Thanksgiving History

The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. After that first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of, "Thanksgiving and Prayer", shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians.

During the American Revolution a yearly day of national Thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. Here is a exerpt from the state of New-Hampshire's Thanksgiving Proclamation.

"The congress in general assembly do here by command the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November, which he may have correlated with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Since then, each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939. (approved by Congress in 1941)

As a nation our forefathers knew the value of thanking God for all His blessings. It is my prayer that our current and future generations of leaders will do the same.

The Truth
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

The Body of Christ - A Tool Box

The Body of Christ is a collection of people who have established a relationship with Him. They are a mosaic of unique individuals with differing talents, gifts and capabilities. In scripture, this body is likened to the physical body of a person. While the physical body can learn to fuction without one of its parts, it will not move at full capacity nor function as well. The Body of Christ is the same, it does not function as well without all of its members either.

I like to think of the Body of Christ as a "Tool Box", each tool having its own unquie purpose. While it's possible to do some jobs without the correct tool, the job will not be completed as easily or sucessfully without it. For example, have you ever tried to loosen a tight nut with a pair of plyers? One can sometimes do more harm than good. But, tackle than same job with a socket wrench and you will be more secessful and have all the skin on your knuckles.

As we learn to use and respect the critical differences of the tools in our box, we should also learn to respect the uniqueness of those individuals in the Body of Christ and encourage one another in the use of the unique talents and gifts God has given to all of us.

Is there someone you know who could use a little encouragement to use their gift or talent for the Body of Christ? Give them a call, sometimes that's all it takes.

The Truth
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (Unity and Diversity in One Body)