Good morning, Lord Jesus. All heaven and earth adore You and bow down before You. We are grateful for Your goodness and amazed by Your mercy on this day of Thanksgiving and joy. …
“(The faithful saints of God who have gone before us) all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16, NKJV).
The first Thanksgiving that we celebrate as a nation every year was at the Plymouth Colony on the shores of Massachusetts in 1621. The settlers from England, seeking religious freedom and a form of government based upon the Christian principles of the Word of God, were called “Pilgrims.” William Bradford, writing their journal that’s become American history, named them “Pilgrims” from this passage of Scripture from the Letter to the Hebrews on enduring hope and preserving faith in Jesus Christ.
On November 9, 1620, they arrived by sea on the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Aboard ship, they agreed among themselves to a form of democratic government, founded upon Christian values, they called the Mayflower Compact—in many ways, many would say, a forerunner to the United States Constitution. But in the midst of the harsh elements of a challenging new world, only half would survive the first winter to be present at that first Thanksgiving.
Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag Indian tribe befriended William Bradford; and their people lived together in peace as long as the two men were alive. The Indians Squanto and Samoset taught the Pilgrims how to work the land and where to fish, that gave their new friends wisdom to survive in this new country they would call their homeland. And though they had suffered the loss of so much, and though their hearts must have been heavy with a sense of loss for all who were no longer with them to celebrate a year of life in this new world, they gave You thanks and praise. They chose not to linger on their disappointments, commensurate in their failures, but to celebrate with Thanksgiving a future with hope.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). Like the Pilgrims, I want to give You thanks and praise, my God and King. One day I will journey to that heavenly country, but today I am a pilgrim on this earth. And no matter what harsh elements and challenges I may face in this world, I will remember that You are with me and I will remember to celebrate with Thanksgiving that You have given me a future with hope in Jesus Christ, my Lord. Thank You for all the friends and the family of faith that join me in this journey through this earthly country on my way Home. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
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Friends, please join us Friday Night, December 10th for our Messiah Ministries Celebration & Christmas Party in Lexington. Hosted this year in the Foyer and Chapel of Centenary United Methodist Church. Please bring some friends to share stories of God's glory and hear all the Lord is doing at home and abroad through Messiah Ministries! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries at DirOfMinistries@aol.com
