I feel very blessed to come from the Era of “Never Neverland” a time when pirates, cowboys and Indians and as you can see from above even turkey had a certain innocence to it. My “Never Neverland” world was rocked though as I studied all sides of the first thanksgiving story finding that some native Americans actually view Thanksgiving as a day of mourning as their side of the Thanksgiving Story is filled with the horrors of disease, slavery and death from war.
Yet the more I studied and pondered and prayed the more I saw God’s plan in all this especially with the Miracle of Squanto seen in the video below. For a return to innocence is really what happened I believe.
11 years before the Pilgrims arrived at Plimoth (see they were so innocent they didn’t even know how to spell Plymouth and they thought a Plymouth Barracuda was a fish), Squanto, a Native American Wapanog was kidnapped by some Spanish traders and sold into Slavery in Malaga, Spain. In God’s providence Spanish Monks bought Squanto with the intention of setting him free and teaching him of the ways of God. According to the legend they even told Squanto that God would use his misery for some great purpose, no doubt God did just that. The monks saw Squanto’s home sickness and in efforts to help him get back to America sent him to England to a man named John Slaney who would help find a ship bound for America. In England Squanto stayed 5 years and learned English and English ways before he made the long voyage back to his Village. When he finally arrived home his village was abandoned everyone had died from a disease brought from the European traders.
Meanwhile a year later Samoset a Native American visited the Pilgrims at Plimoth March 16, 1621 realizing that his friend Squanto Spoke their language he brought Squanto back the next day. Squanto was now there for such a time as this because the hapless Pilgrims had lost so many the previous winter to disease, Squanto could totally relate and set about teaching the Pilgrims the three kernels of corn to one fish in the hole trick of growing corn, how to fish for eels lobsters etc. Now here is where the two stories kind of differ so I would just like to put them together as often the truth lies in between the two sides.
So here is my Innocent version of what I think likely happened on that famous first thanksgiving. Bradford and the boys, (and girls in very cool hats) wanted to have a feast on the order of a harvest feast because they knew God had blessed them and Bradford certainly had a heart for God and knew God loves a good feast. Well they also loved to have shooting contests at their feasts back then, (thus the name turkey shoot for the contests of today). Big bad Bill was probably shooten em up big time when the local Native Americans herd all this shooting and figured there friends were under attack. So the Chief, Squanto and 90 braves came a runnin. When they got there to their surprise the Pilgrims were just having a party. William in the spirit of Christian Hospitality invited them to join in because these feasts went on for days. The Native Americans not wanting to come to the party empty handed and also not wanting to leave hungry took to the woods, (fortunately it was deer season, duck and turkey as well :)) and certainly no one went hungry. So in review of how God was blessed that first thanksgiving here are some of my thoughts.
#1 God was blessed with Squanto’s forgiveness of the Europeans who enslaved him.
#2 God was blessed to see two people groups with completely different customs and language love one another and break bread together.
#3 God loves a good hunt and a good shooting contest and the joy of fellowship afterwards.
#4 God loves the joy of combined efforts of all the men and women in making a great meal and the fellowship that goes along with it.
#5 God loves it when all of us enjoying the feast know it is the heart of our Father to provide this kind of experience like heaven will be at the great, great feast, The wedding supper of the Lamb.
Tags: #thanksgiving
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