Thankful for What? Psalm 136:1
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever is how Psalm 136:1 reads in the King James Version. As we say that prayer we acknowledge, proclaim our source of what we are thankful for. God is our source. He is good.
On Thanksgiving later this week we have a special day to share, enjoy, give thanks, reflect on His mercy and relish His goodness. What will Thanksgiving mean and bring to you? For some it will be especially challenging. A quick answer for many is family, food and festivities! For all it depends on what we bring to the table. As children of God, recipients of His love, we bring a legacy along with the food, family and friends. It is the legacy of life that each have received. It is a part of us and we will pass it on. By God’s grace, by His faithfulness, our legacy has led, is leading and will continue to lead.
Question: When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday?
Answer: Thanksgiving, a national holiday in the United States, is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” and set the day to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, with a proclamation byGeorge Washington after a request by Congress.
The event that Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621. This feast lasted three days, and—as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow—it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. Thanksgiving services were routine in what became the Commonwealth of Virginia as early as 1607, with the first permanent settlement of Jamestown, Virginia holding a thanksgiving in 1610.
