Every year we host stu\u00addents in our home for Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading. Today we will have just shy of three dozen. They come from around the world and find it dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to make it home for such a short break.<\/p>\n
Since Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading in a nov\u00adel cul\u00adtur\u00adal expe\u00adri\u00adence for many of them, I always give a quick expla\u00adna\u00adtion before the meal. For the curi\u00adous, here\u2019s what I\u2019m plan\u00adning to say today:<\/p>\n
Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading traces its roots back to 1621 when the Euro\u00adpean colonists of Ply\u00admouth Plan\u00adta\u00adtion cel\u00ade\u00adbrat\u00aded their first har\u00advest on the new con\u00adti\u00adnent. 45 colonists and 90 native Amer\u00adi\u00adcans cel\u00ade\u00adbrat\u00aded togeth\u00ader for a three-day feast.<\/p>\n
This became a cus\u00adtom in many colonies, but the sched\u00adule and the details of the cel\u00ade\u00adbra\u00adtion would vary from place to place. On Octo\u00adber 3, 1789 George Wash\u00ading\u00adton called for the first Fed\u00ader\u00adal Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading with this procla\u00adma\u00adtion. It\u2019s a bit long so I\u2019m going to read the high\u00adlights:<\/p>\n
By the Pres\u00adi\u00addent of the Unit\u00aded States of Amer\u00adi\u00adca, a Procla\u00adma\u00adtion.<\/p>\n
Where\u00adas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowl\u00adedge the prov\u00adi\u00addence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grate\u00adful for his ben\u00ade\u00adfits, and humbly to implore his pro\u00adtec\u00adtion and favor\u2013 and where\u00adas both Hous\u00ades of Con\u00adgress have by their joint Com\u00admit\u00adtee request\u00aded me to rec\u00adom\u00admend to the Peo\u00adple of the Unit\u00aded States a day of pub\u00adlic thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading and prayer to be observed by acknowl\u00adedg\u00ading with grate\u00adful hearts the many sig\u00adnal favors of Almighty God espe\u00adcial\u00adly by afford\u00ading them an oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty peace\u00adably to estab\u00adlish a form of gov\u00adern\u00adment for their safe\u00adty and hap\u00adpi\u00adness.<\/p>\n
Now there\u00adfore I do rec\u00adom\u00admend and assign Thurs\u00adday the 26th day of Novem\u00adber next to be devot\u00aded by the Peo\u00adple of these States to the ser\u00advice of that great and glo\u00adri\u00adous Being, who is the benef\u00adi\u00adcent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be\u2026.<\/p>\n
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offer\u00ading our prayers and sup\u00adpli\u00adca\u00adtions to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to par\u00addon our nation\u00adal and oth\u00ader trans\u00adgres\u00adsions\u2013 to enable us all, whether in pub\u00adlic or pri\u00advate sta\u00adtions, to per\u00adform our sev\u00ader\u00adal and rel\u00ada\u00adtive duties prop\u00ader\u00adly and punc\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly\u2026.<\/p>\n
Giv\u00aden under my hand at the City of New York the third day of Octo\u00adber in the year of our Lord 1789.<\/p>\n
George Wash\u00ading\u00adton<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That procla\u00adma\u00adtion regard\u00aded a sin\u00adgle occur\u00adrence, not a year\u00adly event. A few gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions lat\u00ader on Octo\u00adber 3, 1863 Abra\u00adham Lin\u00adcoln estab\u00adlished Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading as an annu\u00adal nation\u00adal hol\u00adi\u00adday which we still cel\u00ade\u00adbrate to this day.<\/p>\n
I am a Chris\u00adt\u00adian, and so this day is very spe\u00adcial to me because grat\u00adi\u00adtude is at the heart of Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n
As the apos\u00adtle tells us in 1 Thess 5:18<\/p>\n
Give thanks in all cir\u00adcum\u00adstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And we do this because even when cir\u00adcum\u00adstances are bad, God is good. As we read in Psalm 107:1<\/p>\n
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his stead\u00adfast love endures for\u00adev\u00ader! (ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And so this Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading, join me as we offer thanks for the food.<\/p>\n
Cre\u00adator God, we are grate\u00adful for your pro\u00advi\u00adsion of a uni\u00adverse for us to inhab\u00adit filled with won\u00adder\u00adful things, includ\u00ading deli\u00adcious food. Help us to enjoy it and the con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtions that fill this room. Most of all, thank you for giv\u00ading us Jesus as a sav\u00adior and a Lord. Today we declare with the Psalmist: \u201cThis is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.\u201d (Psalm 118:24, ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Now let us eat with grate\u00adful hearts!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every year we host stu\u00addents in our home for Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading. Today we will have just shy of three dozen. They come from around the world and find it dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to make it home for such a short break. Since Thanks\u00adgiv\u00ading in a nov\u00adel cul\u00adtur\u00adal expe\u00adri\u00adence for many of them, I always give a quick expla\u00adna\u00adtion \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u201cThanks\u00adgiv\u00ading\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,1,3],"tags":[245,244],"class_list":["post-5237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chi-alpha","category-of-random-interest","category-personal-news","tag-behind-the-scenes","tag-holidays"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1mt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5237"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5241,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5237\/revisions\/5241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}