AFA of PA ACTION ALERT
November 29, 2019
Issue
Reflections on Thanksgiving
Details
Thanksgiving Day 2019 is over. Many are flocking to the stores today to take advantage of “Black Friday” specials and officially kicking off the Christmas season. Personally, I avoid stores on this day questioning whether the “deals” are really that good and reasoning they may be just as cheap or cheaper sometime between now and Christmas, besides, to me, it’s not worth fighting the crowds and putting life or limb in danger!!
I can remember when stores used to be open just a few hours on Thanksgiving and didn’t open until 6:00 a.m. on “Black Friday.” Apparently, those days are gone! However, we do have much to be thankful for — including the multitude of choices we have in stores and merchandise year-round. Just think of the many people in the world who don’t have those choices or even the money to buy basic necessities. Yes, we have much to be thankful for in this nation!
George Washington recognized what we should be thankful for (and it wasn’t stores and merchandise!), to Whom we should be thankful and the duty of nations as he noted in his October 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation:
- it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor
- . . . For the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted
- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed…”
- that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions
President George Washington fully understood that only a nation dependent upon God would be a blessing and not a burden to her people: “to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed … and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord, to promote the knowledge and practice of the true religion and virtue, . . . .”
He conclude his proclamation, “Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be – That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks – for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation.”
Action Steps Read his full proclamation here
Loading ...