On September 16, 1620, two ships set sail from Plymouth, England - the Speedwell and the Mayflower. Just as their journey began the Speedwell sprang some leaks and was taking on water, so the two ships returned to Plymouth. The captain of the Speedwell decided that the ship wouldn't make the trip, so the passengers of the Speedwell joined the 60 passengers and 30 crew members aboard the Mayflower. Of the 102 passengers on board, the majority were Christians. They were coming to America to shake loose the bonds of the Church of England so they could worship God as they believed the scriptures taught. So, with great excitement and expectations, they set sail for the new land. However, it wasn't long before the trip became difficult for several reasons.
Many of the passengers became seasick as huge waves crashed over the deck of the ship. The nights were cold, damp and dark. And remember, there was no indoor plumbing or electricity. To make matters worse, one of the crew was constantly cursing and abusing the sick passengers. He kept threatening to throw them overboard. But what really happened was that this crew member became very sick and died, and he himself was the first person to be thrown overboard. William Bradford, who was an historian and later became governor of the colony, wrote that it was all the just hand of God. But their problems were not over yet. They encountered many fierce storms that shook the ship with tremendous force. The storms and times were so bad the sails had to be brought in for fear of breaking the mast. The main beams of the ship did eventually crack as they were just over halfway across the Atlantic. Many of the passengers wanted to turn back, but Christopher Jones, the ship's Master, assured them that the vessel was "strong and firm." The main beam was eventually repaired and they "committed themselves to the will of God and resolved to proceed." These 100 people - cold, wet - on a wooden ship in the middle of the ocean, put their hope, trust and lives into the hands of God.
On November 19, 1620, Cape Cod finally came into sight. But before going ashore they decided to write a document known as the Mayflower Compact. At the heart of the compact lay an undisputed conviction that God must be at the center of all law and order, and that law without a moral base is really not law at all. The day they signed the Mayflower Compact, according to William Bradford, "they came to anchor in the bay, which was a good harbor...and they blessed the God of Heaven, who brought them over the fast and furious ocean...and a sea of trouble." They then read from their Geneva Bible, "Let them, therefore praise the Lord, because He is good and His mercies endure forever."
In a few weeks we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Many will be busy cooking turkeys, making stuffing, baking pumpkin pies and watching football games. It's important that we get together with loved ones. But that's not what Thanksgiving is really about. It's about giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty. We usually picture the first Thanksgiving in America as a time when the Pilgrims and the Indians got together for a great feast. But I tend to think of that first Thanksgiving as a time when a group of weary and worn men and women were on their knees praising God in Heaven for bringing them safely through the treacherous sea to this new land. That's what we should be doing this Thanksgiving - getting on our knees and thanking God for the many blessings that He has given us and will continue to bestow upon us in the coming years.
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