Is Thanksgiving A Religious Holiday? Only If You Want To Do It Right.
By Chaseton Hahn
Introduction
It’s that time of year again. Pumpkin spice everything is being consumed in copious quantities. The air is becoming delightfully crisp and refreshing; leaves are transforming from luscious greens into stunning oranges and reds as the remnants of Summer are seemingly evaporating away. The Fall season is officially underway, and with it comes one of the most beloved holidays in America: Thanksgiving.
On this day, millions of people will travel thousands of miles by car and plane to be with their loved ones. It is supposed to be a time of laughter, storytelling, football, and all this surrounding the dinner table with lots (and I mean lots!) of delicious foods. As a young boy, it is from Thanksgiving that I can recall some of my most cherished memories. Going over to Grandma’s house, smelling the intoxicating aromas emanating from the kitchen, my grandfather cracking his corny jokes, and of course, gorging myself on turkey, followed up with a good ol’ nap.
My family was not perfect, and did not always get along, but it seemed that they could put their differences aside for this day each year, and it was simply a wonderful experience all around. Now, my family is not very “religious” per se, but on Thanksgiving, we would always make sure to express our thanks to God for his many blessings that he so often pours out upon us. Isn’t this the heart of the holiday?
Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time to reflect upon the grace that God shows us throughout the year, and most importantly the gift he gave the world in His Son, Jesus Christ, who provided a way for the world to have eternal life through faith in his atoning work on the cross and his glorious resurrection.
Though so many millions celebrate and build so many traditions around this holiday, very few maintain the significance of the celebration as it was originally intended. This post will help you do that.
The First Thanksgiving
What is rather interesting is that, though popular culture typically depicts the first Thanksgiving in a rather unbiquitous, uniform fashion, its depiction may not reflect the historical truth. In the popular portrayal, you have the Pilgrims with modest, plain, black attire with obnoxiously large buckles on their hats. Then, there are the Native Americans (apparently of the Wampanoag tribe) with large, feathery headdresses decorating their head, seated together harmoniously.
The setting is usually in an open field, with maybe a cabin in the distance, and of course, a large table brimming with food such as corn, pumpkin, squash, and most importantly, the iconic turkey as the centerpiece dish. This scene often is displayed as a peaceful fellowship between the two people groups; eating, drinking, laughter. We may even envision the Pilgrims and Native Americans lifting joyful worship to God in a harmonious and unified demonstration.
However, this embellishment is built upon legend and tradition, rather than explicit historical fact. What is fascinating is that, when examining the available record for this famous gathering, there only exists one-hundred fifteen words from a firsthand witness of the feast, recorded by a man named Edward Winslow. That’s it. It seems that there is quite an exaggeration of what actually took place in those three days.
Circa 1621, Winslow composed a letter back to England describing all the great success the Pilgrims were enjoying in the New World, and this enthusiasm was likely to maintain optimism among the investors who were funding their ambitious expedition. Winslow wrote:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others.”
As historian Robert McKenzie rightfully responds, “What an elaborate edifice we’ve constructed on such a slight foundation!”
What is able to reliably be drawn from this document is that 1) a harvest was gathered, 2) many birds (presumably turkeys, even though ducks, geese, swans and other birds were plentiful in this area) were successfully hunted, 3) Native Americans were present and possibly with their king, Massasoit, 4) the Natives brought food to the gathering 5) the attendees ate together.
No worship service or revival is described. Many people assume that the Native American neighbors were invited by the Pilgrims to join in the festivities, though this may not have been the case at all. And even more intriguing is that the agricultural conditions of Massachusetts would have likely placed this even in late September or early October, not in November as we celebrate it. Though this is agreed upon as the “first” rendition of the American holiday known as “Thanksgiving”, it has roots that are traced back to a time long before the Pilgrims stepped foot off the Mayflower.
The Thanksgiving Before Thanksgiving
Before the famous Thanksgiving on Plymouth Rock in the seventeenth century, the practice of celebrating with feast days was of common practice with the Puritans nearly a century prior. Around the mid-sixteenth century, the Puritans, who were known for their disdain for religiously excessive practices (particularly in the Catholic Church), were in a “quarrel with extra biblical ecclesiastical holy days …”
Puritans, who believed only the Sabbath should be celebrated, would still honor God on two other specific occasions which were pertaining to his providential care over their everyday lives: Fast Days and Thanksgiving Days.
