This Thanksgiving Day recalls another Thanksgiving many years ago-the happy hours I spent with my children and grandchildren. Over turkey and dressing, I decided to quiz my then 8-year-old grandson, as proud grandparents often do.
I leaned over and said, "Charlie, why did the Pilgrims celebrate the first Thanksgiving?"
Charlie resorted to the obvious answer. He said, "They wanted to give thanks."
"And who did the Pilgrims give thanks to?"
Charlie squirmed a little bit. "I don't know," he said. "I guess they were thanking the Indians. That's what we learned at school anyway."
I was aghast. We were celebrating a major holiday with deep Christian roots, and my own grandson didn't know its significance!
The real Thanksgiving story starts in 1621, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. Life was hard for the Pilgrims, and through the first winter the tiny colony endured hunger and privation. Nearly all of them fell ill, and only half survived the winter.
But spring came, the crops were planted, and the first harvest proved bountiful. Governor William Bradford called a special feast to give thanks to the Creator. They celebrated for a week, along with 100 Native Americans they invited to join them.
The Pilgrims did not give thanks to the Native Americans; they invited them to join in giving thanks to God-the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God made known in Jesus Christ.
Source: Christian Post
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