BY REV. DR. VAHAN H. TOOTIKIAN
The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated less than a year after the Pilgrims had settled in the new land. They made the long journey to the new continent of America primarily to worship God as their conscience dictated and to build themselves homes, to educate their children in the traditions of the motherland. They decided that in the entire world, America was the one place which offered them these opportunities.
The first dreadful winter in Plymouth, Massachusetts, killed nearly half of the members of the colony. But new hope grew in the summer of 1621. Native Americans taught them how to plant corn, how to fish, find games, and how to live without the comforts of England and Holland.
The newcomers built houses, farmed and fished. They filled their barnս with corn and other food. They held a feast to celebrate and thank God for their life and for their freedom. They invited their Native American friends to enjoy the occasion with them.
The first Thanksgiving Day, set aside for the special purpose of prayer as well as celebration, was decreed by Governor Bradford for July 30, 1623. In 1783, President George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving Day for all Americans. For many years it was celebrated on different dates. Thanksgiving became a national holiday, and on December 26, 1941 during the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the joint resolution of Congress it was decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
Thanksgiving celebration is an American tradition but its roots are deep within the Bible. The Hebrews observed a thanksgiving holiday called “The Feast of Tabernacle” or the “Sukkot.” This feast was a reminder of God’s protection and care of the Israelites during their sojourn in the Sinai desert on their way to the Promised Land. It is still an annual Jewish celebration.
In the same spirit, the Pilgrims observed their first Thanksgiving by counting their blessings and expressing their gratitude to the all-loving and ever-caring God.
Today, God’s blessings to us are so numerous and vital to our existence that we cannot afford to take any of them for granted, but always we must be grateful to our Creator and Sustainer.
The Thanksgiving celebration is a reminder of our dependence on the graciousness of God. And our expression of gratitude should be a spontaneous gesture in response to undeserved good fortune. Indeed, gratitude is one of life’s special graces which enrich human life.
During his ministry here on earth, Jesus healed ten men afflicted with leprosy. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests. That was a requirement of the Jewish law. A recovered leper had to be examined by a priest before he could return to society. These ten men went to show themselves to the priests. Along the way, they were healed. Only one of them took the time and made the effort to say “Thank you.” The other nine did not. And Jesus wondered why. “Were not all ten made whole? Where are the other nine?” He asked.
Jesus was troubled by the fact that only one of the ten lepers he had healed returned to express his gratitude. His concern had nothing to do with wanting to be praised. He worried the other nine would take their healing for granted rather than receive it as a gift. To be physically healthy is always a blessing. But it is a far greater blessing to those who are grateful for it.
Gratitude is important to people because it enriches their lives. Indeed, no human being can ever be truly blessed without it.
Just as we need to show appreciation to God for His blessings, so too we need to show our thanks to God’s messengers in our lives: family, friends, and acquaintances, even strangers who touch our lives every day. Too often these gifts also are passed over. We notice them for the moment, but we walk away without ever letting them know what they mean to us.
William Stidger of the School of Theology in Boston found himself, on one Thanksgiving Day thinking about the blessings that had come to him in life. He remembered a woman who had taught him in school, but whom he hadn’t heard from in many years. He remembered how she had instilled a love of verse in him, and because of her, Stidger has loved verse all his life. So he wrote the woman a note of thanks. And this was the reply he received:
“My dear Willie, I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind.
You will be interested to know that I taught school for 50 years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue-cold morning and cheered me as nothing has in many years.”
Yes, we miss a great deal when we don’t express our thanks! But when we gratefully acknowledge the blessings God and others bring into our lives, we can bring blessing into the lives of fellowmen as well!
Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian is the Minister Emeritus of the Armenian Congregational Church of Greater Detroit and the Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical World Council.
