Daily Devotional for Thursday, November 23, 2023

Well, today is Thanksgiving. I know for many people it is a day of being with family, friends and football. None of these are bad, but do you even know why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Yes, it does have to do with a group of people called Pilgrims. The Pilgrims left England to come to America seeking religious freedom from the Church of England. Around 102 of them boarded a ship called the Mayflower to come here, where they eventually landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Some were merchants, contract workers and some were just families. Two who were on board were William Bradford, who was the governor over the colony for 30 years and Myles Standish, who was a soldier and served as the the Colony’s military leader. They set sail in September 1620 and all 102 were crammed into the Mayflower. Unfortunately, this put them right in the middle of storms and hurricane season. Later, they said the reason they held together was due to divine purpose and intervention. 

It took 66 treacherous days to reach Plymouth. One male sailor died on board. He had been cruel, mean and taunted the Pilgrims for their Christian faith. The Pilgrims believed his death was by divine cause. 1 baby boy was born on board named Oceanias Hopkins. One indentured servant, named John Howland, a boy, was swept off the Mayflower’s Deck due to storms. He grabbed a line and was pulled back aboard. He did not drown as portrayed in a famous children’s book, The Boy Who Fell From the Mayflower. Today, an estimated 2 million people claim him as their ancestor. Unfortunately, only 50 of the original 102 Pilgrims or Puritans survived their first winter in Plymouth. Diseases such as scurvy, malnutrition, leptospirosis and the flu took their lives.

It took them 2 months to cross the Atlantic and once here, due to the winter, many used the Mayflower for shelter. Their original destination was VA but they landed on November11, 1620 at Cape Code or Plymouth. Due to the harsh winter and dwindling supplies, they stayed there. Those on board ship signed what has come to be known as the Mayflower Compact. This was an agreement to eliminate mutiny and motivated them to work together to survive. It also established rules and gave them voting rights.

The Pilgrims formed a pact with a native America tribe called the Wampanoags. The traditional stories of these native American Indians sitting down to eat with the Pilgrims for a Thanksgiving meal is not true. The Wampanoags were already used to European settlers for almost 100 years. They formed a pact with the Pilgrims as an alliance against another rival tribe — the Narragansetts. 

So, how did we get this false narrative about Thanksgiving? In 1769, when a group of Pilgrim descendants believed their impact and cultural authority were slipping away as America grew and expanded, they decided they had to come with an idea to boost tourism to Plymouth. Due to wars with native tribes and more immigration from European white Catholics and Jews, slavery, King Phillip’s War, they planted this idea of the Wampanoag Indian Tribe sitting down to dinner with the Pilgrims for a feast. It later was further spread when the the Rev. Alexander Young, published a book with this story. This is why later President Abraham Lincoln declared it a National holiday. 

Well, there you have it. Please don’t take down your Thanksgiving decorations or remove your pictures of that myth of the first Thanksgiving. Now that we have separated fact from fiction on Thanksgiving, here are some awesome facts for you to thank God for this year. While the myth of the first Thanksgiving still permeates our culture, the message of it is in sync with Scripture. While the pictures and stories of that first Thanksgiving give the impression that biases, prejudices and racial tensions were gone, that is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us as Christians. 

This is one of the reasons we give thanks. Again, the Bible reaffirms that Jesus Christ has eliminated all barriers, biases, prejudices and unites everyone who in Christ. Look at these passages:

• 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit” (NLT). We see this in
• Galatians 3:28-29, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (NLT).

Look at 1 Timothy 6:6, “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth” (NLT). Yet, this Thanksgiving, I have noticed that many people are not content with all the blessings God has given them. I think at this holiday what fuels this is all the “Black Friday” sales that start at midnight and go through the weekend. The Apostle Paul wrote this in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have” (NLT). 

When he wrote this, he was in prison, shackled to two Roman soldiers. Most people would be complaining, whining, fussing and frustrated. Not the Apostle Paul. He saw it as an opportunity to witness to the Romans soldiers shackled to him. Look at Philippians 1:12-14, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard (Praetorian Guard) and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (ESV).

This Thanksgiving, things may not go exactly the way you planned. Instead of having a melt-down, why not find a way to show your gratitude and Thanksgiving to Jesus Christ by using it to share Christ with someone else. You may be “shackled” symbolically to some family members or friends you really wish you could avoid this year. Be Christ to them. Help them not perpetuate the myth that Christians hold grudges, avoid people they have issues with, are arrogant, rude, and judgmental. Don't perpetuate the othe rmyth (lie) that you are not blessed and what God has given you already is not enough. Help them see the truth and experience THE truth -- Jesus Christ.

Verse To Meditate On: Matthew 7:12, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (NLT).

Prayer to Pray: "Dear Jesus, there are times I have an attitude of ingratitude. I act or think that all the blessings you have given me are not enough. Please forgive me. Convict  me to be content and whatever or whoever I might be "shackled" to this Thanksgiving. Help me to be Jesus to them. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus' name, Amen!"

Love you, Pastor Kelly