Feast or Thanksgiving

Some of the first Thanksgivings were celebration feasts from bountiful food supplies and did not recognize God as the supplier. One of the first feasts was in Florida in 1565. In 1607 the governor of the Jamestown colony said this day should be kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God. The Plymouth colony started out as a feast until drought hit and after prayers for rain God quenched the parched ground. It was than declared a day of thanksgiving to God.

George Washington declared the first national Thanksgiving Day after the British defeat at Saratoga. He recognized the Providence of Almighty God in his victory over the British. He also stated that through prayers God forgives because of Jesus Christ and blots all sins from memory.

It seems that this day has changed significantly from Washington’s day to more of a feast of our bounties. Many Americans are more interested in the parades and football than praising God for his rich blessings. We have been blessed because our founding fathers realized the importance of God in every part of their lives. Millions of families will gather this week to share a meal which is great. Hopefully they will take time to praise God.

Thursday our family will thank God for our homes, each other, and our health. We will recognize God’s love for us through Jesus and his forgiveness of our sins. We put all our hope in Him.

Yes, we will have too much food as all the good cooks bake and prepare the meal. And in usual tradition some of us will spend the morning in the woods deer hunting. This day has often been a blessing to us for a deer.