Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Who Were the Pilgrims, Anyway?

My elementary school classrooms were always filled this time of year with pictures of austere-looking men in black hats and shoes with big buckles. The women in the pictures had white headdresses and aprons over their black dresses. These were the Pilgrims, we were told, who had crossed the ocean in a tiny ship to come to start America—definitely the condensed and inaccurate version.

I was shocked (and relieved) to discover that the people in black were not the Pilgrims but those who came later, the Puritans. The Pilgrims were a church from England, formed when they saw no hope for positive change in the Church of England. They were persecuted for believing that a person could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and for wanting to see “the churches of God revert to their ancient purity and recover their primitive order, liberty and beauty” (William Bradford)*, for believing that no one but Jesus could be the head of the church. They were “hounded, bullied, forced to pay assessments to the Church of England, clapped into prison on trumped up charges, and driven underground,” and “constantly spied upon”*. Finally, (to put it very simply) these “Separatists” had had enough and left England. The black-clad Puritans stayed and tried to “purify from within”*.

And surprise! The Pilgrims didn’t wear black, either! They wore colors such as plum red and emerald green!

*The Light and The Glory by Peter Marshall & David Manuel

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Thanksgiving--A Community Celebration

In the U.S. we’ll soon be celebrating Thanksgiving, a special day originally set aside by our early settlers, the Pilgrims, to give thanks to God for providing their food and safety. (though not the original date) Many have (rightfully) complained that it has degenerated into “Turkey Day” or “Football Day”, though food and games were a large part of the original. The lament continues that Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time for families to get together—you know, like the Norman Rockwell painting. Wait! Where did that come from?

The Pilgrim’s celebration had nothing to do with family, except of course that they were thankful that any of their family members survived at all. It was a community celebration. The entire settlement came together, and they invited an Indian chief. Surprise! Massasoit came “ a day early with ninety Indians.” How would they feed them all? No problem, the Indians had brought “five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys.” They taught the pilgrim women how to make hoecakes, Indian pudding and popcorn! * The whole community brought food and there was plenty.

If each Pilgrim family had stayed around their own table, they would have missed the opportunity to thank God together with others who had gone through the same trials. They would have missed building valuable friendships with their neighbors (and another culture). And of course, they may have missed popcorn!

If you’ve been in the habit of keeping your Thanksgiving celebration in the “us 4 and no more” realm, I urge you to reconsider and include others from the church and the community. “But I don’t have enough chairs…” You can borrow some or even ask your guests to bring some. “But this is the only time I can be with my family…” Well, then that needs some work. Sure people often include those who are single--but don’t stop there. What about the couple who is far away from their family? Why not make room for them, too? “But they have each other…” Well, “us 2 and no more” isn’t healthy either.

Some of my best memories of Thanksgiving are of community gatherings. One year, when we had our house in Texas, we invited my parents and sister, and a family of three from church who brought along a hitchhiker they had picked up the day before! (I don't recommend picking up hitchhikers but the Lord used it.). Another year, a variety of us from our apartment building gathered to eat, pray and listen to my husband read about the original celebration. Don’t be isolated, celebrate together!

*The Light and The Glory by Peter Marshall & David Manuel

Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1,2

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Whose side is God on?

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

"Neither," he replied,"but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come."

Joshua 5:13,14