Will glanced over his shoulder. Sir Frobisher still paced back and forth, kicking up a cloud of snow with each stride. He held his coat closed, for the buttons which had once served that purpose were long lost.

“Ask him, Will.”

He turned back to the others who were huddled around the fire. “Why should I be the one to ask?”

“Ask me what?” Captain Frobisher had abruptly stopped his pacing and stepped into the fire’s light. The worry lines which crossed his brow seemed to have grown deeper in the last hour alone.

Will felt Hank’s elbow digging into his side. Looking around, he realized all the others were also looking at him. He was the designated spokesperson, whether he liked it or not.

“Uh.” He cleared his throat. “We were wondering, Captain, if you plan to turn back?”

The question hung in the air for a moment, unanswered.

Finally, Captain Frobisher nodded, “We’ll have to.”

“But, Captain, the ice!”

The History of Thanksgiving

When we think of the history of Thanksgiving, we usually look back to a feast celebrated by the early settlers after their first harvest in a new land. That first harvest is why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the fall and have carried forward traditions such as pies, pumpkins, and turkey.

This was indeed the beginning of the annual holiday tradition. But long before that harvest feast, another group celebrated Thanksgiving in rather different circumstances.

In 1578, Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew set out from England with fifteen ships, an abundance of provisions, and high hopes of starting a settlement in what is now the Territory of Nunavut. They were nearly to their destination when one of the ships crashed onto the ice and sunk, taking with it much of the building materials for the settlement and their hopes for a new life.

These men had suffered disappointment, danger, hardship and loss. Yet they, like the pilgrims, chose to give thanks.

Choosing Gratitude 

“Shall we thank the Lord for this food?”

The sailors froze. One man coughed as he quickly swallowed the bite which was already in his mouth and three others set down laden forks.

All eyes turned to Robert Wolfall, the Chaplain.

“We have much to be thankful for, have we not? For this bread,” He continued, lifting a half-frozen biscuit. “For the strange and miraculous deliverance of God which we have all witnessed in so many dangerous places…” He paused, hoping the men would join in.

Will set his plate down in the snow and slowly rose to his feet. “Perhaps, Chaplain, we should give thanks for the strange and miraculous deliverance of God in sending His Son.”

Wolfall smiled. “Yes, Will, for that most of all!”

The Reason

With a simple sermon, frozen biscuits, and a bit of wine the men of Captain Frobisher’s crew celebrated the Lord’s Supper together, remembering that it was because of Christ they had reason – and the ability – to give thanks in all circumstances. 

Christ’s work isn’t meant to be just another item on the list of things we are thankful for. Rather it is the reason we begin the list in the first place. It is the blessing in our lives which doesn’t vary and can’t be lost. It is the enabling power which allows the Christian to choose gratitude even when circumstances are difficult and feelings of gratitude are absent.

In All Circumstances 

Sir Frobisher’s crew didn’t have a feast to eat that night, just simple rations — frozen bread, salted beef, and mushy peas. But they ate with thankful hearts.

This weekend, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, our thoughts are likely on the quickly falling leaves, family gatherings, and the abundance on our tables. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for! But in the midst of these celebrations may we remember that thanksgiving is more than a holiday, it’s more than a mere counting of blessings, it’s an exercise of the soul.

We can be thankful for a turkey dinner or for salted beef and frozen bread. We can be thankful in scarcity as well as in abundance, in hardship as in safety, in loneliness as when surrounded by those we love. We can always be thankful because of “the strange and miraculous deliverance of God.” 

May we remember this Thanksgiving and always to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians v.18, ESV)

In Christ

Quiana