WORD OF THE WEEK - THANKSGIVING - 11/23/25

“THANKSGIVING”

DEFINITION: Thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks or a prayer expressing gratitude: an annual national holiday in the U.S. (fourth Thursday in November) and Canada (second Monday in October) celebrating harvests and blessings of the past year.
Scriptures:Psalm 100:4 – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Hebrews 13:15 – “Through Jesus then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”




GOD BLESS YOU!!
ORINE OUT!!

Website:  www.wow-newton.com

Website: www.wow-newton.com
Email:  osnewton@wow-newton.com

Transcript

DEFINITION: Thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks or a prayer expressing gratitude: an annual national holiday in the U.S. (fourth Thursday in November) and Canada (second Monday in October) celebrating harvests and blessings of the past year.
Scriptures:Psalm 100:4 – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Hebrews 13:15 – “Through Jesus then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”


THOUGHT
The Myth of the First Thanksgiving
The picture above illustrates how the First Thanksgiving has been shaped more by myth than reality.
Look closely — you’ll spot at least seven foods that couldn’t possibly have been at the First Thanksgiving.  Can you identify them? (Answers follow later.) 
As a child,  I learned that the Pilgrims and the Indians had a peaceful meal similar to the one depicted above.  But in the picture, as in the story, there are many misrepresentations of what actually occurred. 
My husband went to high school with a descendant of the Wampanoag people.  Until I started researching the real history of Thanksgiving, I didn’t realize it was his tribe that encountered the Pilgrims in 1621. What a powerful and complicated legacy.
Before European contact, more than 67 tribes — over 40,000 people — lived throughout the Massachusetts Bay region, from Weymouth to Nantucket and down to Rhode Island. They had thrived there for over 12,000 years.
Between 1615 and 1619, a devastating epidemic, likely brought by European ships, killed a large portion of the Wampanoag and neighboring tribes. By the time the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, the population had already been deeply weakened.
Around 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, within Wampanoag territory. In 1621, Chief Massasoit entered into a peace treaty with them — partly to protect his people by forming an alliance against rival tribes. The peace was real, but it was fragile and short-lived.
The First Thanksgiving was a one-time occurrence. The gathering  was not a national holiday or an annual tradition. It was a harvest gathering — a moment in time —  that later generations would transform into a symbol of perfect harmony that never truly existed.
The Wampanoag’s and the Puritans believed in giving thanks, but in different ways:For the Wampanoag, thanksgiving meant balance, reciprocity, and respect for the natural world — recognizing that life depended on honoring all of creation.
For the Pilgrims, who followed Christ, thanksgiving was directed toward God for survival, provision, and what they saw as divine favor.
Later, colonies and states held their own thanksgiving rituals. George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, but it until 1863 that President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, and the myth of the First Thanksgiving crystallized into the tradition we know today.
Today, the Wampanoag number about 4,000. They continue to preserve their language and rituals. For them, Thanksgiving is not a celebration, but a National Day of Mourning — a time to remember the suffering, displacement, and loss that followed colonization.
The Wampanoag’s role in America’s story has often been minimized. Yet without their knowledge, food, and support, the Pilgrims may not have survived.
As believers, we are called to face truth no matter how cruel, painful or difficult.  And in the midst of that truth to be thankful, not just for provision, but for humility, forgiveness, compassion and grace for ourselves, and towards others.As Scripture reminds us:“ “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
Dear God,“We are truly thankful for all the good things You have done. Help us acknowledge the truth and give us courage to rise above our mistakes and strength to be more like You.  Amen.”

“𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴𝓼𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰”