Dear John,
Have you heard the story of Sarah Josepha Hale, the “Mother of Thanksgiving”? While Thanksgiving is a beloved American tradition, few know how the persistent efforts of one woman helped establish it as a national holiday. Her story offers powerful lessons for us today as we reflect on the gratitude we owe to our God who has blessed us in many ways.
The “Years Without Thanksgiving”
You know about the first Thanksgiving, a meal shared by Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621. Presidents George Washington later issued a famous proclamation calling the nation to give thanks and acknowledge God’s providence. However, from 1815 to 1863—a span of nearly fifty years—our presidents issued no national Thanksgiving proclamations.
Thomas Jefferson declined to support Thanksgiving, claiming it conflicted with the principle of separation of church and state. Yet, as Romans 1:21 warns, failure to give thanks leads to spiritual darkness:
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."
During this time, one woman named Sarah Josepha Hale championed the cause of national Thanksgiving. A devout Christian and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, she spent 17 years writing letters to presidents, governors, and other leaders, urging them to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.
Lincoln’s Proclamation
Finally, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation that instituted Thanksgiving as a permanent national holiday. He declared the last Thursday of November as a day of “Thanksgiving and Praise,” urging Americans to reflect on God’s blessings and repent of their sins:
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God... I do therefore invite my fellow citizens... to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November... with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience."
Lincoln understood that national healing required both thanksgiving and repentance, echoing God’s promise to the nation of Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
A Call for Today
As we approach Thanksgiving, our nation faces challenges that call for reflection, gratitude, and repentance. Too often, modern proclamations sidestep the need for humility before God, offering bland acknowledgments rather than heartfelt praise and confession.
Yet, like Sarah Hale, we can take action.This year, let us personally give thanks for God’s blessings upon Minnesota and our country while humbly seeking His forgiveness for our sins. Let us pray for leaders who will guide with repentance and gratitude rather than pride and arrogance.
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name" (Psalm 100:4).
May this Thanksgiving renew our commitment to gratitude and repentance, drawing us closer to God and His purposes for Minnesota and for our great nation.
