Thank You Lord For The Church Down The Road.

1 Thessalonians 1

New Living Translation (NLT)

² We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. ³ As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

Our corn [i.e. wheat] did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian corn, and our barley indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sown. They came up very well, and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom. 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 fruit 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 among 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. (Edward Winslow's account, which he wrote in a letter dated December 12, 1621).

History teaches that this was the first thanksgiving celebration. There are no records indicating it was ever celebrated again until George Washington set a couple of one time thanksgiving days. It would not be until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln would designate the last Thursday of November as a national holiday of thanksgiving. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941), changed it from Abraham Lincoln's designation as the last Thursday in November (which could occasionally end up being the fifth Thursday and hence too close to Christmas for businesses), to the fourth Thursday.

It is interesting to note that at the first celebration the people that came together to praise God for His favor would eventually over the course of history become enemies. Now let me make an observation here in Christendom. It seems to me that at the out start Christians prayed for other Christians. Churches were not in competition to see who had the best programs, the best music, the best preachers, the most members. They all pulled for one another. When was the last time you thanked God for the church down the road or across town? “Are you kidding me? They took some of our members away from us.” Hopefully none of you reading this ever said or thought that. Chances are you know someone who has. When we begin to think of all the things we will thank God for this week let’s not forget our other brothers and sisters as Paul reminds us, they too are Gods people.