Leviticus 22:29-32 We Give Thanks
29 When you sacrifice a sacrifice of Thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until morning. I am the Lord. 31 So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord. 32 “And you shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you,
Years ago, I was living in a mansion size house that the owner divided into apartments. I had odd and interesting neighbors that lived around me at different times. On Thanksgiving Day, I told my neighbor, whose name I can’t remember, that the Central United Methodist Church was having free Thanksgiving meals. He told me he wasn’t interested in going because Thanksgiving is a pagan holiday, and Yahweh would disapprove. I could see and smell he was drunk, so I said the word of Yahweh does not approve of being drunk; he did not reply but only returned to his apartment. The Holiday of Thanksgiving only happens because the group of Puritan Christians wanted to thank God for the excellent harvest of crops He gave them. So grateful for their blessing, the Pilgrims invited their Native American neighbors. If it had not been for their Native American neighbors, the Pilgrims would have perished. The Puritan Christians left the old world for religious freedom because the Church of England was too harsh. When America gained its independence, many founding fathers wanted to thank God for their victory, so they celebrated Thanksgiving. When Thomas Jefferson became president, he did away with Thanksgiving. Thomas Jefferson was a believer and supporter of the Separation of Church and State, and he was neither religious nor a Christian. So taking part in a holiday about giving thanks to God in prayers was not President Thomas Jefferson’s will. Many Years later, the American Civil War was destroying the nation, and morale was very low. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday again. He asked Americans to remember God again and give thanks for what we have. The idea of giving thanks for a great harvest wasn’t new in 1621. Many cultures all over the world give thanks for their harvest. Even the Lord told His followers to remember Him in a harvest-time festival.
Thanksgiving could be pagan if someone is not grateful to God for the blessing He provides. Many people sit down to get a meal without giving thanks. Many people have a family, home, a job, or good health and hardly ever thank God for it. That is not only pagan-like behavior but also profane in the name of the Holy Lord. Dear brothers and sisters. Do not call Thanksgiving Day a pagan holiday. Look at the fruits of your behavior and ask yourself, am I a follower of the Lord, or am I pagan? God bless you all; the Giver of blessings loves you, and so do I. His thankful bondservant, Samuel Jerry Head.