Pilgrims

In an American Family Association interview dated November 25, 2020, these points were made:

While some books and educators directly lie about the Pilgrims and their primary Christian motive for starting a new colony in American, the greatest threat to the truth about their story is what is left out when their story is told.  Revisionist history gives a false picture of these devoted Christians.  For example, one elementary school textbook gives 30 pages to present the story of the Pilgrims without once [making] any reference to religion; thus at the end of the first year, they “wanted to give thanks for all they had.”  But there is no mention it was God they were thanking….

William Bradford, governor of the Pilgrims for 33 years, wrote their history – Of Plimoth Plantation – which is one of the great historical and literary works of all American history… Some educators who know the history yet ignore it, evaluate the Pilgrims through their own secular bias – that is, the Pilgrims may have had a deep faith, but God is a construction of the human mind and consequently is not relevant, so they do not need to mention God when recounting their story. …. 

The Pilgrim’s story teaches us many lessons.  We learn of the great sacrifice they paid to exercise their freedom of religion and to plant the early seeds of our nation.  Half of them died the first winter… at one time, only six or seven could get out of bed, but they toiled night and day to assist their brethren…from Bradford’s words, “A great hope and inward zeal they had…for the propagating and advancing of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world.”

I watched some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday and heard or saw nothing about God, Jesus, or Christianity.  But there was a group celebrating Native Americans and “their” land.  This reminds me of The New York Times’ 1619 Project which tells about the first black slaves coming to Virginia Colony in 1619 and thus making a case for that year being the birth of our country.  Needless to say, the “teaching” is greatly refuted by most all historians.  Yet the point is that there is an active effort to revise American history to fit a socialist agenda.

Back to the Pilgrims in October of 1621 – They had a thanksgiving feast joined by some 90 Indians that lasted 3 days.  For more than 200 years in our country that event has been known as the First Thanksgiving.  But maybe the first thanksgiving festival is what is referred to in Psalm 100.  God therein reminded the people that they had reason for joy and thanks as He was their Maker and their Keeper (shepherd).  He had also been very good to them (bounty), spared them from judgment, and was the source of truth/wisdom for all.  God called them to come together in joy and thanksgiving to bless/honor Him.  Sounds like a Thanksgiving event for the right reasons to be done in the right way – God the focus and thanks and joy to God.

Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

So how was your Thanksgiving?  God-honoring?  Thankful?  Joyful?

God has made us, cared for us, blessed us, spared us, and guided us!  He is to be thanked – daily!