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The roots of the United States version of Thanksgiving go back
to the 1620 and 1621 when the Puritan separatists were kicked
out of England and tried to carve out a home in the wilderness
of Massachusetts. The Mayflower, one of the ships they sailed
over on, was small enough to fit inside the lines of a tennis
court. Like most settlers of the time, they came over incredibly
unprepared. The 102 settlers packed many “useful” things such as
sundials, candle snuffers, drums, a trumpet, and a complete
history of Turkey. One man packed 126 pairs of shoes and
thirteen pairs of boots. Nobody brought a cow or horse, plow or
fishing line. Nobody knew how to hunt wild game, hunting was a
sport reserved for aristocracy.
The results are predictable. Within two weeks, six people died,
eight the next month, seventeen more in February, thirteen more
in March. When the Mayflower set sail later that spring, there
were just 54 people left alive in the new settlement, nearly
half of them children. The Natives in the region avoided the
Puritans probably hoping they would just die off and leave them
alone. But one native found the courage to connect with the
settlers. His name was Tisquantum; the settlers called him
Squanto.
This native helped the settlers befriend the local chief.
Squanto and a few other natives, helped the settlers learn how
to cultivate corn and other vegetables and catch wildfowl.
Months later, the ragged group sat down to a harvest festival
meal remembering that half their friends were dead and that they
wouldn’t have made it were it not for the kindness of a native.
They considered Squanto “a special instrument of God”.
Thankfulness comes in many forms. When we live another day after
surgery, we give thanks. When we realize that we walk the
profound line between death and life everyday, and yet we are
still alive, we give thanks. When we find spiritual meaning
however constantly or briefly in our lives, we give thanks. When
we see the faces of our children and our families, we give
thanks.
The Puritans were thankful for being alive after so much
hardship. I’m sure they gave thanks for Squanto, an unexpected
hero who saved them from certain starvation and death. As we sit
down to Thanksgiving dinner, I encourage us all to think about
the unexpected heroes who have changed our lives, unexpected
heroes who saved us from hardship. During the prayer at the
table, pray for these individuals who were special instruments
of God for you. Beyond Thanksgiving, during this upcoming season
of Advent, we must prepare our hearts and minds to give thanks
for the arrival of yet another unexpected hero, a lowly savior
from the underclass of humanity, who will bring a great light to
our lives, Jesus the Christ.
Prayer:
God,
I am thankful for the life you have given me. The ups and downs
that come from living remind me that relying on you is
essential. O Lord, you have made me glad by your work; at the
works of your hands I sing for joy.
Peace and Blessings,
Rev. Leigh S. Martin
Reinhardt College Chaplain
"Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait
for the Lord." -Psalm 31:24
