Well, I'm going to do something a little different this afternoon. I'm going to read to you the material that I was going to read to you this morning, if I had a chance to do so. It's not all that long, but it's very profitable, I think, especially in light of Thanksgiving that is coming. I want to Have you turn with me to Psalm 145 and verses 1 to 9 I'll read to you after we pray together. Our Father, thank you for this time. Thank you for your word, which is so rich of exhortation to praise in the Psalms and of the importance, showing us the importance of praise and thanksgiving to glorifying your holy name. And we pray that we would not be silent in our hearts or even with our mouths in these days. In this time of thanksgiving, time when we celebrate thanksgiving, help us to see This afternoon, just how much this time of Thanksgiving, this season of Thanksgiving should mean to us in terms of our nation, in terms of people, Christian people who went before us. For we pray and ask these things in Jesus' precious name, Father, amen. Psalm 145 and verse one, I will extol you, my God, O King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty. and on your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of your awesome acts, and I will declare your greatness. They shall eagerly or they shall utter the memory of your great goodness and shall sing of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. Well, I want us to think for a few minutes about the first thanksgiving of the pilgrims and see what they gave thanks to God for. In 1620, a boat filled with more than 100 people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. This religious group had begun to question the beliefs of the Church of England, and they wanted to separate from it. The pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, Half of the colony died from disease. The following spring, the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn, or what's called maize, a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621, beautiful crops of corn and barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys. Another wild game offered by the colonists, the colonists had to learn how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn. In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of Thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. George Washington, it was, who suggested the date of November the 26th as Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1863, at the end of a very long and bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked all the Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving. The pilgrims didn't have a lot to give thanks for in comparison to all that we have materially, but they knew the blessings that God had loaded them with. William Bradford of Plymouth Plantation, which if you've never read that book, you should read it. says they began now to gather in the small harvest they had and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things and good plenty for as some were thus employed in affairs abroad others were exercised in fishing about cod and bass and other fish of which they took good store and of which every family had their portion all the summer there was no want and now They began to come in store of fowl as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first, but afterwards decreased by degrees. And besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison. Besides, they also had about a pack of meal a week to a person. or now since harvest Indian corn to the proportion which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England which was not a fake report but a true report. Edward Winslow in Mort's Relations says our harvest being gotten in our governor sent four men on fouling that is hunting for birds so that we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as with a little help beside served the company almost a week at which time amongst other recreations we exercised our arms that's they fired off their guns many of the Indians coming amongst us and amongst among the rest of the their greatest king Massasoit with some 90 men whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation, bestowed on our governor and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want or need that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. They believed that they were partakers of plenty, and they attributed it to God's goodness. John Stetson Berry in his book The History of Massachusetts says this, in the fall the first harvest of the colonists was gathered. The corn yielded well and the barley was indifferently good, but the peas were a failure owing to drought and late sowing. Satisfied, however, with the abundance of their fruits, four huntsmen were sent for fowl And at their return, after a special manner, the pilgrims rejoiced together, feasting King Massasoit and ninety men for three days and partaking of venison, wild turkeys, waterfowl, and other delicacies for which New England was then famous. Thus the time-honored festival of thanksgiving was instituted, a festival which originally confined in its observance to the sons of the pilgrims and the state of Massachusetts, he is writing in 1850, has now become almost a national festival, particularly appropriate as an expression of gratitude to God and an acknowledgment of dependence upon him for his bounties, and productive of a treasure of pleasing reminiscences of thinking back about how things were connected with the joys of our childhood and the mature but more exquisite delights of our own hearth sides that is their fireplaces where parents and children brothers and sisters and all the loved objects of family group renew at the festive board that is at their table the vows of affection they exchange kind greetings and they revive recollections of the past to enliven the present, while the pilgrimage of life is brightened and sweetened by innocent amusements and healthful recreations, and a sense of obligation to the giver of all good is implanted more deeply in the heart, sanctifying our trials and enhancing our blessings by a consciousness of the presence and protection of God The village of Plymouth contained at this time, he says, seven dwelling places and four other buildings for the use of the plantation, and preparations were making for the erection of more, that is, building other buildings. Literally, this was the day of small things, and most of the events thus far recorded appear trifling in comparison with the stirring narratives of the march of armies and the conquest of kingdoms, yet trifling as they seem, They are a part of our history, and they derive additional interest from the fact that they were the beginnings of a nation whose career during the past hundred years struck with astonishment the nations of the old world. Remember, he's writing in 1850. The situation of the colonists in the spring of 1623, that is two years later, was peculiarly distressing. By the scantiness of the crops and the prodigality of their neighbors, that is the wastefulness of their neighbors, their granaries were exhausted and they were reduced to want. That is, they had great need. The narrative of their sufferings is affecting and thrilling. John Stetson Berry says, he says, by the time their corn was planted, their victuals or their food supplies were gone, they were spent, and they knew not at night where to get their food, where their food for the next day would come from in the morning, nor had they corn or bread for three or four months together. Elder Brewster, this was William Brewster, by the way, who I found out last week from our brother David Jones that His uncle did some genealogical work, and our brother David Jones is related to William Brewster, which I find very interesting if you look at pictures of the dear man and compare them with our brother David Jones. But at any rate, all that set aside, Elder Brewster lived upon shellfish With only oysters and clams at his meals, he gave thanks that he could seek of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand. Tradition affirms that at one time there was but a pint of corn left in the whole settlement, which being divided, gave to