Dateline: 20 November 2006
Thanksgiving holds a special significance for me, as it’s a day dedicated to expressing gratitude to God for his blessings. To my knowledge, it’s a uniquely American and Christian holiday, rooted in Pilgrim history and supported by Biblical principles. It serves as a reminder of America’s Christian origins for those who might try to deny them.
While I’m open to correction, I haven’t found any scriptural basis for celebrating Jesus Christ’s birth (Christmas) or resurrection (Easter) on specific days. I don’t mean to diminish these holidays, as they can be spiritually enriching and, when observed appropriately, honor God. However, the Bible frequently emphasizes the importance of giving thanks to God.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto his name.” Psalm 92:1
1 Chronicles 16 recounts an event where:
Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord……
Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
Thanksgiving offers a chance to explore expressions of gratitude in God’s word. Consulting a concordance for “thanks” and “thanksgiving” reveals numerous verses, including references to the “sacrifice of thanksgiving.”
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with thanksgiving. Psalm 107:22
Commercializing a holiday like Thanksgiving is challenging, unlike Christmas, although modern culture’s promoters still attempt it. That’s to be expected. Let them approach it as they may. My family and I will adhere to the scriptural guidance found in Psalm 18:49…
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.”
Recently, my pastor, Dale Weed, spoke about cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” and the “sacrifice of thanksgiving.” We sang hymns centered on thankfulness, with my favorite being a Swedish hymn from 1891 by August Ludvig Storm. Each verse starts with “Thanks,” demonstrating that gratitude isn’t limited to life’s pleasures. This hymn is a true “sacrifice of thanksgiving.”
Thanks to God for my Redeemer, Thanks for all Thou dost provide! Thanks for times now but a memory, Thanks for Jesus by my side! Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime, Thanks for dark and dreary fall! Thanks for tears by now forgotten, Thanks for peace within my soul!
Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered, Thanks for what Thou dost deny! Thanks for storms that I have weathered, Thanks for all Thou dost supply! Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure, Thanks for comfort in despair! Thanks for grace the none can measure, Thanks for love beyond compare!
Thanks for roses by the wayside, Thanks for thorns their stems contain! Thanks for home and thanks for fireside, Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain! Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow, Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee! Thanks for hope in the tomorrow, Thanks thru all eternity!
Expressing gratitude to God seems almost second nature to Christians who grasp their place and purpose, who comprehend even a fraction of God’s essence, who embrace Jesus’ sacrifice, and who find solace in God’s promises amid a turbulent world.
May God grant you, dear reader, a thankful heart this Thanksgiving and always. Let’s remember to offer Him the “sacrifice of thanksgiving” He rightfully deserves!
In essence, Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. Last year, I penned an essay entitled Pilgrims And the Christian Agrarian Exodus of 1620 exploring the true reasons why the Pilgrims risked everything, including their lives, to journey to America. Their motivation wasn’t religious freedom.