Dear friends, It’s the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving! That fact alone should compel us to give thanks for the way the Lord has blessed this land! 400 years ago today, the Pilgrim fathers sat down with the Wampanoag Indians and shared a meal together, giving thanks to God for this bounty. Here’s the earliest account of this meal, from Edward Winslow. Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the company almost a week, at which time amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. (As an aside, doesn’t a three day feast sound wonderful? That’s a tradition we should recover!) In my 2020 message, I said that 2020 had been a hard year for many, and yet there was still cause to give thanks. How much more so this year! I hope that for many of you, the Lord has blessed you in 2021, that He has restored a sense of stability to many of your lives. As my family and I gather for a Thanksgiving feast this afternoon, one of the things I will thank God for, as I do every day, is your steadfast support. Minnesota Family Council & Institute continues to grow and do more for the cause of life, family, and religious freedom than we’ve ever been able to do before — such as hosting our first-ever Minnesota Leadership Forum on December 15. How are we able to do that? Because of God’s provision, and because of your support. This Thanksgiving Day, as we think of how the Pilgrim fathers and their Native American allies celebrated a meal together that had great significance for what would become this nation, let’s turn to the one God who gives without reserve. As His word says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17) Let us not neglect to humbly give thanks for the blessings we have from above this year! |
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