December 13-15, 1621

Transcription

1 December 13-15, 1621

2 Set sail from England on September 6, Pilgrims onboard the Mayflower Arrived 66 days later Pilgrims By the middle of March 1621, 47 Pilgrims had died 13 of 18 wives died Only three families left unbroken by death With the help of Squanto and the Indians, the Pilgrims had a bountiful harvest in 1621 Three days of feasting and games in December 1621

3 President Lincoln Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale (author of Mary Had a Little Lamb ) had been promoting the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day for nearly three decades In 1863, President Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day This occurred in the middle of the bloody Civil War Also about the time Lincoln committed his life to Christ

4 Lincoln Recalls When I left Springfield [Illinois, 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.

5 Lincoln Declares The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.... No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, Who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

6 Lincoln s Example Over the next 75 years, presidents faithfully followed Lincoln s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day (though the actual days varied) In 1933, President Roosevelt moved it to the fourth Thursday in November, presumably to allow more time for Christmas shopping to stimulate the economy In 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday as a national Thanksgiving holiday

7 Back to the Pilgrims Who were they? Englishmen who wanted to worship as they saw fit; But they also wanted to be Englishmen The Church of England, in compromise, chose to follow Protestant doctrine while retaining Roman Catholic liturgy Some saw the compromise as defiling the Church and wanted to purify it, the Puritans Some saw the Church as beyond help and chose to separate from it, Separatists In 1618, the King decreed that all Puritans must leave the country

8 The Adventurers Knowing the Pilgrim s plight, Thomas Weston, an adventurer, tangled the Pilgrims into an indentured servitude for seven years After the ships had been loaded, he proposed a change to the contract The Pilgrims compromised and signed an indefinite contract of servitude The Pilgrims, following the teaching of Christ (Matt 5:38-40) did not pay off the debt until 1645 They paid 20,000 Pounds to retire a debt of 1,800

9 Pilgrims William Bradford wrote, so they left the godly and pleasant city which had been their resting place ; but they knew they were pilgrims and looked not much on those things but lifted their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.

10 The New World The Pilgrims arrived in the New World in November, 1620 They landed at Cape Cod instead of their intended destination (Virginia) They were not under the jurisdiction any charter They drafted the Mayflower Compact, the first voluntary, self government

11 The First Year In March 1621, the Pilgrims were greeted by Samoset, an Algonquian Samoset learned English from various fishing captains who came to trade He told them the land they were on was owned by no one It had acres of cleared land for farming and nearby streams That year, Squanto (Tisquantum) adopted the Pilgrims and taught them how to fish, hunt, trap, and farm in the New World

12 Squanto A member of the Patuxet tribe of the Wampanoag nation Captured in 1605 by English explorers and returned in 1614 In 1614, Squanto was lured onto a ship and taken as a slave He was bought and rescued by some friars who introduced him to the Christian faith In 1616, the entire Patuxet tribe was wiped out by a mysterious plague In 1619, Squanto returned home to find his entire tribe gone

13 Thanksgiving Day In December 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving Celebration Massasoit, Chief of the Wampanoag Nation, brought 90 warriors with him It was a time of feasting, games, and prayer

14 More Pilgrims About a month after the first Thanksgiving Day, more Pilgrims showed up They brought with them no food or supplies They had to ration food five kernels of corn, per person, per day God provided - a ship dropped anchor The Pilgrims traded beaver pelts for trinkets which they then traded with the Indians for corn No one died that second winter

15 1623 After yet another harsh winter, the Pilgrims realized they needed twice the rations to get them through the next winter Drought in the Spring The Pilgrims attributed it to their own greed A time of prayer and fasting was called God sent rain Abundant harvest that year!

16 Second Thanksgiving 1623 had a very abundant yield Massasoit showed up with 120 braves and his principal wife Massive Feast 12 deer Turkey, duck, goose, fish Nuts, plums, grapes, berries Five kernels of corn

17 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, Psalm 92:1 Prayer, Fasting, and Dependence on God Humility Lessons