I promiced Kartina I would have Lyn type this up. My wife Lyn did this for me while I was in Bible College..I've used this material for the last 15 years in the public school..Toward theend of this read my heart is in my mouth and I have to fight back tears..so I turn my backto my students until I compose myself..I love teaching during these holidays The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving
In the 1600"™s there was a lack of freedom in England. The ruler of England was King James I and he ruled not only the government, but the church as well. As ruler of the church, King James forced everyone to attend his church, the Church of England. Because of this the people of England were not free to worship God as they thought they should.
One particular group of people called the Separatists believed that the Church of England was not being true to the Bible. These people began to hold secret meetings to study the Bible. When these groups were caught they were often arrested and put in jail.
The Separatists wanted to form their own church, which they were not free to do in England, so they moved to Holland. They were not happy in Holland, however, and began to hear of the colonial settlement of Jamestown. They asked permission of King James to found their own colony in America where they promised to remain loyal subjects of the king, but would be allowed to worship in their own churches.
King James granted them permission and in September of 1620 a group of Separatists boarded the Mayflower. There were 102 passengers, not all of which were Separatists. Some were simply looking for new opportunities or adventure. The Separatists called these other people Strangers. The Separatists and Strangers together became known as the Pilgrims.
It took the Mayflower sixty-five days to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. They were planning to settle near the colony of Jamestown where there was already an established government. Much to their surprise they had been blown far off course. Their Captain, Christopher Jones, told them, "œWe are off the coast of Massachusetts." You had planned to settle on land owned by the London Company. You are too far north. "If you settle here, you will have no government."
The first task of the Pilgrims in the new land was an unexpected one. Before they left the Mayflower a group of Pilgrims joined together and wrote the first agreement for self-government in America. This became known as the Mayflower Compact and contained many of the same ideas that the Declaration of Independence would later state. The Pilgrims agreed upon and signed the Compact and elected John Carver as governor. Two days later they left the Mayflower to explore the land to find a good place to settle.
The Pilgrims used wisdom in choosing their area for settlement. They searched for a place where they would have an ample supply of drinking water, a good harbor for ships to sail into, and security from unfriendly Indians. They chose Captain Miles Standish to lead them in selecting a site. Captain Standish explored the area for several weeks and finally found a place which met all of their requirements. They settled In December and named the site Plymouth.
New England winters are harsh and cold. That first winter they built what they called a Common House. It served as home, fort and church to all the Pilgrims that winter. That first winter was a time of extreme hardship. The Pilgrims grew weak from lack of food and sick from the severe cold. By spring half of them had died and at one time only seven people were strong enough to care for the others. Yet, during all that they endured they did not complain or give up. They were confident that God would be their help.
One day an Indian came to their settlement and spoke to them in English! Some of the Indians had learned to speak English from English traders. This Indian"™s name was Samoset and he later brought another Indian named Squanto who not only spoke English, but had been to England as well. Their ruler, Chief Massasoit, also visited the Pilgrims and they made a treaty in which they agreed to help each other. Squanto chose to stay with the Pilgrims and taught them how to survive that first winter and how to plant in the spring. Without his help, the Pilgrims may not have survived.
In April the Mayflower sailed back to England, yet despite the severe hardships, not one of the Pilgrims chose to return. Soon after that Governor Carver died and was replaced by William Bradford as governor. Bradford led the colony for the next thirty-six years and wrote a book which gives us much of our information about the Pilgrims called, "œOf Plymouth Plantation."
With the arrival of spring the Pilgrims worked diligently, planting crops and building homes. Unfortunately an extremely dry summer threatened to destroy their crops. Again, the Pilgrims relied on God and a special day was set aside for prayer and fasting. For nine hours the Pilgrims prayed to God and later that day the sky clouded over and a gentle rain began to fall. The Indians were amazed that the God of the white man had heard and answered their prayers. Ten days of rain followed this day of prayer and all the crops were saved. The Pilgrims were so grateful for God"™s mercy that they set aside a special time to feast and give thanks.
In preparation for the feast the men hunted deer and turkeys. Pumpkins, corn and beans were cooked and nuts wer gathered from the woods. Ninety Indians, including Chief Massasoit, attended the feast. This first Thanksgiving lasted three days. They played games, ran races, read the Bible and offered up thanks to God.
Although we remember the Pilgrims for their courage, their desire for religious freedom, and their establishment of self-government, they are best remembered and celebrated each year for their thankfulness to God. Lyn Borden
I enjoyed your post. It seems I have heard parts of it before. One thing that immediately came to mind as I read it was the account of Nehemiah and KingArtaxerxes found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Alot of that story had to do with freedom to worship and then oposition after the Jews returned to rebuild the walls. Do you see any parallels or is just me? Let me know what you think. By the way, did you read my post to you in the trailcam section?
Blessings.....Pastorjim
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Mere religion is just hanging around the cross.......True Christianity is getting on the cross.
Thanks Chuck, please thank Lyn for me and give her a hug too. She did an excellent job. I am glad you teach the whole truth to the children. It is after all their history. Leaving God out of the equation is like not admitting we sunk low enough to slave trade.
Isaac's newsletter had a little section dedicated to Thanksgiving, here it is....
Thanksgiving was first celebrated with prayer by members of the Berkley Plantation near present day Charles City, Virginia on Dec. 4th 1619. The thanksgiving that most of us are familiar with was the one celebrated by the Plymouth colonists. This was 3 days of prayer and fasting. A national Thanksgiving was proclaimed by President George Washington on Nov 26th, 1789. In 1863, President Lincoln made it an annual holiday to be observed on the last Thursday of Nov. From 1939-1941 under Franklin D. Roosevelt, this date was moved to the 3rd Thursday in Nov. And, yes, it took an act of Congress to get it changed back to the last Thursday in Nov. in 1941.
(Compliments of The Country Register of Kentucky)
The First Thanksgiving
