Rev. Dr. Douglas K. Showalter Scripture: Psalm 24:1-6 First Congregational Church of Falmouth, MA of the UCC November 21, 2010 Copyright 2010

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1 Rev. Dr. Douglas K. Showalter Scripture: Psalm 24:1-6 First Congregational Church of Falmouth, MA of the UCC November 21, 2010 Copyright 2010 "GOOD FOOD, GOOD MEAT, GOOD GOD, LET'S EAT!" Reviving the >Thanks= in Thanksgiving Next Thursday afternoon, at the sound of that perfunctory starting signal, many American families will begin, not a Thanksgiving dinner, but rather a 30-minute Turkey Dash. In this country, the 30-minute Turkey Dash has become a fork race of Olympic stature. Set into action by an empty prayer, the many participants in this annual American event, gobble with such vigor that they break their chewing strides, just long enough to catch an occasional breath, or to grumble: Pass the gravy! Butter? Rolls please! Where's the salt? More potatoes! What, no mince-meat pie this year? Knives scraping plates, jaws munching, heads bobbing up and down, elbows tracing frantic circles in the air. The fearful din of this Thanksgiving race is most commonly concluded when plaintive groans from bulging stomachs are heard all around the table. The day's main event over, mother is left to survey what's left of her carefully prepared feast; namely, a stripped turkey carcass in a littered playing field, of fork-beaten platters and plates. Clutching his stomach, Father excuses himself from the table, and ambles over to an easy chair in front of the TV, to watch the traditional holiday football game or a Thanksgiving parade with its thundering cadences a la John Phillips Sousa. The kids quickly scamper out the door to text their friends or play on their computers. They eagerly await their own rendezvous with the TV, when they will thrill to such holiday spectacles as: Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, searching in an Ohio amusement park for a 9-foot tall turkey. With Dad ensconced before the TV, and the kids off "doing their own thing," Mom struggles in the kitchen alone. She's left to calculate the prospects for the next day's hash. 30 minutes and its all over! After stuffing themselves beyond sanity, the family that briefly gathered together, under the guise of Thanksgiving, soon spins off from the meal, with each heading off in his/her own separate direction. At Thanksgiving time, there should be deep and sincere expressions of gratitude to God. However, in our modern, all-too-common, 30-minute

2 Page 2 of 5 Turkey Dash, there is just a pretense of thanksgiving, and a pre-occupation with marching bands, football, left-overs, and 9-foot tall turkeys. Alas, how far we Americans have come, over these last, almost 4 centuries, from the early celebrations of Thanksgiving. Our feebly expressed gratitude to God, our material abundance, and our many personal distractions, all work to separate us from that vital Thanksgiving tradition, which has been a mainstay of our heritage as Americans. What is our vital Thanksgiving tradition in this country? What are the basic elements in this historic holiday observance, which are so important, yet so often overlooked today? I see three such elements: First, the American Thanksgiving has been a day of sincere and thoughtful gratitude to God. The Pilgrims at Plymouth, did not utter an empty prayer at their feast of Thanksgiving. In fact, intense feelings of real gratitude freely sprang from their hearts. We should recall the circumstances which led to America's first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims came to these shores in late November, in the year Without any time to grow crops or build a proper settlement, those Pilgrims were quickly engulfed in a harsh New England winter. Frightfully cold, hungry, and stricken with disease, nearly half of those Pilgrims died during their first winter in Plymouth. It was a terrible experience. When spring finally came, the surviving Pilgrims knew that their entire colony would be wiped out, if they could not grow a decent crop in the next few months. With the invaluable help of Squanto, the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims planted 20 acres of corn. At first that corn grew well. But then the weather turned dreadfully hot, without a drop of rain. Those Pilgrims watched in horror, as their corn plants [and their prospect for survival] began to wither under the hot summer sun. In deep concern over that situation, the Pilgrims set aside a solemn day of humiliation. It was a day when they all made frequent, humble prayers to God for help in their extremity. Apparently their prayers were answered. For as their Governor, William Bradford later wrote:

