How the Church Got Here · Chapter 8
What does the Bible say about giving thanks, and where did Thanksgiving come from?
Thanksgiving comes once a year. Scripture asks for thanks in everything. Today you'll look at gratitude in the Bible, in Luther's catechism, and in the story of the American holiday.
Start this chapterThanksgiving
The Psalms are full of thanks. Psalm 100 invites the whole earth to come into God's presence with thanksgiving. Paul wrote that we should give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
In the Small Catechism Luther explains “daily bread” as everything we need: food, clothing, home, family, work, good weather, friends, and more. All of it is a gift, so our response is to thank and praise God.
In 1621, English colonists at Plymouth and the Wampanoag people shared a harvest feast. The Wampanoag, who had lived there for thousands of years, remember that time and what followed very differently than the familiar story. Their story matters too.
In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named a national day of thanks. Americans have kept it every November since.
Read it in your Bible
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Paul says to give thanks in every circumstance, because that is God's will for us in Christ Jesus.
Words to know
- Gratitude. The feeling and habit of noticing gifts and saying thank you. Gratitude doesn't mean everything is easy. It means noticing God is still giving.
- Psalms. The Bible's book of 150 songs and prayers, full of thanks. Jesus prayed the Psalms. You can too.
- Wampanoag. The Native nation who shared the 1621 harvest feast at Plymouth. They still live in Massachusetts today, and their story deserves to be heard.
- Lincoln. The president who proclaimed a national Thanksgiving in 1863. He called for thanks in the middle of a terrible war.