Slavery And Thanksgiving

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever...Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness.”  Psalm 107:1

The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620 with their destination the New World. For over two months, the 102 passengers braved the harsh elements of a massive storm-tossed sea. Finally, with a firm reliance on Divine providence, the cry of “Land!” was heard.

Arriving in Massachusetts in late November, the Pilgrims sought a suitable landing place. On December 11, just before getting off at Plymouth Rock, they signed the “Mayflower Compact” - America’s first document of civil government and the first to introduce self-government.

There is a modern movement in America that is called "1619" that is trying to convince Americans that the Pilgrims came to America to establish slavery. This is so wrong! First of all, the Pilgrims were not slave owners in England! Secondly, they did not believe in the slavery of human beings! And thirdly, no slaves came with them.

Shame on Senator Tim Kaine who spoke from the Senate floor on July 16, 2020 and said this absolute lie, "The United States didn’t inherit slavery from anybody. We created it."

But in the Pilgrims own words, found in the Mayflower Compact, they said the reason why they came to this country was, “for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

Historical revisionists are determined to rewrite America’s history to fit a secular, godless history. It should be no surprise that as America drifts further and further into a secular, godless society, that many revisionist historians would want to rewrite American history. This is academic dishonesty!

FACT: The first slaves that arrived in the Massachusetts Colony, the ship’s officers were arrested and imprisoned and all the slaves were returned to Africa at the Colony’s expense.

Thanksgiving Day is important to America because it reaffirms our gratitude to God for His providence in our lives that can be traced back over four hundred years. Without His beneficial involvement in our country, and in each of our lives, where would we be today?

America was founded on slavery to God. Those first Pilgrims who braved the fierce Atlantic Ocean for those two long months started their journey to the New World as slaves to King Charles ultimately to only be slaves to King Jesus! As dedicated believers in the Word of God, and as determined followers of the Son of God, they knew that the only way to live for King Jesus was to be sold out to the cause of Christ. They also knew that a nation of slaves to God would be a nation built on a firm foundation of personal liberty.

The apostle Paul said in his own words that he was a “slave to Christ” because of the salvation given to him by God. But he also said that his new life in Christ enabled him to be, “called to freedom” because of the Holy Spirit in him.

This thanksgiving let’s celebrate the fact that we too are slaves to King Jesus! Let’s compassionately thank Him for the amazing benefits and blessings found in our salvation!

Abraham Lincoln’s original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came - spiritually speaking - at a pivotal time in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg broke out, resulting in the loss of over 60,000 American soldiers. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous “Gettysburg Address.”

It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of ghostly graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he said to a close friend, “When I left Springfield (to assume the Presidency), I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.”

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Pastor Dave

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