If you are like me, Thanksgiving means family and friends and food but this year I wanted to delve a little deeper into the history and its roots in Christianity.
Thanksgiving is one of America’s most beloved traditions, but the deeper story behind it often gets lost in parades, football, and turkey dinners. Strip all that away, and you’ll find a holiday built on faith, hardship, gratitude, and the Christian conviction that God provides, even in the darkest seasons.
This is where Thanksgiving came from and why it still matters.
The Beginning: 1621 and the Pilgrims’ Faith
When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they came for one reason: to worship God freely. They weren’t adventurers chasing gold or trade routes. They were Christians who refused to compromise their faith under the Church of England.
The winter that followed nearly destroyed them. Half died from sickness and starvation. But through God’s mercy, including the help of the Wampanoag people, the colony survived. After their first successful harvest, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast in 1621.
They didn’t call it “Thanksgiving.”
But it was exactly that: an act of gratitude to God, acknowledging His provision even after unbearable loss. Prayer and worship were part of that celebration from beginning to end.
Long Before America: A Christian Pattern of Thankfulness
Europeans, especially the Puritans and Separatists, already had a long tradition of setting aside days of fasting and thanksgiving.
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Fasting when things went wrong; drought, sickness, war.
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Thanksgiving when God answered prayers or blessed the crops.
These weren’t feast days at first. They were worship services, sermons, Scripture reading, and prayer. That same pattern is what the Pilgrims brought to Plymouth.
1676: A Colony Sees God’s Hand
In 1676, leaders in Charlestown, Massachusetts, issued one of the earliest official Thanksgiving proclamations. It thanked Almighty God for protecting the colony and asked the people to return to Him in gratitude.
It wasn’t political. It wasn’t cultural. It was openly Christian.
1789: George Washington’s National Proclamation
After the Constitution was ratified, George Washington declared the first national Thanksgiving. He called Americans to thank God, acknowledge His care, and seek His guidance for the new nation.
Read his proclamation and you’ll see a tone that’s unmistakably faith-centered. Washington believed gratitude to God was essential for national life, not optional, something we need more of today.
1863: Lincoln Makes It an Annual Holiday
During the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday. His proclamation points America directly to:
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God’s mercy
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God’s protection
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The need for humility
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The need for repentance
Lincoln understood that a nation torn apart still needed to pause and recognize that God alone sustains it.
The Modern Holiday
In 1941, Congress set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, solidifying the date we still use today.
Over time, the cultural layers grew:
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Turkey and trimmings
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Parades
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Family gatherings
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Football games
Those traditions are meaningful, but they were never the center. The heart of Thanksgiving has always been gratitude to God for His blessings.
Thanksgiving’s Christian Heritage
If we’re being honest, you can’t separate Thanksgiving from its Christian origins without rewriting history.
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The Pilgrims were Christians seeking freedom to worship.
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Early thanksgiving days were worship services.
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Colonial proclamations openly honored God.
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Presidents repeatedly called the nation to prayer and gratitude.
Thanksgiving began as, and at its core still is a day to acknowledge God’s goodness.
Why Thanksgiving Still Matters
In a world that runs on noise, speed, and distraction, Thanksgiving brings us back to something simple and ancient:
Gratitude. Humility. Faith.
Recognizing that every good thing, family, provision, health, opportunity comes from the hand of God.
It’s a reminder to look beyond ourselves and remember the One who carries us through every season, prosperous or painful.
Thanksgiving is not just a tradition. It’s a spiritual reset.
A chance to pause, bow our heads, and say, “Lord, thank You.”
And if America ever needed that posture of humility, it’s today.
