Thanksgiving Season in the United States of America is fast approaching, and
traditionally it is a time for us to reflect, and to give God thanks for His bountiful blessings
upon our lives. Just like Christmas, which is also one of the major holidays we celebrate
as Christians, if we are not careful, we lose the real meaning and emphasis of why we
are celebrating this holiday.
There is nothing wrong with celebrating with family and friends, enjoying good food,
playing games, and having fun together. God wants us to enjoy family, friends and
feasting, but this should be done recognizing that “Every good and perfect gift comes
from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or
shadow of turning” (James 1:17). So, we are to enjoy the gifts but ensuring that we give
thanks to the Giver of all things. More and more the media refers to this day as “turkey
day,” rather than Thanksgiving Day.
The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated less than a year after the Christian
Plymouth colonists had settled in the new land of America. The first Thanksgiving Day
was set aside for the special purpose of prayer as well as celebration and was decreed
by Governor William Bradford on July 30, 1623. There were harvest festivals, or days of
thanking God for plentiful crops. During the Revolutionary War, eight days of thanks were
observed for victories and for being saved from danger.
On November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation for
a day of thanks. Our National Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by President Lincoln
in 1863 with these words, “A Day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent
Father.” I would like to challenge you that as you celebrate this Thanksgiving, make sure
that you do not forget the main purpose, that this day is one of prayer and thanksgiving
as you feast and fellowship. The Lord is not opposed to our time together with food and
fellowship, He delights in us blessing Him with our prayers of thanksgiving.
This Thanksgiving take time to:
• Spend Time in Prayer (Phil 4: 6-7)
• Read the Scriptures of Thanksgiving (Psalms 107; 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• Sing the Songs of Praise (Great is Thy Faithfulness; Give thanks with a grateful
heart).
• Serve Others (1 Peter 4:10)
• Express Gratitude as you gather with family and friends (Psalm 100:4-5)
• Determine to Practice Gratitude every day of your life even in small things (1
Thessalonians 5:18).
Let us truly celebrate this day in real Thanksgiving and Prayer.
On behalf of my wife and I, and the ministry of the Mid-Atlantic COGOP, we wish you a
“Joyful Thanksgiving.”
Woodroe Thompson, (M.Div)
Regional Bishop,
Church of God of Prophecy
Mid-Atlantic Region USA
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