Sunday, November 21, 2010

Imagine, a Holiday Just for God

Imagine, a holiday created just to honor God. I've always thought that would be neat, but imagined Christmas was the closest thing.

Turns out, Thanksgiving is such a day. Thanksgiving isn't a day to just be thankful in general, without thanking anyone in particular, but rather it is a day to give thanks, specifically, to God. Even more, it is a day to serve God.

At least that's what Thanksgiving is per George Washington's Thanksgiving proclamation given way back in 1789. See it you don't read that it is to be a day "devoted . . . to the service of that great and glorious Being."

Here's the full thought from the proclamation, so you can ensure I am not reading out of context:

"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 favour; 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 and signal favours of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:'

"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us."

Read through the proclamations before and since (although this was the first one by a president, there were two previous issued by the Continental Congress) and you will find time after time, God is mentioned, and we are encouraged to direct our thanks to Him, specifically.

No comments:

Post a Comment