Thanksgiving Reflections

by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts

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Note: This is a collection of my posts on the theme of Thanksgiving. I've organized them by year. Sometimes I'll re-use an older post, usually by editing it and/or adding to it.

Thanksgiving 2006

A Brief History of Thanksgiving
Posted for Wednesday, November 22, 2006

It is my blogging tradition to put up a brief history of Thanksgiving right around the November holiday. The post you're about to read is an edited version of what I posted last year.

A couple of years ago I asked my six-year-old nephew, “On Thanksgiving, to whom do we say thank you?” He quickly responded, “To the native Americans.” (No, I'm not kidding.) “Do we say thank you to anybody else?” I queried persistently. “To the Pilgrims.” “And to anybody else?” I prodded further. “To God!” he exclaimed.

New Englanders remembered the Pilgrims’ effort for many years through regional celebrations of Thanksgiving. Sometimes American Presidents would set aside a day for the nation to be thankful. In 1789, for example, President George Washington proclaimed November 26th as a national day of thanksgiving. Here's the core of his presidential proclamation:

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor--and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their Joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be--That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions--to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us--and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

The idea of a permanent, national celebration each November came 242 years after the first Pilgrim-Indian festival in the early 17th century. During the Civil War, many Americans clamored for some sort of national religious holiday. One of the most vocal was Sarah Josepha Hale (who, by the way, wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”). Hale used her clout as editor of the influential Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine to motivate President Lincoln to proclaim a national holiday. On September 28, 1863 she wrote a letter to the President encouraging him to “have the day of our annual Thanksgiving made a national and fixed Union Festival.” Five days later Lincoln issued the “Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863” (which we’ll examine below).
		The first part of Hale's letter to Lincoln. The underlined part reads "have the day of our annual Thanksgiving made a national and fixed Union Festival."

In his proclamation, Lincoln set apart the “last Thursday of November” as “a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Throughout the next eight decades, all American Presidents followed Lincoln’s example. But during 1933, as the Great Depression raged, many merchants appealed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to change the day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. The reason for this request? November, 1933 had five Thursdays, which left the minimum number of shopping days between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Roosevelt denied this request, leaving the holiday on the last Thursday of the month.

But in 1939, the next five-Thursdays-in-November year, President Roosevelt gave in to the requests of business owners and established the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. National chaos ensued, with some states following Roosevelt’s lead and others sticking with the traditional last, and in this year, fifth Thursday. This meant, among other things, that families living in different states were in many cases unable to celebrate Thanksgiving together. The national controversy over the day of the holiday continued, until Congress passed a law on December 26, 1941, making the fourth Thursday of November the one, official, national day. Recalcitrant Canada, I might add, does not recognize the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. I learned this the hard way while in college. Some friends and I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving by driving from Boston up to Montreal. It didn’t dawn on us that Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. This wouldn’t have been so bad, except that the restaurant in which we had our Thanksgiving dinner didn’t even have turkey on its menu. I had to settle for quiche, of all things. Now that’s a Thanksgiving travesty!
		One of many critical communications Roosevelt received in light of his controversial Thanksgiving decision. This telegram, written in November 1940 by two restaurant owners reads: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR REELECTION. WHEN SHALL WE SERVE OUR THANKSGIVING TURKEY 21ST? OR 28TH? (For a larger telegram, click the picture.)

I want to close by printing the text of Lincoln’s original Thanksgiving proclamation. I won’t add my own comments. But I will italicize a few sections that strike me as especially profound. As you read this proclamation, you might ask yourself: What would happen if an American President used this kind of language today in an official proclamation? What in this statement speaks to the heart of our national crisis today?

Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863   The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.   In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.   Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.   No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.   It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility [sic], and union.   In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.   Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

