Thanksgiving
November 27th is of course Thanksgiving Day, an important holiday in America. Many of us were taught in grade school that the origin of Thanksgiving is the 1621 celebration of the Pilgrims after a brutal winter in 1620-21. But the actual origins of Thanksgiving is a bit more complicated as well as controversial. Both the Spaniards and the French had celebrated days of Thanksgiving in America as early as the 16th century, and thanksgiving celebrations in Virginia were common by 1607. After the Revolutionary War, Presidents would routinely declare a day of thanksgiving. In 1942, Congress passed a resolution declaring the 4th Thursday of November as the national holiday of Thanksgiving.
Whatever the origins of Thanksgiving, it is good and salutary for Christians to give thanks, not just on Thanksgiving, but continually. St. Paul in 1 Thessalonians wrote, “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). We give thanks to God because of all the blessings He has bestowed upon us, and especially for the gift of salvation that comes through faith in Christ.
Martin Luther argued that Christians are the only ones who can properly give thanks to God because only Christians know the true God. He wrote, “This is the virtue characteristic of real Christians; it is their worship of God at their best. They thank God and do it with all their heart. This is a virtue unattainable by any other human being on earth. To thank with all your heart it an art – an art which the Holy Spirit teaches. And you need not worry that the man who can really say Deo gratias (to God be thanks) with all his heart will be proud, stubborn… or will work against God with His gifts.”
In Christ,
Rev. David L. Putz, Pastor
Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Good things are happening at Holy Cross! Praise God for that. When we keep Word and Sacrament ministry at the heart of what we do, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sown. As we share the Word, God gives the growth and we rejoice as humble stewards of the God who changes lives and hearts. Help us always, Lord, to keep Your Word at the center of our life together under your Holy Cross!
Please continue to pray for our congregation and each other. Don’t forget to visit our church website www.holycross-crawfordsville.org to find links for all our services on YouTube.