A History of Thanksgiving in America

It was a bitter two-month sea journey the Pilgrims endured on their passage from England to Plymouth Rock. Upon landing, they gathered for a prayer service before setting out to build shelter. They were severely unprepared for the harsh New England winter that was approaching.

After that winter of 1620 killed almost half of their population, the Pilgrims were befriended by members of the Wampanoag Tribe. The Indians taught the naive colonists about fishing, planting and hunting, thereby ensuring their survival. When the fall of 1621 began to set in, they had reaped a bountiful harvest and preserved enough food to allow them to survive the coming winter, thanks to their Indian neighbors.

As an expression of their thanks to God, the colonists hosted a three-day feast to celebrate the harvest and the transformation of their fortunes from the previous winter. This meal today is thought of as the first Thanksgiving.

In the years to come during the fall, the governor of each New England colony would declare a day of Thanksgiving so that the people could prayerfully thank God for supplying their needs.

The Congressional Record for September 25, 1789, Elias Boudinot issued a resolution stating: “Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer ….”

The resolution was delivered to President George Washington who wholly concurred with the request, declaring: “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 … Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.”

Days of Thanksgiving were celebrated on varying dates throughout the nation for the next several years. It was not until 1863, following the 30-year effort of Godey’s Lady’s Book editor Sarah Joseph Hale, that a National Day of Thanksgiving was declared. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in hopes of bringing healing to a land that had suffered greatly in Civil War.

He set aside the last Thursday in November, declaring: "We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come . . . No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God … I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States … to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. In 1841, Congress established the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday.

(sent from my friend Dave).

RIPPING TEXTS OUT OF CONTEXT

Only 60% of all Christians are guilty of ripping verses out of context. The other 40% are liars. Below are a few ones that I took of context before a good friend of mine came along and graciously showed me the context...

John 3:16. Yes, we all know it by memory, but how about the context (i.e. verses 14, 15, 17 and 18)? Go learn the context. please.

James 2. "Faith without works is dead...Even the demons believe." Who is speaking in James 2:19? Is it James or the hypothetical viewpoint he is about to shoot down in his diatribe?

Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Is this referring to Americans in the 21st Century or to Jews of the ancient world??? I think you know the answer.

Matthew 18:20. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst.” Yes, we've all used this one at one time or another. Don't be embarrassed :)

Matthew 7:1. “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” The non-believers' favorite verse!

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The danger of knowing the Scriptures in their original context is pride. People who receive training on Bible Study methods whether through Bible College or Seminary often fall into a Pharisaical trap; that is, they acquire a lot of knowledge and lack right relationship with the Lord. Knowledge plus lack of relationship creates disaster.

The next time one of your friends or even a door-to-door evangelist takes a Scripture out of context, be gracious and patient enough to help the person understand the context without Bible Bashing. After all, we're here to help each other out anyways right? right.

Happy helping friends!
Ryan

CHECK DISC revisited

All Scripture can be interpreted. The CHECK DISC technique makes this possible through five simple steps. The need for this tool is emerges from a disease that is spreading throughout Christendom. The majority of Christians suffer from “RTC syndrome;” They find themselves “Running to Commentaries.” Bibles now come with an abundant amount of footnotes to explain the text for the reader. Although footnotes may be helpful, they may produce laziness. There is no substitute for spending time in the Word in order to find the intended meaning of a particular passage.

CHECK DISC is the art of interpreting the text in it’s original context using only the original words and surrounding text to establish the basis for a contemporary meaning. Furthermore, the CHECK DISC method forces the individual to stick with the text only. That means, one cannot add any of foreign thoughts, ideas or theology into the text. The CHECK DISC formula leaves no room for eisegesis (i.e. reading ones own thoughts into the text). CHECK DISC is a safeguard against textual abuse.

Step 1 – CHECK yourself (i.e. confess your sins – 1 John 1:9 and restore fellowship with God).
Step 2 – DISCOVER the context of the passage (i.e. surrounding verses, chapter, book, genre, etc.).
Step 3 – IDENTIFY the key words, which capture the big idea of the author (i.e. what is he getting at?).
Step 4 – SUBJECT – Create a question that captures the big idea of the passage.
Step 5 – COMPLEMENT – Answer the question using the text/context only mentioning the original audience, author and situation (i.e. dead people only!).

The key progression in CHECK DISC is observation → interpretation → application. Prior to interpreting the text for today, one must concentrate on observation (exegesis) and once a “big idea(s)” of the passage is discovered (i.e. the subject and complement) stop exegeting.

Many times during my sermon prep I have spent time exegeting up until Sunday morning. This is a terrible feeling. My exegesis should have been completed days prior to sermon time. The CHECK DISC method is a tool that guards teachers’ time, energy and stress. Without the right tools, the task of preparing a sermon can take twice the amount of time. For instance, if the goal is not set at capturing the big idea(s), all of the side issues can serve as distractions, which will eventually spill over into the sermon. In such cases, the congregation walks away from Church saying, “Wow. That was a great message” when in reality they could not recall the big idea of the message because there was never a big idea or thought to capture.

Once the exegetical idea (i.e. the subject-complement package) is in the “bag” then seek to contemporize the idea and communicate/apply it to the people today. To contemporize the texts means to connect what the text meant (Original Century) with what it means (21st Century). STAY FAITHFUL TO THE TEXT!

There is more to this 5-step process, but that is it in a nutshell. This notion cuts bible study prep time in half and allows for ample time of contemporizing the message. If believers cannot apply the Word to today, they may remain enslaved to that problem/struggle.

As a rule of thumb, remember that the more time spent in Observation, the less time is needed for interpretation. Have fun CHECK DISCing through the Scriptures!

Semper Christus Primorus,
Ryan