|
Thanksgiving Full Moon |
|
“Where there is no vision the people will parish” Proverbs 29:18 |
|
Thanksgiving 2010 “Where there is no vision the people perish….” Proverbs 29:18 The Spanish Explorer Juan De Onate arrived with his expeditionary force at the banks of the Rio Grande River near El Paso Texas and celebrated the first Thanksgiving Mass in North America. The year was 1598 and decades prior to our collective recall of the Pilgrims Thanksgiving at Plymouth, Massachusetts. [1] The small village of El Paso was utilized as a base of Spanish Governance of the territory of New Mexico until cession to the United States in 1848 and was absorbed by Texas with the Compromise of 1850 when Texas surrendered its claim to New Mexico but received the Texas pan handle and retained control over El Paso. The Compromise of 1850 is widely believed to have quieted sectional conflict and postponed hostilities and the ensuing War Between the States for four years. [2] In the early fall of 1821 the fifty three surviving Pilgrims celebrated their successful Harvest as was the English custom. During this time “many of the Indians coming…amongst the rest their great King Massasoit with some ninety men” [3] The Celebration in 1621 is remembered as the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth but the Pilgrims did not call this Harvest Festival a “Thanksgiving” although they did give Thanks to God.. To them a Day of Thanksgiving was purely religious and the first recorded “Day of Thanksgiving was held in 1623 in response to a providential rainfall. [4] Abraham Lincoln began the tradition of the Annual national Thanksgiving in 1863. [5] Prior to the proclamation of President Lincoln at the height of the Civil War various states had enacted a day of Thanksgiving with New York the first to do so in 1817. Each State celebrating Thanksgiving did so on a different day. This practice was largely unknown in the Southern United States. In 1827 Author of “Mary had a Little Lamb” Sarah Joseph Hale launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a National Holiday and for thirty six years she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, Presidents and other politicians until President Lincoln heeded her request. Too many American Families Thanksgiving has lost much of its original religious significance centered now around the smoking, baking, roasting or deep frying of a turkey now shared by ninety percent of all Americans. [7] Turkey was not on the first or early subsequent menus although we know that the Indians brought four deer to the first Harvest festival; How did we know that? Because they told us in a dream or we read about it on Pilgrim.org. Let the Parade Begin! Let us offer our testimony to Macy’s a company my beloved deceased Mother worked for and loved each and every moment of her years with Macy’s and how she used her employee discount to clothe her five children through high school. We offer high praise for the persistence of Macy’s through these past decades and behind the scenes turmoil, infighting and normal family type of reactions under stress for presenting The Thanksgiving parade each and every year since 1924 in New York City. During the first eight years and the end of the parade they untied the giant balloons and allowed them to float off into the sunset until a plane almost became entangled with one narrowly averting a crash. Now they store them in a former Tootsie Roll Factory in New Jersey. During World War II the Mayor of New York stabbed one of the balloons with a knife in preparation for the donation of all balloon stock to be melted down and reformed as life rafts and other essentials to aid the war effort in Europe and the Pacific [17]. That’s another reason we love Macy’s. We purchased the stock when it was under severe duress and are grateful that it has rebounded nicely from the lows. We do not currently have any position in Macy’s. We beg to differ from the account of History.com regarding their assertion to many Americans Thanksgiving has lost much of its original religious significance as we remain witnesses to the truth that only Almighty God knows what is in the heart {soul} of a man or woman. [1 Kings 8:39] We often receive mixed messages in this our great society where our fellow Christians seek to display figures of the Baby Jesus in the manger or more commonly referenced as the Nativity Scene for all to see and we routinely see professional Football and Baseball players pointing to the sky and making the sign of the cross or beating their heart after making an outstanding play on the gridiron or launching a rocket formerly looking like a baseball into the rafters or even outside the confines of the stadium proper or otherwise delivering a key and timely hit at a crucial moment in the game and their career. In sixteen versions of the Bible we found various interpretations regarding praying in private. [Mathew 6.6] We selected a simplified verse from the New International Bible as: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” We also learned that: “Every Jewish house had a place for secret devotion”. [9] Professor Hackett states: "On the roof of the house in which I lodged at Damascus were chambers and rooms along the side and at the corners of the open space or terrace, which constitutes often a sort of upper story. I observed the same thing in connection with other houses." Over the porch, or entrance of the house, there was frequently a small room of the size of the porch, raised a story above the rest of the house, expressly appropriated for the place of retirement. Here, in secrecy and solitude, the pious Jew might offer his prayers, unseen by any but the Searcher of hearts. [10] “We should also offer prayer in times of embarrassment and perplexity. Such times occur in every man's life, and it is then a privilege and a duty to go to God and seek his direction. In the most difficult and embarrassed time of the American Revolution, Washington was seen to retire to a grove in the vicinity of the camp at Valley Forge. Curiosity led a man to observe him, and the father of his country was seen on his knees supplicating the God of hosts in prayer. Who can tell how much the liberty of this nation is owing to the answer to the secret prayer of Washington?” [11] We do know that during the American Revolution the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called for Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. [12] We also know that with the Spanish Expeditionary Force landing and order of the commanding officer to celebrate a three day feast commencing with a Thanksgiving Mass presided by their accompanying priests and missionaries during that cool April of 1598 just two years shy of the turn of the century that these explorers, infantrymen, cavalry and their caravan of cargo knew not what lay ahead but were grateful for their safe passage thus