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Thank you, Mark. And thank you for dropping by to listen.
I am a history teacher. Back in the olden days, I used to have a classroom where I could teach history, but I don't have that anymore. So, I'm afraid you're going to get stuck with me talking about history today.
And today I want to talk about a document. What can I say, history guys like documents.
This particular document was written about 235 years ago.
The United States was just beginning its run as a new nation. George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States, and the United States Congress meet for the first time under the new Constitution.
The Call to Thanksgiving
Elias Boudinot, a congressman from New Jersey, introduced a resolution in Congress, which passed with support across the political spectrum, asking the President to issue a proclamation setting aside one day thanking God for what He had done. This act underscored a shared belief in the role of divine providence in the young nation.
On October 3, 1789, President George Washington issued the first Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation, designating November 26, 1789, as the day all Americans should set aside time for thanking God and praying for His continued blessings.
I’d like you to notice how Washington began that 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 …
In this single sentence, Washington outlined a profound vision for the nation:
Acknowledge God’s sovereignty.
Obey God’s will.
Thank God for His blessings.
Seek God’s protection and favor.
Washington goes on in that proclamation to say what that special day of Thanksgiving should be about.
"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—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His Providence."
President George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789
Washington shares many more thoughts about our nation, about God, and about our duties toward God, but I would like to focus on one additional thought in particular.
"… 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".
Washington says we should ask God to forgive our national and individual sins.
A Modern-Day Reflection
Today, do you think both houses of Congress would ask the President to encourage all the people to pause and acknowledge God publicly? In our increasingly secular culture, this may seem unlikely — but it's worth considering how far we've drifted from the values expressed in that first presidential proclamation.
As we approach Thanksgiving this year, I encourage you to read the first Presidential Proclamation of this holiday. At the bottom of my Substack post I include a link to the National Archives where the proclamation is found.
This Thanksgiving, as you gather with family and friends, consider the deeper purpose of the holiday. Like Washington, let us acknowledge that God is sovereign, that He has blessed in so many ways, let us seek unity, and let us humbly ask God for forgiveness and favor.
I pray that each one of you will make this Thursday the best Thanksgiving you've ever had.
Resources
“Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789” National Archives.
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