One hundred and fifty-five years ago, on October 3rd, 1863, our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, established and proclaimed: “ to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens……with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who…..are sufferers in the lamentable civil strife which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore….the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it… to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
As you gather this Thanksgiving, to reflect and enjoy the bounty of God’s blessings in your life, I encourage you to take a few minutes to give God great praise for His merciful kindness and unending faithfulness. And, take time to thank Him for the blessing of the United States of America and for the Republic for which it stands, One Nation, Under God, Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for ALL! Many have fought and died for our freedom to live in this great nation. We should never dishonor the sacrifices of our forefathers, nor should we ever dishonor Jesus’ sacrificial death for the salvation of ALL MANKIND!
I leave you with these simple, deeply cherished words of the “Doxology”, first published in 1709 by Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken (1637–1711). Doxology means to speak or sing in praise. May God richly bless your Thanksgiving and time of praise!
