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Gratitude Helps Our Attitude
On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Pastor Kelvin and JoAnne focused on how being grateful changes our lives. Our reader, Ella Robison, helped remind us of some of the things we can be thankful for. The pastor’s message spoke of how the mental habit of giving thanks helps us stay positive even when times are tough. Pastor Kelvin noted that the traditional seasonal hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God” was written in a time of war and plague yet has such an uplifting message. Being grateful also helps us to have faith. As we remember all that God has done for us, we find it easier to be filled with expectancy that God is at work. What is more, an attitude of gratitude fills our hearts with contentment and peace.
History of Thanksgiving
Pastor Kelvin and JoAnne also talked about the historical basis for our Thanksgiving holiday. The faith attitude shown in the Mayflower Compact drawn up by the first New England settlers set the tone. Then of course, there was the big celebration of the Pilgrims with their Native American neighbors after the first summer’s crops. But there is another important milestone event that is foundational as well. We can also look back to the first National Day of Thanksgiving set apart by Congress and President George Washington on Nov. 26, 1789. It serves as a model for us as well.