Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1982

Thanksgving Day
John Bekkering

The United States and Canada set aside one day each year as Thanksgiving Day. On this day, people give thanks to God with feasting and prayer for plentiful crops and all other blessings received during the year. When the "Mayflower" reached the New England coastline in early November 1620, sixteen men lowered a boat and set foot on the shore. In the journal of Gov. Wm. Bradford, we read that they "fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven, who had brought them over the fast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth". A year later, in 1621, the Pilgrims desired to thank God for His guidance and bountiful harvest. "They felt this sense of gratitude in spite of the fact that they had endured many hardships and almost half of their group had died during the previous winter. This feast, and the prayers of gratitude, extended over a three-day period, with food being provided by both the Pilgrims and the Indians."

Today, Thanksgiving is usually a family day - celebrated with big dinners in the fellowship of friends and loved ones. Just to hear the word "Thanksgiving" often makes us think of kitchens crowded with good things to eat. We smell the tender brown turkey, the sweet potatoes, the corn, the pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream. With so much to eat we usually leave the table more stuffed than the turkey ever was, vowing to skip eating the next day.

But Thanksgiving is primarily a time for serious religious thinking, church services and personal prayer. This day comes to us again as a reminder of our dependence upon God's goodness and to acknowledge Him in all our ways. The author of Psalm 103 says, "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within me". Thanksgiving then, is not so much a matter of external circumstances, as of the heart, or the spirit within us. Whether in health or in sickness, in abundance or in poverty, in joy or in sorrow, if we look with the eyes of the soul, we shall find abundant reasons to be thankful to God. Therefore, let all that is within us "Bless His Holy Name".

Canada celebrates Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as the United States. We are glad to live in a land where, by official proclamation, we are urged to give thanks privately and publicly. But we are not made thankful because the authorities urge us to do so rather it must come from within us. Thanksgiving Day must be to us more than a day; it must be an attitude wherein we "forget not the glorious things He does for us", wherein "we bless His Holy Name".

Thanksgiving is not only a personal, but also a public matter. Psalm 100, for example, calls upon "all ye lands (all the earth)" to "come before Him, singing with joy". If the true Spirit is in our hearts, will there not be also the desire to join with our fellow men in a public expression of our gratitude. Not only in the secret place, but also in the place of public worship, will the expression of gratefulness to God be well pleasing in His sight? We are to witness to the world that "the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations".

There is an old Jewish legend as to the origin of praise. After God had created mankind, says the legend, He asked the angels what they thought of the world He had made. "Only one thing is lacking," they said, "it is the sound of praise to the Creator." So, the story continues, "God created music, the voice of birds, the whispering wind, the murmuring ocean, and planted melody in the heart of men."

This fanciful story of old has in it the truth emphasized by the Psalmist: "Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord! How good You are! Your love for us continues on forever!" (Ps. 106: 1, The Living Bible).

The Lord is good. But we complain about high taxes, high interest, high prices, inflation, the terrible mail service and so on. It seems that many of us are pessimistic and fault-finding by nature. Surely, there is plenty for which we should be grateful. Try to think of all the reasons for gladness you have today. Instead of getting out of bed with a sour complaint that you have to go to work again, be glad you can get out of bed at all - a lot of people will not be able to do so. Be glad you have work to do - many walk the streets in search of employment Be glad you woke to see another day - as many died during the night. Christians ought to be the happiest people in the world - their sins are forgiven, God is their Father and they are bound for Heaven. Thank You, Lord! How good You are!

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