: a day appointed for giving thanks for divine goodness: as a : the fourth Thursday in November observed as a legal holiday in the United States b : the second Monday in October observed as a legal holiday in CanadaIt is important that we stop for minute and get on the same page. Just why was this fourth Thursday in November set up as a legal holiday.
To the internet I went and from History.com, I found this information:
Thanksgiving at Plymouth
In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.
Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English....(there is more but you will have to wait)!
- Ponder this with me: why were those people on a ship?
they were seeking a new home where they
could freely practice their faith
- And then ponder this: what do you suppose was the deciding factor for a husband to tell his wife and children to leave everything they owned, probably leave family and friends, and get on this ship to sail to an unknown land?
they were seeking a new home where they
could freely practice their faith
- What Carnival cruiseline did they take on this voyage?
Small ship, 102 passengers,
after a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing
that lasted 66 days...
- Upon their arrival, were they greeted by the American concierge to help them get settled?
most of the colonists remained on board the ship,
where they suffered from exposure,
scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease.
- And then..
Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers
and crew lived to see their first New England spring
Right here I want to scream...people...do you (and I) get this? Because of a conviction to worship God freely, this group we call Pilgrims gave up everything. They suffered. They died. Because of the need and conviction to worship God in truth.
Thanksgiving Day did not occur when they landed.
Thanksgiving Day did not occur in the first month after landing in America.
Thanksgiving Day happened AFTER the first spring. After the sickness. After the death. We'll read more tomorrow about the hard work and learning they had to experience in this new land.
Thanksgiving Day came with a cost.
they were seeking a new home where they
could freely practice their faith
I find it amazing that they shared this cry, and probably climbed in a boat with these words on their lips:
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1
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