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Thursday, November 19, 2006 Psalm 118:28-29 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Prayer On this day when our nation pauses to give You thanks, I add my gratitude to the chorus. Indeed, I thank You for all the blessings You have showered upon me: my family and friends, my church, my home and all my possessions, my health, my calling to serve You. With my fellow citizens, I thank You for the freedoms we enjoy in this country, for opportunities to worship, to work, and to play. Thank You for the men and women who envisioned a country such as this, and for those who have fought and, indeed, given their lives for this vision. Thank You for those who serve even this day throughout the world, especially in the Middle East. May Your hand of blessing and protection be upon them. Yet, even beyond more, I thank You for making Yourself known to me in Christ, through Your Word and Spirit, and through Your people. Thank You, dear Lord, for reaching out to me and drawing me to Yourself. How wonderful it is to be able to say with the psalmist, not only that You are God, but that You are my God. Indeed, You are good, good beyond all reckoning. All praise be to You, gracious, loving, excellent God! Postscript I put up the following last Sunday. If you haven't had the chance to give to help the poor this Thanksgiving, why not do so right now? A plan for gratitude: I'm sure that many of you will be making special Thanksgiving gifts for the poor through your churches, and that's great. But if you haven't planned to give something extra this year, may I suggest a wonderful way to do it? World Vision is one of the world's leading organizations that is committed to caring for the poor and to bringing them out of poverty. What you give to World Vision won't be eaten up in administrative expenses, but will almost entirely go to people in need. There are lots of ways for you to designate your giving to World Vision. Their "Ways to Give" page presents a variety of options and giving levels. So if you don't have plans for charitable giving at Thanksgiving, why not make a real difference for the world's poor right now? (We do take a special Thanksgiving offering at my church, but I made a modest contribution to help the suffering in Sudan through the "Ways to Give" page. It takes about three minutes, or one minute if you have given to World Vision before and they have your personal data online.)   A child in the Sudan Comment? If you would like to add a comment on this post, click here. The Daily Psalm The Daily Psalm is my devotional website. Each day I put up a psalm, a prayer based on that psalm, and some additional input, like a brief commentary or a quotation. I use material from The Daily Psalm on markdroberts.com for Sunday inspiration.
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2006 Thanksgiving Meditation
Delivered at Irvine Presbyterian Church, November 22, 2006
Posted for Friday, November 24, 2006

Scripture Passage: Luke 17:11-19

11   On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance,  13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.  15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.  17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?  18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"  19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

Meditation

This is one of those Bible stories I've heard since I was a preschooler. The main lines of the story are so familiar: Ten lepers call out to Jesus for mercy. He sends them to the priests and when they go they are miraculously healed. But only one of the men comes back to thank Jesus. The moral of the story? We should be like the man who came back. We should thank Jesus for His mercy in our lives.

Now that's a fine moral. It's surely right. But I think it misses something wonderful. This story, I believe, isn't only about being thankful. Rather, it's an invitation to something even more wonderful.

The ten lepers in this story did exactly what their culture demanded, keeping their distance from Jesus. Leprosy was a highly contagious disease, so they were right to stay away and call out for mercy. (Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus touches lepers, but not here.)

Jesus didn't immediately heal the lepers. Rather, he told them to go to the priests because He knew that they were about to be healed. According to the Jewish law, a priest had the authority to determine if and when a person with leprosy was made clean. If a priest found a person to be healed, then the priest would make sure the appropriate sacrifices were made. Moreover, the priest's endorsement allowed the cleansed leper to return to human society. Notice that the lepers actually did what Jesus told them to do by going to the priest. This shows that they had quite a measure of faith in Jesus. If they didn't believe that He had the power to heal, they certainly wouldn't have gone to the priests. Moreover, the lepers obeyed Jesus. Sometimes we forget this when we read this story. But, in fact, the nine who were healed not only had faith in Jesus, but also they did what He had told them to do. Before we start criticizing the lepers for their selfishness, we should notice that they are examples of faith and obedience.
		Public Domain. Found at: http://thebiblerevival.com/clipart27.htm

Yet, as the story develops, we realize that the nine lepers who believed and obeyed Jesus missed something essential. They missed the chance to say thanks to Jesus directly. They missed the relationship that should come in the context of believing and obeying Jesus. The nine who didn't return to Jesus might even have felt grateful for their healing. In fact, I expect they did. But what they missed was the intimate encounter with the Lord, the chance to fall at Jesus's feet and thank Him directly and personally, the chance to known Him personally.

Can you see yourself in the nine lepers who didn't return? At least a bit? I certainly can see myself here. You see, like the nine, I have put my faith in Jesus. I have believed Him. And I do want to obey Him. If says something like "Go to the priests," then I'm on my way. Faith and obedience . . . these are central to my Christian faith. And surely they should be!

But what can I miss sometimes? I can miss relationship with Jesus, the intimacy that comes from falling at His feet in gratitude. I can be so eager to charge on to the next act of obedience that I can forget about taking time just to be with Jesus. When this happens, I miss out on one of the greatest joys of life. And Jesus misses out on relationship with me.

No doubt the story of the leper who came back reminds us to be thankful for God's blessings in our lives. By all means be sure to thank the Lord for His goodness to you. But this story also reminds us that the Christian life is more than accepting Jesus as Your Savior and then obeying Him, though these are absolutely essential, of course. Besides faith and obedience, Jesus invites us into a personal relationship with Him. Saying "Thank you" is more than something we should do to be polite. Indeed, thanksgiving opens up our hearts to know Jesus more truly and personally.

