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How Did the Pilgrims Worship?
With Extravagant Thanksgiving. Seriously. In fact, they set the tone and precedent for this country in how to live fully, as a pioneering nation. When I realized my research was not giving me answers on the Pilgrim’s form or style of worship (i.e., whether they were stoic or charismatic, etc.,) I looked at their story again and I found extravagant worship.
(Continued below from the home page...)
They were a simple, hardworking, “blue collar” community of believers. They were labeled Separatists because they had separated themselves from the world, and the Church of England, to worship God “in spirit and in truth” and in freedom. It was a long and painful journey of many years, full of plot twists, betrayals, death and disease, losses, and fears, before they even landed in America . Upon landing, they endured a harsh New England winter that took half the lives of their community. For these Pilgrims, our first forefathers of this country, the idea of thanksgiving was an extravagant concept.
And yet, when spring came, not a single Pilgrim joined the Captain of the Mayflower as he returned to England . Instead, they built houses and planted crops, with the help of their Native American neighbors. That fall, William Bradford, their leader, writes “that it was a day of thanksgiving to God: “The Lord sent [us] such seasonable showers that through His blessing [there was] a fruitful and liberal harvest…For which mercy…they set apart a day of thanksgiving.’” (1) “The fact that they spent three days thanking God instead of cursing Him tells you” their heart. (2)
The extravagance of their worship was reflected in the extravagance of their celebration. Their Indian neighbors, led by Chief Massasoit, arrived with “five freshly-slaughtered deer.” The Pilgrims provided the rest. According to Robert M. Bartlett (The Pilgrim Way), they “’ furnished geese, ducks and turkey brought down by their matchlocks. They spread rough tables with a tempting array of these meats, along with lobster, clams, fish, eels, beans, pumpkin, salads of leeks and water cress, corn cakes, Indian pudding sweetened with wild honey, grapes, plums and read and white wine made from wild grapes.’” (3) Their hearts was just as full with gratitude.
Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart. Our hearts usher in the presence of God, whether we are quiet and still or loud and demonstrative. When we are worshiping God with our whole heart, it is extravagant worship, no matter what it looks like on the outside.
We are STILL a pioneering nation. The nation watches us to move toward their future. But our power and influence is waning, as we move away from worshiping the Lord God Almighty. Let me encourage you to “enter into His courts with Praise and be THANKFUL unto Him and bless His Holy Name,” not just in this season but every day of your life. Let others see your heart of gratitude, whether you have much or little in their eyes. Worship Him with Thanksgiving!
1, 2, 3 – quotes from Understanding the Pilgrims by Anne Morse, www.boundless.org.
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