far. Had they known that one day their base of Juarez Mexico would become a fortified city against ferocious Comanche and Apache attacks from what is now New Mexico and Texas, the Apache sometimes dispatching two thousand warriors on horseback launching their raids from the North Bank of the Rio Grande into Mexico and at least once penetrating to the outskirts of Mexico City returning north with horses, cattle and women or that centuries later their city would again be subjected to the cruelty of traffickers in death both with the product they distribute and their retribution against those not in alliance with their cartel or that their own former homeland of Spain would someday lurch towards insolvency and bankruptcy the country’s financial situation now so tenuous that it qualifies as both to big to fail and to big to save serving notice that if enough fingers aren’t placed in this dike the water will surely wash over all of Southern Europe. Entitlement Warning to America This Thanksgiving we are deeply blessed to receive a premonition of what lay in store for our great nation if we remain unable to reform ourselves. God created the family and man created the alternative entitlement society? Who do you trust? The European Union now degraded with each failed system; first Greece, now Ireland which will most certainly default on its debt no matter what amount of assistance rendered by the IMF, their fragile government the first casualty of pending severe austerity measures from years of touting one of the highest minimum wages in all of Europe and offering Universal Child benefits [18] to all couples which is really a human right except in explosive economies like India and China Right? Our brethren on the left in American have pleaded that Health Insurance is a human right to be denied no one including guest workers whether documented or not. Other free spending economies in Portugal, Spain, Italy and dare we say France like the macabre movie Boxing Helena represents the decline of the European Union where each limb is removed until only the torso and head remains the Euro soon to be considered a currency potentially more suited to high risk speculators than the average worker purchasing a loaf of bread. If the future bloating of their societies had been known to them would it have changed the mission of these early Spanish Explorers? No! These honorable men were on a mission for God and King to explore the new world and bring the message of Christ to whomever they met along the way. Were they human” Yes. Did they make mistakes? Yes. Did their religious leaders impose a form of tough love including incarceration and squalid living conditions to protect the indigenous population especially of the female persuasion from forced sexual encounters initiated from their own army especially when drunk? Yes! Did they introduce diseases of Europe not known to the local Indian communities causing sickness and death? Maybe! But they were men and women who had their own vision of worship and Thanksgiving and prayed to God before each meal and in preparation for war. Their only entitlement in life was the promise of a Christian burial. One of their Priest Father Juniper Serra walked the distance from Carmel California to Mexico City to complain to the Vice Roy of Spain in the New World of such abuses committed on the watch of the Commanding General and Governor of modern California. He remained in Mexico City for two years drafting his complaint listing each count totaling some thirty plus. The Vice Roy ruled in his favor in all but two of his grievances. The General was ordered removed as Governor. Father Serra having completed his mission walked back to Carmel. So this Thanksgiving let us remain in the moment and appreciate that our lives are truly a mystery as is our knowledge of our Creator and Heavenly Father. Let us join hands around the table, and no washing after grace, then after family prayer let’s offer a private moment of praise to turn our will and life over to the care of God as we understand him [13] and if we currently live in the solution then recite a gratitude list especially for the family and friends gathered with us this fine Thanksgiving Day of 2010 which will never be repeated for all of time. “Where there is no vision the people perish… “How bare does a place look without Bibles and ministers and what an easy prey is it to the enemy of souls! That gospel is an open vision, which holds forth Christ, which humbles the sinner and exalts the Savior, promoting holiness in the life and conversation: and these are precious truths to keep the soul alive, and prevent it from perishing.” [14] So as for the Nativity scenes welcomed in some communities but banned in others, the death crosses along the side of the highways and the posting of the ten commandments all represent a form of vision or prophecy for each of us believers and non believers alike. The display of Christian Sacramental items and invoking the Ten Commandments through public display represents a reprieve as when prophetic vision fails, obedience to the Law is the best or only substitute for it, both being forms through which divine wisdom is revealed. Very striking in the midst of ethical precepts is this recognition of the need of a yet higher teaching, without which morality passes into worldly prudence or degenerates into casuistry; [15] indeed until we are blessed with additional prophetic visions the display of the Ten Commandments offers a modest compromise to the atheist and followers of other religions that this Constitutional Republic will indeed continue in prosperity and the people shall not perish and on a lighter note neither will our vision of Michael Moore unleashing the Pilgrim attired but really Puritan women to give chase to Ken Starr’s car as it slowly traveled down the road. For an ex-seminarian [16] Michael Moore demonstrated a gift of humor and visual transference that few have been blessed to receive. Priceless! In the meantime we shall be with you in Fellowship of the Spirit as you trudge the road of Happy Destiny! [15] From our family to yours! Happy Thanksgiving! 2010.11.23 all rights reserved <>< Legends of the Net [1] El Paso, Texas: Wikipedia [2] Compromise of 1850: Wikipedia [3][4][5] www.pilgrimhall.org [6][7][12] Thanksgiving: www.history.com [8] Only God Knows the Hearts of Men: 1 Kings 8:39: Travis’ Blog Thoughts from a still youngish pastor Tuesday June 8, 2010 [9][10][11] Mathew 6:6 www.Bible.cc [13] www.everthing2.com [14][15] Where there is no vision the people perish: www.bible.cc [15] The Road of Happy Destiny www.morerevealed.com [16] Michael Moore: A Biography by Emily Schultz [17] Thanksgiving Special: History Channel: Monday November 22, 2010 [18] Irish Debt Crisis forces Collapse of Government: New York Times: By Landon Thomas: November 22, 2010 Newsboys: WOW Hits 2010.1.6
These are the Ten Commandments
|