Against the will of the Church of England, the Puritans held conferences where they would “prophesy”, which was basically an expositional preaching engagement as well as a group discussion of hot theological topics. These “prophesying” meetings were very frequently preceded by fasting and completed with an evening meal shared by those in attendance.
The Church of England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries also instituted certain days of fasting and thanksgiving due in response to what were deemed “providential events”, whether they be a sign of God’s blessing in a military victory, or God’s judgment such as an outbreak of the plague upon society.
The Puritans advantageously used these days as means to observe their own individual celebrations of fasting and thanksgiving, seeing as they too were keen on recognizing God’s providential involvement in their lives.
These days were filled with events such as congregational gathering for sermon reading, prayer recitation, and fasting – all out of reverence to God. These Holy Days would typically conclude with a “feast in God’s honor.” The attitude driving this time of Thanksgiving was one of simple gratitude for God’s goodness and mercy. The Puritans, then, were the grandfathers of the original Thanksgiving tradition! Most notably, both the Pilgrims and the Puritans certainly celebrated Thanksgiving because it is a prominent theme found in the Scriptures.
What the Bible Says about Thanksgiving
While spending time with family, telling stories, eating food are all good things to enjoy, what is frequently lost in the kerfuffle of Thanksgiving is that it all should be centered upon God, for He is the reason we have anything at all to be thankful for!
A quick glance at the Bible, especially in the Psalms, and we find numerous examples of gleeful expressions of gratitude and praise to God.
“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High!” (Ps. 7:17)
“Sign praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.” (Ps. 30:4)
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;” (Ps. 50:23)
“I Give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” (Ps. 86:12)
“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” (Ps. 97:12)
“Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; 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 steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Ps. 100: 3-5).
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Ps. 118:29)
These are just a few of the dozens of examples of thanksgiving in the Psalms, alone. The reason for such exultation is that God is the source of all things – from our food and family, to our salvation; it all streams from the gracious hands of a loving and caring God.
We turn over to the New Testament and see even Jesus giving thanks to God in instances such as before performing his miracle of multiplying the bread and fish (Mt. 15:36; Mk. 8:6; Jn. 6:11), and while administering the Last Supper (Mt. 26:27; Mk. 14:23; Lk. 22:17-19). Christ was unequivocally God, but while he was a resident on earth, was a thankful human being.
The Apostle Paul instructs the Philippian church (while he himself is in prison) to avoid anxiety, but rather, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” (Ph. 4:6). In another example, when speaking to the Corinthians of the future transformation of our bodies in the Eschaton (last day), when the power of sin and death is eradicated once and for all, Paul exalts, “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57).
Because we have been so bountifully blessed by our good Creator, believers are encouraged to live lives that are marked by an attitude of constant gratitude to the One who has given us more than we deserve.
Colossians 3:15-17 captures this mindset beautifully:
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
The greatest motivation for our thankfulness to God comes in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ.
God is not only concerned with providing for our bodily needs, but for our spiritual needs all the more. Mankind from the beginning has been in abject rebellion against their Creator, refusing to submit to his Holy Kingship.
Yet, amid our insurrection, God sends Christ as our substitute, to ransom us from the debt of our sins. In the words of Jesus himself:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).
Paul writes of this wonderful mercy in his letter to the Romans:
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Rom. 5:8-9).
This gift of grace through Jesus Christ was purchased at an infinite price and freely given to all who would receive by faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
After careful examination, the list of reasons to be thankful to God is immeasurable!
Conclusion
Thanksgiving is one of the cornerstones of American culture. It’s a wonderful time to gather with friends and family to enjoy each other’s company, watch football, and of course, eat. As widely celebrated as this holiday is, not many people would likely know its true history from which it emerged.
While the depictions of the first Thanksgiving are mostly built upon fable and legendary recreations, the heart of the feast has distinctive theological roots as demonstrated in the pious living of the Puritans long before the Pilgrims embarked on their treacherous voyage to the New World.
Finally, the true reasoning for celebrating Thanksgiving is found in the ancient pages of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible presents to us a picture of the character of God as the creator, provider, and sustainer of everything in the Universe. He is intimately concerned with caring for the needs of the world, both animals and humans. The Scripture shows us many examples of thankfulness and gratitude in the lives of various saints, as well as in that of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, God gives us even more reason to overflow with praise to him, because of His offering of His Son to pay for our sin on the cross and raising Him from the dead. When we reflect upon the spirit of the holiday, let us be reminded of the wonderful God we serve!