The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving (November 1621)

The first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in November of 1621.
After a year marked by severe hardship, loss, hunger, and uncertainty, God provided
for the Pilgrims in remarkable ways. He sent Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe
who spoke English, to teach them how to plant corn, gather maple sap, fish, and work
the land more effectively. Through this unexpected providence, their first substantial
harvest finally arrived.

Governor William Bradford organized a feast of gratitude. About fifty Pilgrims were
present, including twenty-two men, four women, and more than twenty-five children and
teenagers. Edward Winslow, writing on December 11, 1621, described the three-day celebration
shared with Massasoit and roughly ninety Wampanoag men:

“After a very difficult time our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling,
that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors;
they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the company almost a week,
at which time amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and
amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and
feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our
governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time
with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”

The Pilgrims saw their harvest not as luck but as God’s provision, and their gratitude
overflowed into worship.

Hebrews 13:15
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is,
the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

The First National Thanksgiving (December 18, 1777)

More than a century later, the Continental Congress proclaimed the first national
Thanksgiving Day in response to the American victory at Saratoga in 1777. They
dedicated Thursday, December 18, so that “the good people may express the grateful
feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine
Benefactor.”

Even in the midst of war, hardship, and uncertainty, the nation was called to
remember the mercies of God and to respond with humble gratitude.

Philippians 4:4–7
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be
known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.”

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation (October 3, 1789)

In 1789, President George Washington issued the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation.
His words still resonate with clarity and conviction:

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,
to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection
and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me
to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer
to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God
especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for
their safety and happiness.”

Washington called the people of the United States to unite in giving thanks for God’s care,
protection, and provision, including civil and religious liberty and the opportunity to
establish a just government. He urged the nation to seek God’s mercy, to walk faithfully in
their callings, and to pray that the government would remain a blessing.

His words remind us that gratitude is inseparable from humility, repentance, and dependence on God.

Colossians 3:15–17
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another
in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through him.”

Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation (October 3, 1863)

In the midst of the Civil War, one of the darkest and bloodiest seasons in American history,
President Abraham Lincoln called the nation to a day of Thanksgiving. Despite the devastation,
Lincoln recognized the countless mercies God continued to show: preserved freedoms, national
growth, fruitful fields, and unbroken governmental order.

“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.”

Lincoln urged the nation to give thanks with humble penitence, to remember widows, orphans,
mourners, and sufferers, and to seek God’s healing for the wounds of the nation. His proclamation
models gratitude that does not deny hardship but magnifies God in the midst of it.

Thanksgiving in Scripture: A Call to Worship

God’s people have always been called to grateful worship. Thanksgiving is not seasonal,
it is an ongoing response to who God is.

Psalm 95

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice,
8     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

10 For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

1 Chronicles 16:34
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Conclusion: Gratitude That Endures

As Christians, we celebrate Thanksgiving not merely as a cultural tradition but as a
spiritual discipline. Gratitude shapes our hearts, strengthens our faith, and reminds us
that every breath, every provision, every joy, and even every trial comes to us through
the gracious hand of our Father.

May this Thanksgiving lead us to deeper worship, fuller gratitude, and renewed devotion
to Christ.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.”

For more from our latest series please visit: Gratitude That Endures: Cultivating Thankful Hearts in Christ