each person a portion of five kernels. In allusion to this incident, at the bicentennial celebration in Massachusetts, this would have been back there in like the 1823 or so, it says here, he says here, they congregated at Plymouth And orators had spoken, and poets sang the praises of the pilgrims amidst the richest viands, that means these very rich, fancy meals which had been prepared to gratify the most fastidious epicure, he means a pleasure-loving person. He says, five kernels of parched corn were placed beside each plate. a simple but interesting and affecting memorial of the distresses of those heroic and pious men who won this fair land of plenty and freedom and happiness and yet at times were literally in want of a morsel of bread. So in April, planting commenced and the weather held favorable until the last of May. Pleased with the new order of things, cheerfulness and industry prevailed. There was a stimulus to the exertion in the hope of every individual being benefited. Even the women and children labored in the field more corn, they brought in more corn than was ever planted, and more life and zeal were displayed. But though favorable weather forwarded their plants in the earliest of the season, from the third week, a drought, in May, a drought set in, and for six weeks, no rain fell, so that the ground was completely parched, and the plants, both blade and stalk, hung the head and changed color and were judged utterly dead. To add to their distress, they learned of the repulse of a supply sent by Mr. Pierce, that means food and supplies reinforcements, who had now obtained his surreptitious patent, that means a patent kept secret from the others because it would not have been approved, And it was feared that the vessel was wrecked, that is, Mr. Pierce's vessel was wrecked on the coast. At once, therefore, God seemed to have forsaken them. A most resolute company of people faltered, and a general despondency prevailed. Even Hobomoke, that was their Indian friend, was distressed. for them. I fear, said he, they will lose all their corn and starve. The Indians can shift better than the English, for they can get fish, he said. But the true greatness yields not to permanent despair, as God only could aid them. A day was appointed to supplicate his favor, that is God's favor. It was fair and beautiful, Not a cloud dimmed the horizon. Nine hours they continued in prayer. That is for rain. They continued nine hours in prayer, wrestling for a blessing, yet the sun shone brightly and the air was sultry, but towards evening a change was visible and before morning the rain came, sweetly and gently and yet freely and copiously, that means an abundance of it, it came without either wind or thunder and by degrees in the abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked therewith, and the withered corn and the other plants speedily revived. This reign of liberalities lasted in intervals for fourteen days, and caused even the Indians to say, Now we see the Englishman's God is a good God. for he has heard you and sent you rain. And that without storms and tempests and thunder, which usually we have with our rain, which breaks down our corn, but your corn stands whole and good still. Surely your God is a good God. From this time forward, the weather continued favorable, and the harvest was fruitful and liberal, And in time convenient, they also solemnized a day of thanksgiving unto the Lord. Well, I thought that was really good. I thought that was really good. Well, I think what we should do here for the next few minutes is that we will sing hymn number 341, then I'll bring down the lectern down here, and we'll sing a few more hymns, ones that you will choose for Thanksgiving, okay? Let's sing together hymn number 341. We'll stand together. O praise to Thee, my God, this night, for all the blessings of the light. Keep me, O keep me. Forgive me, King of kings, Beneath thine own almighty wings. Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear son, The ills that I this day have done, myself and thee, higher I sleep, at peace may be. O may my soul on thee repose, And with sweet sleep mine eyelids close sleep, That may me more vigorous make To serve my God when I Let's do this a cappella. Family thoughts supply life, No ill dreams disturb my rest, No powers of darkness me molest. Oh, when shall I in endless day dark sleep away, and hymns with the supernal choir incessantly sing and never tire. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Prost! But I will hope in you continually, and I will praise you yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of your righteousness and your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God. I will make mention of your righteousness, of yours only. Amen and amen. And if you want to sing some more, just have a seat, and we'll sing a few hymns here together for Thanksgiving. Are you willing to do this? You don't have to accompany. We can do a acapella. All right. It's a good day to give thanks to the Lord. Does anyone have a hymn that they would like to sing? Yes, Sarah. Guide Me, O My Great Jehovah. 501. Guide Me, O My Great Jehovah. 501, and then we'll take yours after that, Hannah. If you guys want to sing in the second, third verse or whatever, you can leave off or play, whatever you want to do. Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but Thou art mighty. Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Feed me till I want no more. Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow. lead me on my journey through. Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield. Thou still my strength and shield. When I tread the verge of Jordan, Then my anxious fears subside. Death of death and hell's destruction, Land me safe on Canaan's side. Strong songs of praises I will ever give to thee, We got some people who are lifting up their hands in praise, that's good. All right, Hannah. I think we can do that. This is a very pleasant song. 636, All Things Bright and Beautiful. Can we do that with the flutes or do we do it a cappella? Can you play that through for us? I think it would help. Yeah, I do. Why? I think we might be able to sing this, but I am not familiar with the tune for this one. I'm familiar with this song at another tune, but let's go ahead and try it anyway, okay? Let's try it. Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings. God made their glowing colors, He made their mighty wings. Yes, all things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, And all things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. The purple-headed mountain, the river running by, the sunset and the morning, the brightness of the sky. Yes, all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, and all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun, the ripe fruits in the garden, He made them, every one. Yes, all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, and all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. The tall trees in the greenwood, the meadows where we play, the flowers by the water we gather every day. Yes, all things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, And all things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell. How great is God Almighty, who doeth all things well. bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. And all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. Oh, that was very pleasant. Oh, is it? Oh, is it really? Okay. Did you guys know that at all? I've never sung that tune before. It's a very nice tune. Did you really? Wow, that's neat. It's probably neat for you to hear it again after all these years. You got some musical talent brother oh What number would you like Savannah? 493 what we'll get yours Brian here in just a minute Did you have one? okay we'll get that next 493 okay who is on the lord's side who is on the lord's side who will serve Who will be as helpers other lives to bring? Who will leave the world's side? Who will face the foe? who is on the Lord's side, who for Him will go. By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine, who we are on the Lord's side, are thine. Not for weight of glory, not for crown and palm, enter we thee up,