When I take time to stop and think about what God has done for me, I find my heart softening. I find my love for Him growing. I find my desire to be with Him increasing. Gratitude, when I let it pervade my heart, leads to intimacy with the Lord.

So, in this season of thanksgiving, let us indeed offer to the Lord the thanks He deserves from us. But let's also allow our thanks to draw us near to the heart of God. May our thanks lead us into praise. May it draw us to adoration. May this Thanksgiving be a time for you, not only to say "Thank You" to God, but also to enjoy His presence, even as He enjoys yours. May our gratitude fill us once again with love for God!

Amen!

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Thanksgiving 2005

Thankful for People in Whom I've Experienced God's Grace
Posted for Wednesday, November 23, 2005

I want to share with you a recent experience I had of feeling grateful for God's grace at work in and through people in my life. Perhaps I can inspire you to express similar thanks to God for those who have been channels of God's grace to you.

Last month I spoke at a conference of Presbyterian pastors from northern California. We gathered at Zephyr Point, the Presbyterian conference center on the shores of Lake Tahoe. It was an astoundingly setting, where the beauty of nature primed my pump for gratitude. Among the pastors at this retreat were two men with whom I've shared quite a bit of history. One was Stan Henderson, pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Oroville, California. Over 30 years ago, Stan was my counselor at junior high camp. Actually, he counseled me at many junior high camps (winter and summer). Stan was the perfect counselor for junior high boys: calm, even, kind. Though he exercised firm discipline, I don't ever remember Stan ever raising his voice. Since we liked and respected him, we wanted to please him.
		This is the dining room of the lodge in which I stayed at Zephyr Point. You can see Lake Tahoe in the background, through the windows.

Stan's solid faith positively influenced me in a crucial time of my personal development. But it wasn't only his ability to explain the truth that made a difference in my life. It was Stan's living out of his faith that made the most profound impact upon me.

Now I also owe to Stan one of the most important lessons I ever learned, though it didn't have much to do with faith. One summer my cabin mates and I began to be interested in girls. But we didn't have the faintest idea how to get girls to like us. So we asked Stan for help. We pestered him mercilessly during one lunch: "Stan, how can we get girls? What's your secret? Ya gotta tell us." Finally Stan relented. "Okay," he said, "here's something that will work. Girls like to be complemented. Tell them you like their hair, or their clothes, or something, and they'll like it. Maybe they'll even like you." Immediately we put Stan's advice into practice, but to such an extreme that I think we put off every girl in camp. Obviously we hadn't yet learned the subtleties of male/female relationships. In time, thank God, I figured out how to be a little more judicious in my complements.
		Here I am with Stan.

Another pastor at the retreat was a man named K.C. He's an associate pastor of Carmichael Presbyterian Church in Carmichael, California. I've known K.C. for almost as long as I've known Stan, though K.C. is probably ten years younger than I am. I first got to know him when I was a summer intern in the youth ministry at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. At that time K.C. was, literally, a kid off the streets of Hollywood. He started coming to the church at the invitation of his landlord, who was an elder at Hollywood. At the church K.C. found a surrogate family. He was like our little brother in many ways. K.C. and I shared in several ministries during my years on the staff at Hollywood. And I was privileged to participate as a pastor in his wedding. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for K.C., who was one of the kindest and most dedicated Christians I ever knew.

Well, K.C. went on to Princeton Seminary. He and Debbie had three children. A couple of years ago he received a call to become the youth pastor at Carmichael Pres: a great start for what I know will be a wonderful ministry. (K.C. is also a blogger. You should check out his site.) One of my favorite moments at the pastors' retreat was being served communion from K.C. Here was this fine pastor, committed husband, and loving father. The one who once had received ministry from me was now serving me as a fellow pastor. In that moment I sensed the wonder of God's grace.
		Here I am with K.C.

At that pastors' retreat I felt grateful for Stan, who had made such a difference in my life at a crucial time. I also felt thankful for the chance to have made a difference in K.C.'s life, and to have had the precious privilege of getting to taste some of the fruit of my ministry as he ministered to me. Here, in microcosm, was the church throughout the ages: one generation passing on the faith to the next, and then to the next.

So, on the day before Thanksgiving, here's my prayer of gratitude:

Thank You, gracious God, for Stan, who gave his time and himself when I needed someone like him. Thanks for his patience, wisdom, and consistent love. Thanks for the way he was an incarnation of Your grace in my life.

And thank You, dear Father, for K.C. What a joy to have been used by You to make a difference in his life. And how wonderful to see what You have done in and through him! Thanks, Lord, for the fine man he has become, and for a friend who is also a pastor who ministers to me. How grateful I am, Lord, to see Your grace alive in K.C.