Lessons on the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles
Lesson No. Forty-Four
Faith, Pilgrims, and Thanksgiving
Pilgrim – The dictionary definition is “a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion.” Paul wrote in Hebrews 11 of the faith of Abraham as a pilgrim:
By faith Abraham obeyed God’s command to leave his home and travel to a new land that he did not know, and there to live with his family in tents. (See Vs 8-9)
Abraham looked for and saw with the eye of faith a heavenly city, the celestial kingdom, “whose builder and maker is God” (Vs 10).
Abraham and other righteous people can see “afar off” and know that the promised blessing of exaltation is theirs. Meanwhile they feel as “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Vs 13).
These pilgrims declare plainly that they seek a better country where God has accepted them into the celestial kingdom. (See Vs 14-16)
The faith of the Mayflower Pilgrims was like unto Abraham’s as described in Hebrews 11:8-16 – We learn about the faith of the Pilgrims from the account of William Bradford, their long time governor:
For religious freedom they left England for Holland which was a “resting-place…but they knew that they were pilgrims and strangers here below…but lifted up their eyes to heaven, their dearest country, where God hath prepared for them a city (Heb. 11:16), and therein quieted their spirits.”
As they departed to the New World “their Reverend Pastor, falling down on his knees, and they all with him, with watery cheeks commended them with the most fervent prayers unto the Lord and His blessing.”
When they arrived in the New World “they had no friends to welcome them, no inns to entertain or refresh them, no houses, or much less towns, to repair unto to seek for succour; and for the season it was winter…for which way so ever they turned their eyes (save upward to heaven) they could have but little solace or content in respect of any outward object.” It was to heaven, with the eye of faith, that they looked to.
The Book of Mormon teaches that the founding and colonization of America was directed by the Lord:
Columbus and the Pilgrims, referred to as Gentiles, were guided by the Lord, “and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters” (1 Nephi 13:12-13).
“And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance” (1 Nephi 13:15).
“The gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them” (1 Nephi 13:12-16).
The truth about faith in God in the history of our country is not believed or understood by far too many Americans –
The God of this land is Jesus Christ – The Book of Mormon teaches: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ" (Ether 2:12).
America was founded by faith in God and on the teachings of Jesus Christ – The Mayflower Compact was written "For the Glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith." The Pilgrims settled this land and established its government based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Our Founders and Colonizers had faith in God and they were directed by the Lord – Unfortunately there is a widespread effort to rewrite our history. It is designed to indoctrinate young people. It eliminates God from public life, and slanders our founders and their accomplishments. They are portrayed as being greedy and motivated by selfish interests.
The Pilgrims and Thanksgiving are being swallowed up by Black Friday shopping.
Parents and Grandparents have the responsibility to educate themselves and teach their posterity:
Inspired teaching in the family counterbalances what children lean at school and in society - What President Marion G. Romney said about self-reliance applies to teaching the truth about the history and founding of our nation: "All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country” (The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance, Ensign, March 2009).
Family centered and Church supported – Teaching the truth about the founding and colonization of this nation is an important application of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints program of “Family Centered and Church Supported” parent led teaching in the home and family. I have observed that when parents do this it has an enormous positive effect on their children.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to teach children the truth about the founding of our nation – I am reminded of an experience I had in the office of President Gordon B. Hinckley with William Bennett, then Secretary of Education in the Reagan Cabinet and now a well-known author. In that meeting Secretary Bennett described a history book widely used in elementary schools nationwide which described pilgrims as people who take long trips. President Hinckley responded that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that our Founders and Colonizers had faith in and were directed by God. He said it was important that parents teach this truth to their children.
During our mortal pilgrimage, like the Pilgrims, sometimes we can only see a desolate wilderness – As expressed by William Bradford governor of the Plymouth Colony, we may feel our lives are in “a sea of troubles” and it may seem as “winter…sharp and violent, subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel.” We may feel like the Pilgrims when they arrived in the New World and all they could see was a “desolate wilderness…” But because of their faith in Christ they were blessed and they prospered in the land.
like Abraham and the Pilgrims, because of our faith in Jesus Christ we can look with the eye of faith to our celestial home - Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, recorded in 1 Nephi 8, Lehi found himself “in a dark and dreary waste” (Vs 7), and then, like Abraham and the Pilgrims, he prayed with faith that the Lord “would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies” (Vs 8). “And it came to pass that I beheld a tree whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted…And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy” (Vs 10-12). The fruit is symbolic of the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. (See 1 Nephi 11).
Faith is a principle of action (See Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, Lecture First) – Like Abraham and the Pilgrims, “when we build our lives upon faith as a principle of action, it influences every aspect of our life….In short, faith truly become the substance around which are lives are built. And when such is the case, we are constantly given evidence or proof and conviction, in other words, the Holy Ghost constantly bears testimony to us assuring us that the direction of our lives is correct and is leading us on the path which will lead to exaltation ” (David J. Ridges, The New Testament Made Easier 2, p. 346).