November is already here! This year is quickly drawing to a close. On the Liturgical Church Calendar, there are two great Festival Days this month. The first is All Saints Day, and it is always celebrated on the first Sunday in November. The second Festival Day is Christ the King Sunday, this year on November 23. In addition to these special days, November 30 is the first day of the Advent Season and the beginning of a new Liturgical Year for the church. November is also a time for the National Holiday, Thanksgiving, celebrated this year on November 27. In light of all these special days, religious and secular, let us consider this question: “Is Thanksgiving a secular or a religious holiday?” That is certainly a question worth pondering. One of my favorite stories, often repeated by the late Dr. R.C. Sproul, illustrates for us the reality of our nation’s opinion of a civil monarchy. John Guest is an Anglican priest. Many years ago, John made his first visit to the U.S. from England. He flew into Philadelphia to visit his American friend, Dr. Sproul, one of my seminary professors. While in Philly, John wanted to visit historic landmarks and see firsthand something of our nation’s history. He went to Independence Hall, Valley Forge, and a number of other historic sites. He also visited many antique shops in and around Philadelphia. In these antique shops were signs and posters dating back well over 200 years, to the actual time of the American Revolution. John saw signs like “Don’t tread on me” and “No taxation without representation.” Yet, one particular sign caught his eye. It was a sign from 1775, and in big bold letters, it proclaimed, “We serve no sovereign here.” When John, an Englishman and subject of the royal monarchy, read those words, he turned to Dr. Sproul and said, “How can I possibly communicate the idea of the Kingdom of God in a nation that has a built-in allergy to the idea of a Sovereign?” John Guest was right. As Americans, we do have a built-in allergy to the idea of a civil Sovereign. We live in a Constitutional Republic. We don’t live in a democracy. We are a nation established upon laws. We like our Republic and our representative form of government by law. We like the freedom to elect our representatives, to choose our own leaders, and, at times, to vote them out of office when we don’t like their policies. We are, by nature, an independent people. We don’t like to surrender our autonomy. We enjoy our liberties, our freedoms, and our individual rights granted to us by our Creator. The idea of a monarch is completely alien to our ideas as Americans. Thankfully, we have not had a civil king since 1776! I don’t care what the crazies in our day say. The United States of America never has had a king, and no one is advocating for a civil king in our day. These facts bring us to our question: “Is Thanksgiving a secular or a religious holiday?” Well, let’s look at the clear facts of our national heritage and history. When it comes to history, facts are facts, and they speak for themselves. We have all been conditioned to believe that the first Thanksgiving began with the Pilgrims in New England in 1621. Is that really accurate? Is that the real origin of the first Thanksgiving? History answers with a resounding “NO!” History reveals that the first Thanksgiving took place 56 years earlier, not in New England, but in St. Augustine in 1565 with French Protestants. In 1610, 11 years before the Pilgrims, one year before the publication of the King James Bible, settlers in Jamestown (Virginia) held a Thanksgiving. In 1619, two years before the Pilgrims, English settlers at Berkeley Hundred (Virginia) proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving. What is so very interesting about the 1619 declaration by the civil government at Berkeley Hundred is their clear purpose and reoccurring order. Their Thanksgiving Day was “to be celebrated yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.” Of course, the Pilgrim Thanksgiving did occur in 1621. It is just interesting to note that the Pilgrim Thanksgiving was not actually the first Thanksgiving Day. It had been preceded by 56 years, and numerous other days of Thanksgiving had been observed in what would become the United States of America. General George Washington and the Continental Congress both issued proclamations of Thanksgiving in 1777. On October 3, 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation that created the first Thanksgiving Day designated as a national holiday: “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 requested me [to call for] a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed with grateful hearts for the many favors of Almighty God, especially for affording them an opportunity to establish a form of government for safety and happiness.” In 1814, following the War of 1812, President James Madison established a day of national Thanksgiving. Then, on October 6, 1941, just before the beginning of America’s entrance into World War II, both Houses of Congress passed a joint resolution fixing the last Thursday of November as an annual Day of Thanksgiving and making this day a matter of federal law. On November 5, 1963, John F. Kennedy wrote, “Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving. On that appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together, and for the faith which united them with God.” It is true that Thanksgiving, as we know it in our country, is not a biblical festival or a liturgical holiday. However, it is a day set aside by our secular governments and elected officials as a day to honor the God who rules over all His creation. In his first letter to a young evangelist named Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” – 1 Timothy 2:1–4. As a student at St. Paul Lutheran Seminary, working on my Doctor of Ministry degree, Dr. Jim Nestingen was fond of reading a passage of Holy Scripture or a lengthy comment by a renowned theologian to the class. Then Jim would immediately ask the class, “Do you see it? Do you see it?” Well, do you see it? Do you see what Paul has said? Do you understand the depth and meaning of his words? Do you see it? Paul is saying to you and me that we have a Christian duty to offer “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” Do you see it? All too often, we are like that family that sat around the Thanksgiving table. A young six-year-old boy was asked to return thanks. His family bowed their heads, and he thanked God for all of his family present. He thanked God for Mommy, Daddy. He thanked God for his brothers and his sisters. He thanked God for Grandma and Grandpa. Then he thanked God for all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins one by one, name after name. Finally, after a prayer that seemed much longer than one of my sermons, he thanked God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the stuffing, the fruit salad, the string beans, the corn, the sweet potatoes, the cranberry sauce; he thanked God for the pies, the cakes, the brownies, even the Cool Whip. Then there was a long pause. The room fell silent. It was an awkward silence. Everyone waited and waited. Then the young lad opened his eyes, looked up at his mother, and said, “Mommy, I’m about to get into big trouble, ’cause if I thank God for that broccoli, He’ll know I'm lying!" Do you see it? Do you understand the importance of Paul’s words to Timothy? In his letter to the Church at Philippi, Paul wrote, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” – Philippians 4:8. Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, and orator known for his significant contributions to the development of Roman rhetoric and philosophy. He is often regarded as the greatest Roman orator and played a crucial role in the political landscape of the late Roman Republic. Cicero advocated for republican principles during a time of civil unrest. Cicero's writings, including speeches and philosophical works, have had a lasting impact on Western thought and are studied for their eloquence. Yet, one of his most important and most meaningful quotes is so very often overlooked. Cicero wrote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues; it is the parent of all others.” Do you see it? Even the non-Christian Cicero understood the importance of thanksgiving and gratitude. The uneasy truth is, all too often, we fail to express our gratitude. We don’t express our appreciation to God, and we also fail to express our gratitude to each other. Therefore, Thanksgiving, often referred to as just another secular holiday, is, in reality, a religious holiday! History is clear. Our national Thanksgiving Day is a day that the secular and civil authorities set aside for us to give thanksgiving, praise, and gratitude to our Creator for all that He has given to us! Thanks be to God!