The First Thanksgiving

This Thursday, we will celebrate the great American holiday, Thanksgiving.  In school, we were taught about William Bradford and the Pilgrims, native Americans, and harvest.  We learned about the Plymouth Colony and how they all gathered to give thanks with a feast.  We’ve come to see this as the precedent-setting event after which we pattern our modern celebration of Thanksgiving.

The truth is that Thanksgiving has much older, deeper roots.  Reformers like John Calvin taught that gratitude is the only reasonable response to God’s grace in Jesus Christ.  Francis of Assisi was so overwhelmed by what God had done for him that he gave up great wealth to serve God.  The Apostle Paul tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances.”  The Psalms are full of psalms of thanksgiving.  Unlike Christmas or Easter, Thanksgiving does not celebrate a specific religious event.  It reminds us of a way of life that only makes sense when we consider what God has given us.