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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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"Thanks Be to God!" Thanksgiving
Day in the United States is an annual day of thanks
for the blessings of the past year, observed on the
fourth Thursday in November in each of the states, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
It is a historical and national holiday that
began with the Pilgrims.
After the survival of their first colony
through the bitter winter, and the gathering of the
harvest, Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony
issued a thanksgiving proclamation in the autumn of
1621. This first thanksgiving lasted three days,
during which the Pilgrims feasted on wild turkey and
venison with their Indian guests. Days
of thanksgiving were celebrated sporadically until, on
November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued
a proclamation of a nation-wide day of thanksgiving.
He made it clear that the day should be one of
prayer and giving thanks to God. It was to be celebrated by all Americans, a circumstance that
helped to promote a spirit of common heritage. Credit
for establishing this day as a national holiday is
usually given to Sarah J. Hale, editor and founder of
the Ladies' Magazine (from 1828) in Boston.
Her editorials in the magazine and letters to
President Abraham Lincoln urging the formal
establishment of a national holiday of thanksgiving
resulted in Lincoln's proclamation in 1863,
designating the last Thursday in November as the day.
Succeeding presidents annually followed his
example, except for President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
who in 1939 proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a week earlier
-- on the fourth but not the last Thursday -- to
encourage holiday shopping.
In 1941, Congress adopted a joint resolution
setting the date on the fourth Thursday. Each
year at Thanksgiving, families all across America
gather together to give thanks for the many blessings
they have received over the past year.
For some, this is a moment of true reflection
and introspection, of sincere and heartfelt
appreciation, while others see it as simply a ritual
to endure in order to get through to the turkey and
perhaps a football game or two. Are
you truly
thankful? Have
you taken the time to acknowledge and give thanks to
the "Origin" of your blessings?
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of
turning" (James 1:17).
As you count your blessings, don’t forget the
"Giver" of those blessings! Are
you aware of the greatest Gift of all?
What is that Gift?
It is Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
Through Jesus, we may receive the greater
blessings of the forgiveness of our sins (Matthew
1:21), the truly abundant life now (John 10:10), and
the hope of eternal life with Him (Romans 6:23).
To
accept the greatest Gift of all, one must believe that
Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 16:31), repent of sin
(Acts 17:30), confess Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and be
baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of
sins (Acts 2:38). Have
you accepted the Gift on His terms? Truly
blessed are those who have received the gift of Jesus
Christ on His terms. "Thanks
be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2
Corinthians 9:15).
David A. Sargent,
Minister To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
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