Things to Be Thankful For

Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom his earth rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms,
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.

Oh, may our bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever-joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us,
And keep us in his love,
And guide us day and night,
And free us from all ills,
Protect us by his might.

I love the hymns we sing at Thanksgiving. Two of them, Prayer of Thanksgiving and Come, Ye Thankful People, are the ones most commonly sung. Another favorite of mine, less often sung, is Now Thank We All Our God. It was originally a German hymn, Nun danket alle Gott. The lyrics were written in 1636 by the Lutheran pastor Martin Rinkart (1586 – 1649) and the hymn tune was written by Johann Crüger (1598 – 1662) in 1647. I love knowing the stories behind our hymns. I found a great article about Rinkart and how this hymn came to be written:

“The Thirty Years’ War was the most destructive war ever fought in Germany – including World Wars I and II. The war began as a conflict over religion in the nearby kingdom of Bohemia. In principle, the war was fought between the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor and his allies on the one side and the Lutheran princes in the Empire and their allies on the other. In practice, it was far messier than that. For example, the Catholic Emperor had a ruthless Protestant general named Albrecht von Wallenstein, and the Protestant princes were funded by Catholic France.

It also drew in most of the other countries of Europe. The Swedes and Danes came in on the side of the Lutherans, and Spain on the side of the Emperor; the Dutch Republic was fighting for independence from Spain, so they also joined the war, and France got involved militarily to take down their old rival Spain. The war was fought not only in Europe but also in the Americas and in the Indian Ocean.

Eilenburg (where Rinkart was a pastor) was a walled city, and so it became a refuge for people fleeing the war. As troops came through the area, Rinkart and others had to quarter them in their houses, and their goods were regularly plundered by these soldiers. Not surprisingly, food was often scarce.

Then in 1637 plague arrived in the overcrowded city. Of the four clergy in Eilenburg, the Superintendent fled, and two pastors soon succumbed to the disease. Rinkart was left alone to tend the sick and bury the dead. He performed up to fifty funerals per day, in all totaling over 4,480, including his wife’s. When the death toll got too high for individual funerals, trenches were dug for mass burials. In all, 8,000 died in the city.

After the plague came famine. Surviving accounts say that food was so scarce that 30 or 40 people would fight in the streets over a dead cat or crow. Rinkart gave so much to charity to feed the hungry that he was forced to mortgage several years of his income just to feed and clothe his own children.

Then the Swedes came. Rinkart had saved the city once before from the Swedish army in 1637; now in the wake of the famine in 1639 they were back, demanding 30,000 florins as “tribute.” Rinkart again went out to entreat them to lower their demands, but the Swedish general refused. Rinkart turned to the townspeople who had followed him and said, “Come, my children, we can find no hearing, no mercy with men, let us take refuge with God.” He fell to his knees and began praying so earnestly that the general relented and asked for only 2,000 florins.

The war would drag on for another nine years. But Rinkart’s services had not earned the town’s leaders’ gratitude: they harassed him constantly, frequently about financial issues caused by his efforts to feed the starving people in the city. When peace finally came in 1648, Rinkart was exhausted and prematurely aged. He died the following year.

Surprisingly, given the difficulties of his life, the hymns that Rinkart penned were full of praise and trust in God even when they spoke of the troubles afflicting Germany. His best-known hymn, written around 1636 in the middle of the war, we know as “Now Thank We All Our God.”

Think about this hymn in the context of Rinkart’s life. If in the midst of horrendously devastating war, plague, famine, and death, Rinkart could find the faith to sing his thanks to God, how much more should we, who are living in much better circumstances rejoice in the goodness of God that has blessed us so abundantly.”

Martin Rinkart and Johann Crüger.

I’m thankful for sacred music, especially for the hymns that lift my spirits and enrich my soul. After reading about Martin Rinkart and that hymn, I thought how, no matter the state of this present world with all its turmoil and upheaval, I have great reason to thank God for his goodness to me and my family.

A sunrise early last week before the snow melted.

Through the first part of the week we were busy preparing for Thursday’s feast. We tidied the house to get ready for guests, freshened the linens on the beds, dusted, swept cobwebs out of corners – things we usually overlook but don’t want guests to notice, even when they are our children. Daniel and Raven arrived Tuesday night. And as a special surprise, they announced that they are expecting their first child in June!

