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This morning, Claire and I will be sharing “Thanksgiving Through the Ages” with you! We will include some older documents, including a story of the first Thanksgiving, proclamations from William Bradford and George Washington, ideas for modern thanksgiving, as well as a story of Thanksgiving at RCC today!

First, a disclaimer! The older readings required your clergy to do a bit of soul-searching. Do we edit the words, phrases and metaphors used in the original documents to reflect our modern sensibilities and our desire to be inclusive and non-offensive?

Or do we present the readings today in their original form, with an eye for understanding that the context in which these words were uttered was indeed patriarchal, racist, and jingoistic, and classist. We left them in their original language knowing that you can hear them through a modern lens.

So, with that disclaimer announced to frame our work this morning, please rise and sing our first hymn of thanksgiving, found in your red hymnal, we will only sing verse one of each hymn:

CH Hymn 718 – Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Reading 1
“The First Thanksgiving” circa 1600 (as told by Melanie Naden)

In early 1600 England, partnerships of individual business men--called Joint Stock Companies—financed ventures, asking the Crown for charters to monopolize world trade in designated areas of the world. Successful companies made owners rich.

A joint stock company--called the Virginia Company, named for the virgin Queen Elizabeth 1—was given charter rights for the New World from sea to sea. The Crown thought the New World was only a strip of land and had no idea that the New World was 3,000 miles wide.

Jamestown—founded in 1607 and named for King James 1— was run by the Virginia Company. The economy was bad, starvation rampant. The settlers were weak, lazy, quarreled, and died. The Virginia Company investors lost funds. More and more ships of male workers and supplies were sent to Jamestown. Another starvation period came and went. Apparently, the settlers preferred to disappear into the western woods and run amok in search of gold rather than toil out an existence from the ground at Jamestown for the good of the Company.

A third attempt by Virginia Company investors paid off. Along with more supplies and settlers, two men went from England to be governors of Jamestown. They enacted more than 100 harsh laws—enforced by capital punishment—to compel the settlers to turn a profit at Jamestown for Virginia Company investors. Even “loafing” was considered a capital offense, punishable by death.

In 1619, Jamestown had its first successful harvest. Settlers didn’t starve, run off, or die in great numbers. So pleased were those in charge, that a great celebration was planned to commemorate the harvest. First, several shiploads of women and party supplies were sent from England. Then, the celebration commenced. The First Thanksgiving in the New World could be described as a three-day drunken orgy.

The Pilgrims didn’t arrive in the New World until 1620, after they bought a piece of land from the Virginia Company, long after the revelry of the First Thanksgiving was over.

CH Hymn 715 – Now Thank We All Our God

Reading 2
William Bradford’s proclamation 1623

“Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year, an abundant, harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game; and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November 29 of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.”   - William Bradford Ye Governor of Ye Colony

CH Hymn 717 – Let All Things Now Living

Reading 3
George Washington’s Proclamation 1789

Whereas 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—and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their Joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them and opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

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, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also 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—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us—and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

CH Hymn 714 – For the Fruit of All Creation

Final Thoughts
This week, I conclude two full years as your minister. I am so grateful to work alongside you in this ministry! We have had some fabulous successes as a congregation. 

  1. My first year here, we were $22,000 behind in our needed giving to cover our expenses. We let the congregation know about it in October and by the end of the year, we were able to close the books with a positive balance! That indicates how much you care about this church and are faithful stewards!
  2. But that is not all! This year, we adopted a new way of budgeting and we not only covered all of our expenses with projected income in our budget - we met that income stream and we will likely end this year with a modest balance. This is incredible, friends!
  3. We have continued to grow our membership. Including the deaths and transfers, our membership continues to grow. We grew by 27 new members in 2024 and in 2025 by 7 new members.
  4. In 2026, we will be focusing on a Strategic Growth Plan and moving forward to educate our congregation on what it looks like to actively reach out into our community and tell others about the enriching activities at Riverside Christian Church!
  5. Our congregation gave in excess of $23,000 to Outreach projects last year! We will be at that level again this year.  It is exciting to be a part of all of these projects - financially and physically. To see the impact of that work is incredible:
  • Family Promise: The sounds of families eating together in FH or staying overnight here, knowing that they are working diligently to find long-term housing, is so rewarding! To know that we are a part of assisting families who are making choices to better their lives is exhilarating!
  • When I see you bringing bags of rice and beans or peanut butter or pasta and sauce or other non-perishable food for the food bank each week, I get chills. Together, we make a true difference! Food insecurity is real. I speak to people (in our congregation and those we do not know) on a regular basis. This hits home. There are hungry people all over our city - not only those who line up at the Lord’s Diner! Thank you for supporting the Food Bank.
  • Our offerings go far and wide. When I was in Kenya, I met 9 different organizations - that’s right - 9 non-profit organizations in little Kenya alone! that our denomination supports with our mission $$$. And all of them do critical work.  Imagine those non-profit ministries around the globe.  Our gifts to Disciples of Christ missions and services are critical to people here at home and throughout the world.  I am so thankful for your generosity.
  1. From the Tuesday morning coffee group, which is a small group keeping seniors' minds active and providing fellowship to those who attend…. To choir and bell rehearsals, where our musicians not only prepare for our Sunday enjoyment, but take time to create connections together and have fun together…. To the Elders taking communion out to our elderly members who are homebound members… to our staff who sometimes work long hours in isolation, preparing programs and setting up tables and chairs or cleaning or planning events for the benefit of all of us - this is a vital congregation.
  2. Because of all of this: we thank God! We thank God that you are here and that RCC makes a difference in your life.

We thank God that we have one another for support when life is joyous or challenging. We thank God that we come together sporadically or weekly and find this church open, warm, and ready to receive us in love! We thank God for a welcome, loving, open Table where all are invited to participate. We gather to thank God for loving us and for giving us each other to remind us what God with skin on looks like! I give thanks to God for this dynamic and loving congregation!

There is so much for which to be thankful at RCC!