A Proclamation on Thanksgiving Day, 2024

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     This Thanksgiving, as families, friends, and loved ones gather in gratitude, may we all celebrate the many blessings of our great Nation.
     Thanksgiving is at the heart of America’s spirit of gratitude — of finding light in times of both joy and strife.  The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving to honor a successful harvest, made possible by the generosity and kindness of the Wampanoag people.  On the way to Valley Forge, as General George Washington and his troops continued the fierce struggle for our Nation’s independence, they found a moment for Thanksgiving.  And amid the fight to preserve our Union during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, finding gratitude in the courage of the American people who sacrifice so much for our country.
     We are a good Nation because we are a good people.  The First Lady and I remain inspired by the everyday Americans who lift this country up and push us forward.  Today, so many are among their family and friends, celebrating the love that binds them and creating new traditions that will carry on for generations.  To anyone with an empty seat at the dinner table, grieving the loss of a loved one, the First Lady and I hold you in our hearts and prayers.
     America is a Nation of promise and possibilities — and that is because, every day, ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary things.  Our service members and veterans have given all, risked all, and dared all to keep our Nation free.  Our first responders, firefighters, and police officers risk their lives every day to keep the rest of us safe.  I can see the best of America in them and in our workers and union leaders, public servants and teachers, doctors and scientists, and all who give their heart and soul to ensuring people are treated with dignity and respect.  And I find hope in our Nation’s families, who sacrifice so much to achieve the American Dream and build a future worthy of our highest aspirations.
     This Thanksgiving — the last one I will declare as President — I express my gratitude to the American people.  Serving as President has been the honor of a lifetime.  America is the greatest country on Earth, and there is so much to be grateful for.  May we celebrate all that unites us — because there is nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 2024, as a National Day of Thanksgiving.  I encourage the people of the United States of America to join together and give thanks for the friends, neighbors, family members, and communities who have supported each other over the past year in a reflection of goodwill and unity.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

This is a Christian response to this, given by Dutch Sheets (Dutch Sheets ministries, Give Him 15)

November 28, 2024

A Day of Thanksgiving

The pilgrims first celebrated the holiday Americans call Thanksgiving after their first harvest in 1621. History says it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The gathering lasted three days. In 1789, our first President, George Washington, issued a national proclamation of “Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”(1) Abraham Lincoln issued another proclamation in 1863 and made it a national holiday, referring to it as “A day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”(2) In their proclamations, they refer to God as the: Almighty God (three times); that great and glorious Being; beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; the great Lord and Ruler of the Nations; Most High God; and beneficient Father. So much for the myth of separating God from America’s government.

Washington’s and Lincoln’s proclamations are reverential and God-honoring. I won’t read them, as the verbiage and style of the day are a bit different than ours, but I have included them as an attachment at the end of today’s post for those who do wish to read them. The following is a proclamation and prayer for us to offer today; please agree with me as I read it:

Heavenly Father, we in the U.S. pause today to acknowledge Your gracious and omnipotent hand. America was Your idea. You had in Your heart to form a nation of nations – Native Americans, Asians, Europeans, Africans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and more. Though our journey included the inevitable challenges associated with human frailties, including evil actions, Your sovereign power overcame our flaws and formed the United States of America. We are very aware that this miracle was not just for our blessing and benefit; we were called to a covenantal partnership with You to release Your redemption from sin’s horrible curse. We acknowledge and agree with the words of Robert Hunt at Cape Henry in 1607: “The gospel of the kingdom will go forth from these shores, not only to this land, but to all the nations of the earth.” We agree with the words from Holy Scripture inscribed on the Liberty Bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof,” (Leviticus 25:10). This is our destiny and great honor. 

We are thankful, Father, for the covenants our Christian Forefathers and Founders entered into with You. They sacrificed much in order to fulfill Your will, knowing they were drawn here – not just to enjoy liberty – but to accomplish Your divine purposes. We are grateful for their sacrifices made so long ago, and the incredible prosperity we have enjoyed due to their covenantal partnership with You. May they be forever honored and always see righteous fruit from their labors.

Thank You for preserving us in times of war, disease, sin, and rebellion. In the war of our birth, we were saved through appealing to heaven; in the horrific Civil War, we fought one another and lost half a million sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers, yet You kept the dream alive; in two world wars, You preserved us from evil despots intent on ruling the world. Through all the difficulties and trials of four centuries, YOU have been faithful to preserve us. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1). You have blessed this nation – of You, through You, and to You are all things. Thank You, gracious and beneficent God!

Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, on this day, we as a nation thank You for Your great sacrifice in becoming one of us – a member of the human race. Thank You for experiencing the gnawing pangs of hunger, for feeling the heartbreaking pain of a loved one’s death. Thank You for walking dusty roads to heal diseased bodies, taking detours to redeem thirsty hearts, and spending sleepless nights in prayer. Thank You for exposing the wiles and hatred of the serpent, the destructive power of pride, and modeling true love. Thank You for revealing the Father to us once again, and creating the way for us to reconnect with Him as our Abba, our Papa. Thank You for paying such an incredibly high price: the incarnation, the beatings and lashing, Gethsemane, the mocking, the crown of thorns, the wrath of Hell, the hideous Cross, the stain of sin, and sting of death. Thank You.

Gracious Father, wonderful Savior, and blessed Holy Spirit, though we as a nation have dishonored, rejected, and even mocked You, Your love endures. We have worshiped idols, embraced false religions, shed innocent blood, defiled Your marriage covenant, and expelled You from our schools – yet Your mercies endure. Our government has risen up against You in pride and rebellion, rewritten Your laws, legislated murderous and immoral rights, and declared that You are no longer welcome in their functions and procedures – yet You have demonstrated amazing grace and patience. And while the church should have been Your instrument of preservation from these ills, she became lukewarm, complacent, and ineffective. 

In spite of these and many more evils, You have promised to save America, healing our brokenness, returning our hearts to You, and preserving our destiny. Thank You, gracious Father. Thank You for the restoration occurring in the church; thank You for the army of intercessors You have raised up here and around the world – we owe them so much. Thank You for the awakening that has begun in America, regarding both our spiritual condition and the horrible fruit this has produced. Thank You for the overthrowing of evil in our government that has begun. Thank You, in advance, for the greatest worldwide outpouring of Holy Spirit in all of history. Because of Your mercy, America will once again be a strong voice for the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the earth. For all of this and more, we give You thanks.