Thanksgiving In Colonial America

The provided text, apparently an excerpt from a sermon or lecture, critically examines the concept of thanksgiving, contrasting the biblical mandate for constant gratitude with what the speaker perceives as the modern focus on endless requests to God. The speaker references several New Testament passages, particularly from Paul’s letters, to establish that Christians are called to live “with thanksgiving” in all circumstances. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to a comparison with Hindu religious practices described in a National Geographic article, asserting that this “ungodly antichrist religion” is characterised by constant asking and a complete lack of thanksgiving to its ineffective gods. Finally, the sermon connects the American Thanksgiving holiday to the ancient Israelite “Feast of Ingathering,” arguing that the Pilgrims’ experience and the subsequent proclamations, like the one by George Washington, re-established this biblical feast day in America as a time for national thanks to God for his sovereign provision, rather than petitioning for more.

Beyond the Turkey: 4 Radical Truths About Thanksgiving You’ve Never Heard

For most of us, Thanksgiving conjures familiar images: a table overflowing with food, the warmth of family, and the drone of a football game in the background. It’s a cherished annual pause for comfort and togetherness. But does this modern celebration, pleasant as it is, capture the original, more profound meaning of the day?

The historical and biblical roots of Thanksgiving reveal a practice that is far more challenging, surprising, and transformative than most of us realize. It is not simply a day for feeling grateful when things are good, but a disciplined spiritual act with ancient origins, forged in desperation. Here are four principles that reclaim a deeper understanding of this holiday.

Principle 1: Prayer Is More About ‘Thanking’ Than ‘Asking’

At its core, the biblical concept of thanksgiving fundamentally reshapes the posture of prayer. The Apostle Paul’s teachings in Philippians 4:6 and Colossians 4:2 instruct that prayer should be foundationally offered “with thanksgiving.” The idea is not just to be grateful for answered prayers, but to make requests while actively giving thanks.

This stands in stark contrast to other religious practices. A 1971 National Geographic article describes the prayers of Hindu fishermen on the Ganges River as a constant series of requests for deliverance and provision: “Oh Ganja, oh Krishna, give us fish and fill our stomachs,” “rid us of our troubles,” “May our problems cease.” It is an unceasing petition for aid.

The analysis of this difference highlights a profound theological distinction:

Their prayers are always and continually asking, asking, asking, asking asking. And Paul says, “When you ask, you do it with thanksgiving… Everything that you do, you do with thanksgiving to God.”

This distinction is a powerful challenge, not just to other religions, but to our own modern habits. A look at contemporary Christianity reveals a dangerous drift toward this same posture. When preachers focus primarily on soliciting prayer requests, promising divine intervention in exchange for petitions, they risk turning God into a cosmic provider to be constantly lobbied. Our Christian religion, through a lack of knowledge of the word of God, has almost turned into the same thing: a culture of asking without the foundational discipline of thanking.

Principle 2: Thanksgiving Is an Ancient Israelite Feast

While we associate Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims at Plymouth, its origins go back much further. The American holiday, from a certain theological perspective, is a modern expression of one of the three major feasts God ordained for ancient Israel, a sign of a divine covenant being fulfilled by a specific people in a new land.

Exodus chapter 23 details these three required annual observances:

 The Feast of Unleavened Bread: This celebration, also known as Passover, commemorated the exodus from Egypt.

 The Feast of the Harvest: This was an offering of the “first fruits” at the beginning of the harvest cycle, a principle directly connected to the practice of tithing.

 The Feast of Ingathering: This was a celebration at the very end of the agricultural year, after all the crops had been gathered from the fields.

The American Thanksgiving holiday aligns directly with this third ancient ordinance. It is not simply a historical parallel but, as the source argues, a fulfillment of prophecy.

God ordained only three feasts for Israel, of which Thanksgiving is one of them. Because Thanksgiving is the feast of the in gathering or the feast at the end of the harvest.

This connection reveals that millions of Americans participate each year not just in a national tradition, but in an ancient sacred pattern. From this viewpoint, they are acting as “God’s Israel people,” unknowingly observing an Israelite feast day in what is seen as “the place of reathered Israel.”

Principle 3: Gratitude Forged in Crisis, Not Comfort

The popular image of the first Thanksgiving is one of peaceful cooperation and bountiful tables. The historical account, as recorded by Plymouth governor William Bradford, tells a much more harrowing story. The Pilgrims’ gratitude was not a response to comfort, but to a miraculous deliverance from the brink of annihilation.

After losing half their population to famine and disease the previous winter, their survival depended entirely on their new crop. They were utterly isolated—England was months away by sailing ship, and there was no Red Cross to call, no welfare office to visit. They stood alone between survival and death by starvation. Then, a severe drought struck and continued from late May until mid-July. Their corn, the key to their survival, began to wither and die in the parched ground.

Facing extinction, the Pilgrims set apart a “solemn day of humiliation to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer.” What followed was seen as a direct answer. Though the morning was hot and clear, toward evening the sky became overcast and “sweet and gentle showers” began to fall, lasting long enough to thoroughly soak the earth and revive the dying crops. The harvest, and their lives, were saved. Their gratitude was not for mere abundance, but for survival itself.

God caused them, forced them, brought to them to a position where they had to get down on their knees and ask God to save their crops, which he then did in such a manner that they could not doubt but what God had done it… When those people came to that table on Thanksgiving, brother, sister, they weren’t just thanking the Lord for the food that was spread before them. They were thanking him for very life itself.

This raw, desperate gratitude born from the brink of annihilation reveals a deeper truth: thanksgiving is not a pleasant feeling for when times are good; it is a disciplined act of faith required when everything is on the line.

Principle 4: Gratitude Is an Action, Not an Emotion

This context of crisis leads directly to the final principle. In modern culture, gratitude is often treated as a passive emotion—a feeling of happiness that arises when circumstances are favorable. However, the biblical texts present thanksgiving not as a feeling but as an active, disciplined command to be followed in all circumstances.

Scripture repeatedly frames thankfulness as a direct instruction. Colossians 3:15 concludes a list of Christian virtues with the simple command, “and be ye thankful.” A few verses later, Colossians 3:17 expands the scope: “whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God.” Gratitude is positioned as the foundation for every action.

Perhaps the most all-encompassing directive is found in 1 Thessalonians:

Rejoice ever more. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

This means that gratitude is not contingent on our circumstances or feelings. It is a conscious choice and a spiritual discipline to be practiced intentionally, whether in abundance or in scarcity. It is an act of will, not an emotional reflex.

A More Meaningful Feast

The true history and theology behind Thanksgiving point to a practice far deeper than an annual meal. It demands a posture of prayer that prioritizes thanking over asking. It claims a place in the lineage of an ancient, sacred Israelite feast. It is a response forged not in comfort but in the crucible of crisis. And ultimately, it is a divine command to be followed in every season of life.

This year, as we gather at the table, what might change if we embraced this more radical vision? What if we understood our thanksgiving not as a simple reaction to our blessings, but as a profound and disciplined act of faith—an echo of an ancient feast, offered in defiance of any circumstance?