“Giving God Thanks”

“Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and live in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name.  And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. And you shall respond and say before the Lord your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and resided there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty, and populous nation. And the Egyptians treated us badly and oppressed us and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our wretched condition, our trouble, and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, Lord have given me.’ Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; and you, the Levite, and the stranger who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.  Deuteronomy 26:1-11

In 1565, Spanish explorers arrived in Florida at the future site of Sanit Augustine. They immediately held a worship service to thank God for their safe arrival. Then they invited the local Seloy Native Americans to have a feast with them.

In 1619, English settlers arrived in Virginia at the future site of Berkeley Plantation on the James River. They immediately held a worship service to thank God for their safe arrival.

In 1620, English Puritans arrived in Massachusetts at the future site of Plymouth Colony. After they planted and harvested their crops, they had a worship service to thank God for their arrival and for getting them through their first harsh winter. Then they invited the local Wampanoag Native Americans to a feast with them.  

I believe that all these groups of people were following the directions that God gave His people as they were about to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land after their 40-year journey from slavery in Egypt. These directions are recorded for us in Deuteronomy 26. They include thanking God for providing for them and they also include having a feast and inviting the locals to join them.

This Thanksgiving, I hope everyone will invite others to enjoy a feast in celebration of God’s blessings. I also hope we will include a time of giving God thanks for what He has done in our lives this past year.

Giving God thanks can become a new Thanksgiving tradition. It can start by asking those at the table, “What are you thankful for this year?” Then it can end by someone saying, “Thank you God for all these blessings. Amen.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

In Christ,

Pastor David