Thanksgiving Day USA
Public days of thanksgiving have been common in the United States since the 1600s. In 1621 the pilgrims celebrated their first harvest in the “New World” with what is now commonly called the first “Thanksgiving.”
In 1789 the first United States president, George Washington, recommended a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise.” He noted how prone we are to forget the source of the bounties we constantly enjoy.
Thanksgiving to God
Public thanksgiving started much earlier, of course.
Where were you…when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:7
Leviticus notes the sacrifice of thanksgiving. (Leviticus 7:12)
And we see that God hates grumbling. (1 Corinthians 10:10)
Thanksgiving Day 2017
This Thanksgiving, determine to give God thanks, and determine not to grumble.
One tool is to meditate on His blessings to you, both spiritual and temporal. You might designate a period of time, say 10 minutes, and list all the blessings you can in that period of time. Some families ask everyone at the dinner table to mention something for which they are grateful.
You might recite Psalm 100, individually, or as a group:
A Psalm for Thanksgiving
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.
A Prayer for Thanksgiving
Give us grateful hearts, our Father, for Your many blessings. Make us mindful of the needs of others. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Thank You Lord!
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The graphic is from the Midland First United Methodist Church, Midland, MI.
