The Surprising Origins of Two Thanksgiving Hymns

November 30, 2022October 18, 2023 bigspringschurch80 Years War, Come Ye Thankful People Come, Dutch War of Independence, Thanksgiving Day, We Gather Together, Wheat and Tares

It is true that “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” (1844) has overtones of joy at harvest time. In Stanza 1, the people are exhorted to sing in thankfulness for the harvest “safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin” since “doth provide for our wants to be supplied.” However, the reference to a joyful harvest time ends here. In the next three stanzas, the theme unexpectedly shifts to Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and Weeds (Matthew 13).

Psalms Romans Sermons

“His Steadfast Love Endures Forever”

November 27, 2017September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchGreat Hallel, Psalm 136, Romans 12, Thanksgiving Day

Psalm 116:1-19; Romans 12:1-2 November 26, 2017 • Download this sermon (PDF) Beloved Congregation of Christ: We often hear people exclaiming, “Hallelujah!” when they are so happy that something that they had been waiting for has come. For most people today, this word is nothing more than “Hooray!” or “Yippee!” For the Beatles, hallelujah is merely a praise word for their Hindu God Krishna in their song “My Sweet Lord.” In the movie Shrek, “Hallelujah” became the most popular song. But in this song, the Jewish writer, Leonard Cohen,…

Psalms Romans Sermons

A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving

November 20, 2017September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchprayer of thanksgiving, Psalm 116, Romans 12, Thanksgiving Day

Psalm 116:1-19; Romans 12:1-2 November 19, 2017 • Download this sermon (PDF) Beloved Congregation of Christ: This Thanksgiving Day, what are you most thankful for? But on Thursday, most Americans will be focused on turkey, football and alcohol. Last year’s celebrity tweets were good examples of this focus. Singer Bruno Mars posted on Twitter a picture of himself soaking in a bathtub with champagne in his hand and wrote, “If this don’t look thankful I don’t know what does.” Ellen Degeneres sent a picture of her and her two…

Sermons

How to celebrate Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday on the same day

November 27, 2015September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchBlack Friday, Lord's Supper, Thanksgiving Day, true gospel

Today, hordes of turkey-stuffed shoppers in America will flood the stores in the early morning hours of what’s commonly called “Black Friday.” How did this day come to be known as “Black Friday?” History Channel’s story about its origin makes the most sense. Back in the 1950s, police in the city of Philadelphia used the term to describe the chaos that ensued on the day after Thanksgiving, when hordes of suburban shoppers and tourists flooded into the city in advance of the big Army-Navy football game held on that…

Church Blog

The “First Thanksgiving” We’ve Forgotten

November 27, 2015September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchEdward Winslow, Mayflower, Pilgrims, Plimouth, Thanksgiving Day, William Bradford

Thankful for oldlife.org for pointing to this article by Robert Tracy McKenzie, professor and chair of the Department of History at Wheaton College. This article was posted on November 25, 2015, and I’m re-posting it in its entirety because, as so happens so frequently, the link changes or even disappears in time. Tomorrow families all across America will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, and some, at least, will link what they are doing to the Pilgrims’ celebration on the coast of Massachusetts in 1621. Although frequently embellished and sometimes caricatured, the…

Church Blog

The Origins of Thanksgiving Day

November 24, 2015September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchHuguenots, Jacksonville, Jamestown, Plimouth Colony, Thanksgiving Day

Broadcast on November 22, 2015 at KSYC 103.9FM in Yreka, CA Download this article (PDF) Thanksgiving Day in American History Most Americans are familiar with the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving Feast of October 1621 in Plimouth Colony, Massachusetts. Fifty surviving Pilgrims, together with 90 Wampanoag Indians, had a three-day harvest festival of wild turkey, duck, geese, venison, lobsters, clams, bass, corn, vegetables, and dried fruits. This was not a religious event, except for giving thanks for the food. But few know that it was not the first thanksgiving feast in the…

Psalms Sermons

A Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness

November 23, 2015September 25, 2019 bigspringschurch1 Thessalonians 5, Psalm 65, Thanksgiving Day

Psalm 65 (text); 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 November 22, 2015 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Today, we take a break from our study of the Gospel of John, as we look forward to a great Christian tradition in America, Thanksgiving Day. Many people think of Thanksgiving Day only in terms of family get-together, or turkey, or football, or just an opportunity for relaxing on a four-day weekend. But as Christians, how should we celebrate Thanksgiving Day? Its origins date back to the first settlers in the New…

Church Blog KSYC Program

Turkey, Football and Thanksgiving Day

November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 bigspringschurchfootball, Huguenots, Jamestown, KSYC 103.9FM, Plymouth Colony, Thanksgiving Day, turkey, Virginia, We Gather Together

Scripture Readings: Psalm 136:1-26 • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 November 23, 2014 • KSYC 103.9FM (Yreka, CA) • Download this devotional (PDF) Hello, and welcome to another edition of our Sunday Focus on the Bible. My name is Nollie Malabuyo, Pastor of Big Springs Community Church in Montague. Today, we take a break from our study of Biblical mountains. Instead, we will meditate on a holiday that is dear to the hearts of all Americans: Thanksgiving Day. Let’s go back some 400 years ago, in Plymouth, England. A group of 102 men, women and…

Worship

Liturgy for Thanksgiving Sunday, November 23, 2014

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 bigspringschurchliturgy, Reformed worship, Thanksgiving Day, worship service

Welcome and Announcements We Come with Thankful Hearts Call to Worship: Psalm 95:1-7 Opening Prayer of Thanksgiving God’s Greeting: 1Timothy 1:2; 1Peter 1:2 Hymn of Praise: “We Gather Together” #387:1-3 (Brown) We Give Thanks for God’s Creation and Gifts to Us Scripture Reading: Psalm 19:1-6 Prayer of Thanksgiving Hymn of Praise: “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” #392:1-4 (Brown) We Give Thanks for Salvation Scripture Reading: Psalm 103:1-14 Prayer of Thanksgiving Hymn of Praise: “Now Thank We All Our God” #525:1-3 (Brown) We Give Thanks for Family and Society Scripture…