Every year the United States celebrates a National Day of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a day of feasting on turkey and other traditional foods and family reunions, with all that can mean both of joy and of irritation. But the theme of the day is often the 1621 thanksgiving celebration of the Mayflower pilgrims together with Native Americans, the Wampanoag, who helped them survive in their new home in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
I think two themes are important to consider when we recall that first American Thanksgiving, especially in light of our celebrations today.
First, half of the pilgrims who arrived in 1620 on the Mayflower had died during that first year. Each of the 52 survivors who gave thanks for the good harvest was in grief, mourning the loss of a parent, child, husband, wife, brother or sister, or friend. They had to decide whether the feast was to be a memorial for the dead or a celebration of thanksgiving for those who survived. They decided on giving thanks to God for their survival and hope for the future.
Many of us may find that either we or someone with whom we will break bread this year is in mourning. The older members of our families especially may have lost a spouse, dear friend, sibling, or even a child in the past year, and the middle-aged may have lost a parent. Like the pilgrims, we can find respite from our sorrow in joining with others to give thanks to God for our lives, the good memories we have of those who have died, and our hope in Christ for life eternal with those we love. That does not mean forgetting those we love whom we see no more, but honoring them.
Second, we ought to call to mind the 90 Wampanoag who came to join the pilgrims, bringing with them venison they had killed. These natives, especially a man named Squanto, who spoke some English, had come to meet the new arrivals in peace and shared their knowledge of hunting and planting with them, thereby probably saving them from starvation. Surely there is a reminder here for us to share our bounty as we are able: invite the newcomer or someone living alone, and welcome the difficult family member, or the awkward new friend of the college student, to our family celebration. As the letter to the Hebrews reminds us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”
That first Thanksgiving celebration lasted for three days, with these very different people sharing food and drink and talking as best they could communicate. Historical accounts always mention that the peace between the native tribes and the pilgrim settlers only lasted a generation. But those people did not know about that future. They were feasting and giving thanks together then and there. Let’s not allow worries about what may happen in the future, whether personally or politically. Let’s not allow that possibility to mar our celebration of being together to give thanks to our Creator for all the blessing in our lives today.
In the words of the General Thanksgiving:
Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost,
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade is a retired priest of the Diocese of Louisiana and formerly the rector of Mount Olivet Church in New Orleans. She lives now in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas, as well as Santa Fe, New Mexico, and New Orleans.
