Party like a Pilgrim
Photo: Magpie by Jen Shoop, Pinterest
No holiday encapsulates the heart of America like Thanksgiving.
In 1620, winter was coming on fast and there was not a second to waste. Yet, 102 men, women, and children paused to pray on the sand of the shore, having just disembarked the storm-beaten ship. From their knees, they blessed their Heavenly Father for his protection from the perils of the sea and for his provision in delivering them to a land where they might worship Him in sincerity of conscience.
Then they set their hands to build a civilization.
One year later, these Pilgrims knelt together once again. Their material circumstances could not have changed more drastically. By the Lord’s blessing and their own tireless striving, houses had been built, fields planted, children born. Sorrow had also plagued their camp as half of the original passengers had succumbed to the cold and illness.
Still, in all things, the Pilgrims committed themselves to the will of the Lord. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Feast with the best the land had to offer and the most willing charity of their fellow man.
This Thanksgiving, in keeping with the American tradition, let us present these three offerings to our Maker: praise, repentance, and supplication.
Praise has historically been offered to God each Thanksgiving. George Washington in his 1789 proclamation recommended the people of America devote the day to “that great and glorious Being who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
In an age of self-devotion and pride, may we praise our Triune God for all that is good, for there is no good apart from Him.
Repentance has also traditionally been practiced on this holiday. One of the most beautiful moments of public confession in Thanksgiving history comes from Abraham Lincoln shortly after observing the rows of white tombstones at the battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln, moved deeply by the evident anger and mercy of God, beseeched the people to praise Him “with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience.”
In an age of national disobedience and disunity, may we repent before God for the rebellion of our own heart and the disrespect our nation has shown to his Holy Name.
Finally, supplication has concluded many Thanksgiving proclamations. Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, wrote, “Let us not fail to implore Him that the same divine protection and care which we have hitherto so undeservedly and yet so constantly enjoyed may be continued to our country and our people throughout all their generations forever.”
In an age of anxiety, may we cast our cares into the nail-marked hands that hold the future.
The Young Right has preserved what the Left has forgotten, the faith of our fathers. This Thanksgiving, you have the unique capacity to feast like an American, with your plate full and praise on your tongue. Like those first Pilgrims, feast with joy and fuel for the work before you– the building of a civilization.
As Theodore Roosevelt exhorted, “Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us; and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips and shows itself in deeds.”