3 Page 3 of 5 Toward evening [on this day of humiliation] it begane to be overcaste, and shortly after to raine, with such sweete and gentle showers, as gave them cause of rejoyceing, and blessing God. It came, without wind, or thunder, or any violence, and by degreese in that abundance, as that the earth was thorowly wete and soaked therwith. Which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corne and other fruits as was wonderfull to see......for which mercie [in time conveniente] they also sett a parte a day of thanksgiveing. Thus, the Pilgrims were moved to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in this new land. This was not just another holiday for the Pilgrims. Rather, it was a time set aside, to truly thank God for God's guiding providence and abundance in their lives. At the first Thanksgiving, a great feast was set out, for both those European settlers and for invited Wampanoag guests. William Brewster, the Pilgrim Elder gave a great prayer in which he thanked God for God=s infinite mercies and goodness. Then as a group, the Pilgrims sang together, the great 24th Psalm from the Hebrew Bible, which begins with these words, as you heard earlier: The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Second, the American Thanksgiving has been a day of humble reflection. It has been a day when Americans have thought not just of abundance, but also of sacrifice, hardship, and suffering, which were endured with God=s help. Whereas today there is widespread, ritualized gluttony and much mindless wallowing in super-abundance, in years gone by there were modest, soul-searching moments on Thanksgiving Day. Historically, for many American agricultural families, the day of Thanksgiving was also the day for accounting. By this time of year, the crops were in, livestock had been slaughtered, apples had been pressed into cider or stored, and the wood pile had been stacked. Having completed all these things by Thanksgiving Day, families took careful stock of the year's blessings. If the year had been a good one, they would feast. However, if the year had been hard, they would have just a simple meal on Thanksgiving Day--during which they would reflect on God's gifts of strength and hope to endure their hardships. Beginning in the 19th century, it became the custom of many New England

4 Page 4 of 5 families to place five kernels of corn at each Thanksgiving plate. Those kernels were meant to remind each diner, that during the most difficult winter days, each Pilgrim at Plymouth had to survive on a ration of only five corn kernels a day. [Really, can you imagine living on just 5 kernels a day?] Those five kernels beside each Thanksgiving plate, were also meant to remind each diner, how much he/she really did have, to be thankful for. Our modern Thanksgivings would be much more meaningful, if we remembered not just the free and easy, good times, but also the difficult times in our lives. Those times which God, in God=s great mercy, helped us pass through. Third, the American Thanksgiving has been a day of intense fellowship and sharing. Early American Thanksgivings were a far cry from the individual aloofness and family fragmentation which characterize many Thanksgiving observances today. Instead of a breathless, 30-minute Turkey Dash over appetizers, entrees, and deserts, people in earlier years often valued Thanksgiving Day as a golden opportunity to really enjoy each other's company, without distractions. Two hundred years ago, virtually everyone in an extended family participated in the planning and implementation of Thanksgiving Day. To prepare the meal, family bake ovens were fired up daily for a week. On Thanksgiving Day, family and/or friends stayed at the Thanksgiving dinner table all afternoon, until dark. In between the various courses, people prayed, sang hymns and ballads, and entertained each other with stories. If it was a cold Thanksgiving day, people got up, halfway through the meal, and changed sides of the table--so everyone got an equal share of the fireplace's warmth. When the meal finally came to an end, the diners all gathered together at the fireplace hearth, to crack nuts and continue their stories and songs until bedtime As Americans, we have a rich and meaningful Thanksgiving heritage. The American Thanksgiving has been: --A day of sincere and thoughtful gratitude to God.

5 Page 5 of 5 --A day of humble reflection--not only on abundance, but also on sacrifice, hardship, and suffering endured with God's help. --It=s also been a day of intense fellowship and sharing. Measured against those things, our modern 30-minute Turkey Dashes leave much to be desired. For those Dashes have taken the thankful heart out of our rich Thanksgiving tradition, and substituted in its place, a ticking stop-watch of ingratitude, gluttony, and self-absorption. In and of themselves, there is nothing wrong with short and simple prayers of thanks to God--as long as they are sincere and thoughtful. There=s nothing wrong with feasting--as long as it is also mindful of sacrifice and God's providence in our lives. There=s nothing wrong with parades, football, left-over meal planning, and even 9 foot tall turkeys--as long as they are not allowed to undermine and usurp, the fellowship and sharing of this special day. Next Thursday, discourage the 30-minute Turkey Dash, if it=s apt to occur in your household. Instead, I invite you, in the true spirit of this great American holiday, to revive the "thanks" in your Thanksgiving.