Upon reflecting on this Thanksgiving season, we remembered family, turkey and stuffing, and football. But did you know that our forefathers used Thanksgiving to gather to celebrate the freedom we enjoy in the United States and God’s blessings on our nation? Indeed, Thanksgiving has a close connection with the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our Founding Fathers.
President George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation under the U.S. Constitution on October 3, 1789. The United States had recently emerged victorious from a long and bitter war with the greatest power in the world, and its leaders were deeply immersed in creating a bold system of government that would ensure and protect the rights of its citizens. In this historical context, Washington declared November 26th as a national day of thanksgiving.
His proclamation began:
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
This commemorated the first Thanksgiving, where our forefathers gathered to celebrate God’s blessings on our nation. Religious liberty was a “blessing” which President Washington wanted to celebrate on Thanksgiving, and the proclamation stated that we “all unite in rendering unto [God] our sincere and humble thanks… for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed.”
Since then, several U.S. Presidents have issued proclamations encouraging all Americans to have grateful hearts for our liberties, rights, our representative government, and the freedom to express and live out our faith.
During this season of gratitude, it is more important than ever to take time to reflect on the true meaning of this important holiday. As you gather with family and friends and share what you are thankful for, consider sharing with them the rich history of America’s oldest holiday.
On a personal note, I want to share what I am most thankful for. Earlier this year, our Advocates team and I successfully helped a San Diego church, Vision Church, stay in its building and continue to serve the community it has called home for nearly a decade. The city told the church that it had to stop using its property for religious purposes because the church was in a flood zone. In doing so, the city sided with a newly established marijuana dispensary in the same neighborhood as the church, which had been there almost 10 years. After filing a federal lawsuit, I was successful in getting the city to cease discriminating against the church.
From this victory in the courtroom, to our successful participation in push back against California’s sexual health education, our partnering with religious liberty law firms across the country to file important Amicus briefs supporting Christian employers like Harris Funeral Homes, and our ongoing fight against social media censorship in our Church United vs. Vimeo case, God has truly blessed Advocates beyond measure.
We are also deeply thankful for you! Without your faithful prayers and generous financial support, we would not be able to do the work we do. We could not fight for the rights of churches, pastors, parents, and students. Although it has been a successful year so far, there is much more work to be done. We need your continued help and support as we continue fighting for the freedoms this country was founded on.
As we celebrate this season of thanksgiving, thanking God for his many blessings and for our great nation – on behalf of the entire Advocates family, I want to wish you and yours a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
In Gratitude,
Nada Higuera, Esq.
P.S. Please remember Advocates for Faith & Freedom as you consider your year-end ministry donations.