Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A life that matters”
Our Bible verse for today: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 118:1 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Happy Thanksgiving!”
Have you heard the story of how it was that we in the USA ended up with Thanksgiving as a national holiday? If so then you were probably taught that it was President Abraham Lincoln who decided that the last Thursday of November would be set aside as a national day of Thanksgiving. Well that’s true, sort of. On October 3, 1863 President Lincoln did sign such a proclamation, but the credit for Thanksgiving as a national day of thanks actually goes to an Episcopalian lady by the name of Sarah Hale.
Sarah was a young widow raising five children and she made her living by running a small tailor and sewing shop. Sarah was also a writer and so she used her spare time to write articles, editorials, and eventually a book. Beyond that, Sarah was a strong Christian who was keenly aware of God’s blessings in her life and she was very grateful for them. And she thought everyone should be grateful for their blessings too.
In 1837, as her writing gained in popularity, Sarah was offered a job as the editor of a small women’s magazine called “Godey’s Lady Book”. Under Sarah’s leadership circulation skyrocketed and Godey’s became one of the most popular women’s magazines in the nation. It wasn’t a Christian magazine but Sarah did work-in lots of Christian themes and lessons into the articles and editorials. And, Sarah being Sarah, she used it as a platform to beat the drum being thankful.
In 1846 Sarah used the magazine to launch a crusade to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. She chose November as a good month for it and so she filled the November edition with Thanksgiving poetry, stories, testimonials, and turkey recipes. She also flooded politicians and government officials with letters and petitions to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. By 1839 she had thirty state governors onboard. She then shifted her attention to the Federal government.
Finally, after almost twenty-five years of her pleas for National Thanksgiving holiday falling on deaf ears in Washington, in 1863, while the country was mired in the Civil War, President Lincoln agreed with Sarah and established the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
And so although Abraham Lincoln tends to get the credit for Thanksgiving as a national holiday, it was actually Sarah Hale and her lifelong vision that was the driving force behind it.
On this Thanksgiving Day 2016, my family and I want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. May God continue to bless you, and may you continue to be thankful.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 