God's Providence Celebrated in Thanksgiving

by Rick

Thanksgiving 20011 is only three days away. Thanksgiving has a lot of meaning many do not know or understand. It leads us to be thankful for the divine design in the beginning development of our nation.

The Mayflower was at anchor in what would be Provincetown, Massachusetts, on the 11th of November, 1620. The factions aboard the ship decided to minimize mutiny and any other foreseeable trouble that might occur. They made a decision to develop a ‘civil body politic,’ which they named the Mayflower Compact. Here is a modernized version of the Compact:

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign, Lord King James by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc.

Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof, to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November in the year of the reign of our sovereign Lord King James of England, France, and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini, 1620.

You will notice several important points in the compact. One, it was written in the name of God. Two, the passengers desired to advance the Christian faith. Three, to develop a rule of law by creating a government. Four, and to accomplish this under the government of God.

I hope everyone has a meaningful Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving: A Time to Count our Blessings

Thanksgiving is not just about turkey, but a time to count our blessings

Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony held their first Thanksgiving in fall 1621 in what is now Massachusetts. They invited the Wampanoag Indians who had helped them to the feast celebrating the bountiful harvest.

This also was an occasion to give thanks to God for their survival through the previous brutal winter. Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

The precise historical origin of our present Thanksgiving day is disputed. There is evidence of other Thanksgiving events for earlier celebrations than the Thanksgiving that occurred in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, but this is what our Thanksgiving day is based on.

Several U.S. presidents throughout our history have proclaimed that Thanksgiving as a holiday be observed on a specific day. Today, in the United States Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday of October.

The important thing is that we take time out to than God for the blessings he has given us. It is not “Turkey Day,” a term which I despise and which detracts from the day’s purpose. We are a Christian nation, despite what President Obama has said to the Islamic nations. Thanksgiving day is so important to the American people, that more of our citizens travel on this holiday than they do for Christmas.

Why We Celebrate Thanksgiving Part I

Some schools are now teaching that the Colonists in Massachusetts were celebrating their being thankful that the Indians helped them during a period of drought. Today, historical revisionists have present multiple versions of the origin of Thanksgiving. There are liberal, antheist, anti-Chrisitan, and Native Ameerican versions of the origin of this American and Christian holiday. In the days prior to Thanksgiving 2010, I wish to present the arrival of the Pilgrims and what we call the first Thanksgiving, upon which is based our present celebration of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.

The passengers aboard the Mayflower were looking for a place where they could establish a land where they could worship as they pleased. These passengers were Pilgrims who were persecuted in England by the established state church. While enroute to the New World, they developed a legal document called the "Mayflower Compact."

The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower. Almost half of the colonists were part of a separatist group seeking the freedom to practice Christianity according to their own determination and not the will of the English Church. It was signed on November 11, 1620 (OS)[1] by 41 of the ship's one hundred and two passengers,[2] in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod.

The original document was lost, but the transcriptions in Mourt's Relation and William Bradford's journal Of Plymouth Plantation are in agreement and accepted as accurate. Bradford's hand written manuscript is kept in a special vault at the State Library of Massachusetts. Bradford's transcription is as follows:

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620. Source: Wikipedia.

Contrary to what some anti-Christian revisionists of historical truth falsely teach, the original passengers of the Mayflower were Christians looking for a place to worship freely.