The First Thanksgiving
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
It's March 16, 1621. The Pilgrims are amazed when a friendly native named Samoset approaches them. He speaks broken English, but tells them of a man from the Wampanoag tribe that speaks good English and can help them. In a few days the Pilgrim leaders are introduced to the native called Squanto. He speaks amazingly well and introduces them to the local Wampanoag tribal leaders. The two groups of men talk all night, and agree to live in peace. A treaty is signed that will remain in place for 50 years.
Where did this Indian come from? Where did he learn to speak English? How could God have given a native Wampanoag Indian the ability to speak this completely different language? His story truly shows how God can work in marvelous ways.
Seventeen years earlier in the year 1604, a man named Captain George Weymouth was on an expedition to the “new land” when he brutally captured three Indians for his personal gain. Squanto was one of them. He was transported to England, where he came into the custody of a man named Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Sir Gorges taught Squanto English and allowed him to return home as an interpreter and guide for trading expeditions in America. While acting as an interpreter in America, Squanto was again captured. This time he was sent to Spain, where a group of friars taught him about Christianity. Through a sequence of seemingly impossible events, Squanto wound up back in England, where he was given the opportunity to return to his home. He returned once again to America only to find that his entire tribe had been killed by a plague.
Shortly after his return, Squanto was told of an English settlement near his home. It was during this time that Samoset first met the Pilgrims and told them of Squanto's English-speaking abilities. He was then united with the Pilgrims, and became a great asset to their survival.
With Squanto's return and help, the Wampanoag Indians taught the Pilgrims their way of life in this vast, abundant new land. They have endured one winter without this knowledge and know they cannot survive another. The Pilgrims learned to fish, plant crops, hunt new types of food, and generally survive in this new land. They worked hard and prayed even harder. By the fall, they stored up enough food to last through the winter. Things finally began to look better. They were truly thankful for what the Lord had done for them. They declared a day of prayer and thanksgiving. They will spend the next three days with their new friends, the Wampanoags, feasting and giving thanks in prayer.
The Pilgrims had endured many hardships. They were forced out of their homeland by a Catholic government and left their families and loved ones to start a new life that was free from persecution. They made the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and built a new colony in the middle of winter. They lost half of their party to sickness in a matter of a few months, and were constantly threatened by the elements and unfriendly natives. Even considering all of this, when the Mayflower's captain was ready to return to England with his ship, he offered everyone a free passage back home. They all refused...Everyone! Not one person would sacrifice their freedom of worship for the luxuries and safety of England. Truly, they had much to be thankful for.
CLICK HERE FOR PART ONE.
CLICK HERE FOR PART TWO.
CLICK HERE FOR PART THREE.
(Click the link below to hear all four parts together)