On Wednesday we worked on food for the feast. First thing in the morning, before the kitchen got busy, I ground the cranberry sauce. I always make it a day in advance to give the flavors time to meld. The aroma of the cranberries, apples, and oranges as I ran them through the grinder was amazing. I always make more than I know we will eat so that there are leftovers for cranberry bread. The weather was fairly mild (47°) so later in the day, Daniel, Miriam, and I put up the Christmas lights on the back porch. The Thayns arrived that evening in time for dinner. They brought with them our new car, another Highlander, to replace our old one. I’m thankful for that and for their help in procuring it for us. They also brought with them our precious grandchildren who immediately filled the house with energy and noise and fun. I’m so thankful for my family.

Grinding cranberry sauce.

The finished cranberry sauce.

Our new (used) car.

Thanksgiving morning dawned very cold, just 16°, but the morning was sunny and clear and sparkling with frost. When I filled the bird feeders, the birds were already sitting up in the branches of the crab apple tree waiting. They flew down to feast even before I stepped away. They seemed grateful for the seed. I was thankful for their beauty. Then I went down to open the barn and threw extra scratch to the chickens to give them their own feast. They seemed grateful in their own frantic way. By 8:00 the rest of the house was stirring. With breakfast and feast preparation happening simultaneously, things were busy and chaotic and noisy, the kind of hustle and bustle that makes the house feel alive and happy.

Sunrise on the frozen beaver pond.

As we sat down to our feast later that afternoon, I reflected on other Thanksgiving feasts, especially that first one in 1621 where some of my ancestors sat, and I felt deep gratitude for those brave people who, through their faith and courage and their desire for a new and freer life, came to a place unknown to them, a place fraught with hardship, danger, and death, and laid the foundation for the greatest republic the world has ever known. I am an heir to their sacrifice and I’m thankful for them.

Thanksgiving, 1621.

Our feast was delicious. We had our traditional menu of turkey, cranberry sauce, dressing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes with gravy, jello salad, and dinner rolls. Later for dessert we had apple pie. The weather was lovely and mild all day. Between dinner and dessert, we took a walk around the property and finally lit the bonfire out on the edge of the orchard. The rest of the day we spent playing games, sitting and chatting, a few of us took a little nap. It was a good day. I’m thankful for the times I get to spend with my family.

Our feast.

Mable warming herself at our Thanksgiving bonfire.

It was dreary and rainy on Friday. We began the day with a treat. One of our Amish neighbors sells donuts on Fridays and Saturdays, so early that morning a group of us went over and bought some. They are the best donuts you can find around here. With the rain and gloom outside, we didn’t venture out after that. We spent the day indoors playing games, working on jigsaw puzzles, and eating leftovers. I think leftovers are almost better than the original feast. There’s nothing quite like a second day turkey sandwich for lunch and the turkey burritos we had for dinner were great.

Playing games.

Playing Othello with Daniel.

Working on jigsaw puzzles.

Turkey burritos!

Yesterday the weather was nicer. It felt like a sunny spring day. We went into town in the morning to go to the local Christmas craft fair. We walked around down town and visited the various shops and vendors and made a few small purchases.

Downtown for the Christmas craft fair.

When we returned home, I had Daniel work on a project for me. He is very skilled at timber construction, so I had him build railings for the ramp that goes into the back of the barn. That ramp can get treacherous in the winter and I’ve always wanted railings to hold on to. We just used scrap lumber I had laying around, but it turned out great. I’m thankful for people who have skills I don’t have and share them with me. That evening as it was getting dark, Daniel went up on the front porch roof and put up the last of the Christmas lights.

New railing on the barn bridge.

Daniel putting up the last of the outdoor Christmas lights.

Yesterday was Hannah’s birthday. We celebrated with lasagna and bread sticks for dinner. Hannah made her own birthday cake, a delicious pumpkin cheese cake. We sang to her and she opened presents. Yesterday was also Tabor and Rachel’s 11th anniversary. So many things to celebrate! I’m so thankful for my wonderful family!

Singing happy birthday to Hannah.

Today at church we sang all three of the great Thanksgiving hymns in our hymnal. Our speakers today were Rachel and Tabor. Knowing they would be here for church, I asked them several weeks ago to speak. They gave great talks. Now we are home and lunch is underway – Hawaiian haystacks still using leftover turkey. After lunch the Thayns are going home. Daniel and Raven are leaving tomorrow. Then the house will collapse into quietude. But this week we will start listening to Christmas music and soon the indoor decorations will go up and things will start to feel festive. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.