A Joyful Thanksgiving
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. Psalm 95:1-3
As a child, did you dress up as a Pilgrim or an Indian for a school play given before the Thanksgiving holiday? I never did, but I remember hearing about The First Thanksgiving and drawing a table overflowing with food, including a fat turkey and the corn contributed by the Indians.
In 1621, two distinct groups of people with different religious beliefs, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians, came together to express gratitude to their creator and provider. [1] They celebrated a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity in which many Pilgrims had died. The feast included not only wild turkeys but also venison, fish, and side dishes.
When we gather this year with family and friends, we may be with people who have different religious beliefs—or none at all. God may not be mentioned. How can we be united? We can remind each other of all the blessings in our lives—those we have around us, the food set before us—whether meager or abundant. As Paul said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:12-13.
We can also pray for those in need in our country and around the world. We can choose to help. As the apostle John wrote, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” 1 John 3:17-18.
We can be grateful to the great God who has been with us and has sustained us, the God who is “the Rock of our salvation” Psalm 95:1.
On this day called Thanksgiving, will you be grumbling or grateful? Thankless or joyful?
Let’s lay aside our differences and unite our hearts in praise to “the great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:3) as the Pilgrims and Indians did almost four hundred years ago.
DIG DEEPER:
Compare Psalm 95:1-11 and Deuteronomy 32:1-15. How did Israel respond to the Rock in the wilderness? How did Paul explain the phrase “rock of our salvation” in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4?
Read Job 1. How did Job respond when he lost family members, servants, and possessions? How did he regard God?
Need some more ideas on why and how to be thankful to God? Read Psalm 147:1-18 and make a list.
As part of this series, you can download this Word Search puzzle: Come with Thanksgiving
Nancy J. Baker
This devotion is part of a four-week series on Gratitude.
[1] Letter by Edward Winslow, Reprinted in Mourt’s Relation: D.B. Heath, ed. Applewood Books. Cambridge, 1986. p 82; Book by William Bradford Of Plymouth Plantation: S.E. Morison, ed. Knopf. N.Y., 1952. p 90. Both cited on http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-history.