Thanksgiving Day in Canada was held on October 8. In the U.S. the date this year is November 22. Rev. John D. Tangelder, writer of this article, is pastor of the Riverside Christian Reformed Church of Wellandport. Ontario.
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“Proclamation, October 14, 1795. Published by Authority (Seal) Commonwealth of Massachusetts. By the Governor. A Proclamation For a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise.
“Forasmuch as the occasional meeting of a people for the exercise of piety and devotion towards God, more especially of those who enjoy the light of divine revelation, has a strong tendency to impress their minds with a sense of dependence upon Him and their obligations to Him,
“I have thought fit, according to the ancient and laudable practice of our renowned ancestors, to appoint a day of public thanksgiving to God, for the great benefits which He has been pleased to bestow upon us in the year past.”
At this time in history, Thanksgiving Day Proclamations had become a firm part of New England tradition. The first Thanksgiving Day on American soil occurred when the Pilgrim Fathers, by order of Governor William Bradford, held a three-day festival to commemorate their harvest in the autumn of 1621. Despite this early beginning, Thanksgiving Day did not become a truly national holiday until November 26, 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed a national harvest festival.
Harvest celebrations are as old as civilization itself. The American and Canadian Thanksgiving Day celebrations are part of a venerable tradition. But the meaning of the day itself has changed since the days of the Pilgrim Fathers. It was basically a ho.me festival with strong religious overtones. Secularism has taken hold of this day also. It has drained for many its original intent. Thanksgiving has become a bad time for turkeys and a profitable season for supermarkets. For many people it has just become another holiday with, hopefully, some good weather as it comes late in the season.
Churches still have special worship services. Produce from the farms decorates many sanctuaries. I know of a church where machinery was displayed to show how important it has become in modern farming. Most Christians acknowledge dependence upon God in a vague and general way. Most of us thank the Lord for certain things—for food, for example (and we’ve all heard some rather facetious remarks about saying grace when the meal does not appear to be able to satisfy the taste buds)—but if we are candid about it, we usually say thanks for things that please us, for things we have asked for. We find it difficult to say thanks for gifts received not according to our taste. Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise that can take effort. We find it simpler to take things for granted than to be truly grateful. Toward the end of his long and useful life, C. K. Chesterton the English writer was asked what was the most important lesson he had learned. He replied, “It was to take things with gratitude and not take them for granted.”
Philosophers of many nations have taught that reverence and gratitude toward God should Row naturally from man’s reason. But often it does not work work that way. Man is frequently fighting his war of independence with God. The more man’s heart turns away from God the less grateful he will be. Why say thanks for what you have if you have worked for it with your own hands? The Bible describes this condition as follows: “Because, although they once knew God, they did not honor Him as. God, or give Him thanks” (Rom. 1:21). Thankless children we all are more or less, for we comprehend so dimly the truth of our relationship to God. “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is,” said Shakespeare, “to have a thankless child.” Genuine and profound gratitude, a fruit of faith, is found only where there is a deep sense of dependence on God. When we see again that God provides the seedtime and the harvest, our hearts will turn to the Creator. It is only through Jesus Christ that millions approach God as children approach their Father.
We hear so much complaining about the spiraling cost of living, the runaway inflation; money seems to flow through our fingers like water. Yet we have so much compared to the underdeveloped nations. Even in our inflationary times, a call to thanksgiving is still very much in order. While many nations are involved in war, we enjoy a great measure of peace. While so many are starving, we have plenty. While millions have no freedom of speech or movement, we are free to speak and to move anywhere in our nation. With the poet of Biblical times we might well ask: “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? How shall my soul, by grace restored, Give worthy thanks, O Lord, to Thee?”
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“Proclamation, October 14, 1795. Published by Authority (Seal) Commonwealth of Massachusetts. By the Governor. A Proclamation For a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Praise.
“Forasmuch as the occasional meeting of a people for the exercise of piety and devotion towards God, more especially of those who enjoy the light of divine revelation, has a strong tendency to impress their minds with a sense of dependence upon Him and their obligations to Him,
“I have thought fit, according to the ancient and laudable practice of our renowned ancestors, to appoint a day of public thanksgiving to God, for the great benefits which He has been pleased to bestow upon us in the year past.”
At this time in history, Thanksgiving Day Proclamations had become a firm part of New England tradition. The first Thanksgiving Day on American soil occurred when the Pilgrim Fathers, by order of Governor William Bradford, held a three-day festival to commemorate their harvest in the autumn of 1621. Despite this early beginning, Thanksgiving Day did not become a truly national holiday until November 26, 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed a national harvest festival.
Harvest celebrations are as old as civilization itself. The American and Canadian Thanksgiving Day celebrations are part of a venerable tradition. But the meaning of the day itself has changed since the days of the Pilgrim Fathers. It was basically a ho.me festival with strong religious overtones. Secularism has taken hold of this day also. It has drained for many its original intent. Thanksgiving has become a bad time for turkeys and a profitable season for supermarkets. For many people it has just become another holiday with, hopefully, some good weather as it comes late in the season.
Churches still have special worship services. Produce from the farms decorates many sanctuaries. I know of a church where machinery was displayed to show how important it has become in modern farming. Most Christians acknowledge dependence upon God in a vague and general way. Most of us thank the Lord for certain things—for food, for example (and we’ve all heard some rather facetious remarks about saying grace when the meal does not appear to be able to satisfy the taste buds)—but if we are candid about it, we usually say thanks for things that please us, for things we have asked for. We find it difficult to say thanks for gifts received not according to our taste. Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise that can take effort. We find it simpler to take things for granted than to be truly grateful. Toward the end of his long and useful life, C. K. Chesterton the English writer was asked what was the most important lesson he had learned. He replied, “It was to take things with gratitude and not take them for granted.”
Philosophers of many nations have taught that reverence and gratitude toward God should Row naturally from man’s reason. But often it does not work work that way. Man is frequently fighting his war of independence with God. The more man’s heart turns away from God the less grateful he will be. Why say thanks for what you have if you have worked for it with your own hands? The Bible describes this condition as follows: “Because, although they once knew God, they did not honor Him as. God, or give Him thanks” (Rom. 1:21). Thankless children we all are more or less, for we comprehend so dimly the truth of our relationship to God. “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is,” said Shakespeare, “to have a thankless child.” Genuine and profound gratitude, a fruit of faith, is found only where there is a deep sense of dependence on God. When we see again that God provides the seedtime and the harvest, our hearts will turn to the Creator. It is only through Jesus Christ that millions approach God as children approach their Father.
We hear so much complaining about the spiraling cost of living, the runaway inflation; money seems to flow through our fingers like water. Yet we have so much compared to the underdeveloped nations. Even in our inflationary times, a call to thanksgiving is still very much in order. While many nations are involved in war, we enjoy a great measure of peace. While so many are starving, we have plenty. While millions have no freedom of speech or movement, we are free to speak and to move anywhere in our nation. With the poet of Biblical times we might well ask: “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? How shall my soul, by grace restored, Give worthy thanks, O Lord, to Thee?”