Thanksgiving 2024

Give Thanks in All Circumstances
As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, remember these words of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Think of the rejoicing of those pilgrims in 1621 after their first successful harvest. Remember the long difficult journey they made across the ocean to Plymouth and through their first winter on these new lands. Think of their courage and their hope. But also remember their scarcity of food, meagerness of shelter, and loss of life (half of their colony). These experiences served as the seeds of humility that bloomed into gratitude during that 3-day festival in November 1621.

Paul also tells us in Romans 12:15-16 to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another."

Rejoice with Those who Rejoice
So, remember the help those pilgrims received from the people of the local Wampanoag and Pawtuxet Tribes who taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. It was because of their help that the Pilgrims not only celebrated this "first Thanksgiving" but also invited their Native American allies to join in the rejoicing with them.

But also remember how drastically the relationship between the new colonists and the indigenous people of this land changed. Remember how quickly hearts changed for evil with many atrocities to follow.

Mourn With Those who Mourn
Remember that while Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday during the Civil War in 1863, the United American Indians of New England declared this same day to be a National Day of Mourning in 1970. Written on a monument established in Plymouth, MA, is the following:
"Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience."

Some Native Americans understandably reject the Thanksgiving holiday entirely. For them, it represents pain and horror. Others like to embrace positive messages of the day and put aside thoughts about its complex history. For them, the idea of giving thanks, which is central to Native heritage and culture, is worthy of celebrating.

Live in Harmony with One another
As we give thanks this week for our own provisions and blessings, we rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. For Paul's command to "live in harmony with one another" requires enough humility in our own hearts to acknowledge both the joy and the pain that others experience in life.

When Steven Peters, a former spokesman for the Wampanoag Tribe (the tribe that originally helped those first pilgrims), was asked about his feelings regarding what Thanksgiving Day and the National Day of Mourning mean to Native Americans, he had this to say:
​"I think it's great. My ancestors had four harvest festivals throughout the year. Gathering with family, enjoying our company, sharing our blessings, and giving thanks for all that we have is a good thing. I say have more thanksgiving events throughout the year. I also ask that you take a moment in that day to remember what happened to my people and the history as it was recorded and not the narrative that we had been given in the history books."

So let us rejoice, mourn, pray, give thanks, and live in harmony, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.