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We now celebrate again a National Holiday (Christians read that as Holy Day) called “Thanksgiving”. This was in the context of a group of followers of Messiah Jesus, who believed in the Biblical teaching of “Providence”, that God not only provides for needs (food, clothing and shelter) for his followers. It was these same people, we call “pilgrims” who were pursuing mission to plant the faith of Jesus in a new land that had never heard that good news of God’s love and eternal life.
It is a National Holiday, one that was instituted as a local feast of thanksgiving to God for the survival of as many of the Mayflower company that survived that first winter and harvest. This would not have been possible had is not been for the assistance of the local inhabitants whom they named “Indians” because they thought they had landed in the nation of “India”. (Don’t ask) Meanwhile, these pilgrims, fleeing to the new world as a church congregation, seeking freedom to worship God in Jesus in the way they believed, not as the Established Church of England proscribed. They were greatly aided by an intercessor named “Samoset’ whose large statue stands looking over where the so called “Plymouth Rock” is under a stone canopy near the edge of the ocean.
Now Samoset was an amazing individual himself. He was a native of a tribe several hours away but was visiting a local tribe who had been stealing tools from the colonist’s camp site. He greeted them with “welcome, welcome, Englishmen!” He had learned English from fishermen whom he had met fishing near his tribe previous to the Plimouth colony. Dressed in only a loincloth they endeavored to cover him up with a coat in typical Puritan fashion. After establishing relations with the local tribe as a go-between, he returned the next week with another native named Squanto. He had been kidnapped earlier by English fishermen had been to Europe and brought back speaking fluent English. While he was away, his whole tribe had died of disease so he became the “God-send” between the New World and the Pilgrims. God had a plan. There was too much that happened in the establishment of this country to be, dedicated to Jesus Christ and the love of the pilgrims of the peoples of the earth.
There is ever so much more than this, which most Americans born in the last 30 to 100 years of so have never heard. They also know nothing of the rich faith of the Pilgrims or how they believed that God had sent them to a New World for the proclamation of Jesus Christ. During Thanksgiving, a cultural, religious as well as a historic holiday, prayer was offered as well as a celebration with the natives whom they hoped to bring to the Lord. The squelching of the true history of this day when we tell God and others what we are thankful for, has been suppressed because of the secularists who themselves worked their magic in getting the bogus ruling on the separation of Church and State decision Now, sadly many have endeavored to twist and “re-write” this history. Rather than attacking them, I would ask why? They are usually very angry, and I would ask why? Are they afraid of God, that some sort of accountability, a law giver exists? Hate because some believe in a God who loves with an inestimable love? I would suggest these look deeper and do not let a negative experience, impression or belief separate you from truth. Don’t let one perceived injustice from a particular agenda separate you from God who gave His best gift that you might live with Him forever.
However, Jesus said: “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” For believers, the revisionist historians never counted on “the internet” where the original documents from the Mayflower Compact, to John Bradford’s diaries and other documents from the earliest colonists may verify the lack of truth in the progressives agenda beginning near the end of the 19th century and have not ceased to our own day.
These random thoughts come to me, probably messing up some of the blessedness of my own Thanksgiving, but they are so deep and rich with faith, that I felt I would put them to paper. This godly heritage, this heritage of truth versus agenda driven falsehood is so very worth remembering. There is a seeming war on giving thanks in this our day. Everything must be guaranteed. Advertizing competes to urge us to dissatisfaction for what we “need,” want or perhaps “ought” to have. If we would take to heart what we already have, what satisfaction over 90 % of the Western world enjoys, thanks should be a given. The idea of prayer before meals, is one of a constant reminder of our needs satisfied. The principle of thanksgiving is one easily applied by a serious consideration of the evening news on the world or local scene.
For a more in depth, verifiable commentary on these historic events, which grounded Thanksgiving into the original intent of the founding of modern America, please check out the Wall builders web site. https://wallbuilderslive.com/# This is part of our covenant with God’s truth and our place in continuing the dedication of this land to the Lord.
This year, my your Thanksgiving be one where we are not only happy to celebrate our families and friends but also to remember the God who first gave us this land to keep it, and the pilgrims whose examples show us the Providence of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
Copyright 2018 rrmbagwell revised 2019