago, Thanksgiving Day has changed in the United States. The idea of thanking God for His goodness has given way to “thank God we can eat turkey and watch football” on Thanksgiving Day. Most people don’t give a second thought to Whom we really are thanking on this holiday. They’re just glad that the stores open at 3:00 a.m. the next morning on “Black Friday.”

As a believer, please don’t make the same mistake. There’s no doubt that Thanksgiving Day is an enjoyable holiday to gather with family and friends, eat a delicious meal, take a nap, and watch football. But Thanksgiving is so much more.

Take time to thank – truly thank – God for all of His goodness to you. You owe your very existence to God who created you. Without His Son’s death on the cross, You couldn’t have any relationship with God. All you have – all you are – and all you ever hope to be – comes from God.

Thank Him for your life, family, and friends. Thank Him for your job, possessions, and health. Thank him for your church and spiritual mentors. But thank Him most of all for granting you eternal salvation through Christ alone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reprinted from November 24, 2010

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