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'Having Undertaken for the Glory of God'
The Mayflower Compact

October 27, 2006


In just a few weeks, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that people of all faiths observe. But between stuffing the turkey and watching football, we ought to make sure our children and grandchildren understand the Christian roots of this holiday, which are often downplayed in school. The first step is to brush up on the details ourselves.

On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from England. Ten perilous weeks later, the Pilgrims arrived on the northern tip of Cape Cod. As my friend Barbara Rainey writes in her excellent book, Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember, "This was about sixty miles north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River." Should they sail south, or stay put?

After much discussion and prayer, they decided to stay. But when the passengers learned of this, dissension broke out. The Pilgrims had a charter with a company that was effective only at the original landing site. As Rainey writes, "The bonded servants on board [who were not Pilgrims] argued that [the decision to stay] changed the terms of their work agreement." The Pilgrims were afraid that these men would declare their independence and deplete the labor supply. Something had to be done to restore unity.

As the Mayflower's captain worked his way around the Cape, searching for a place to drop anchor, an intense debate ensued. By nightfall, the leaders had drafted an agreement, called the Mayflower Compact. Among its key clauses were these words: "Having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith . . . a voyage to plant the First Colony . . . [we] solemnly . . . in the presence of God and of one another, Covenant . . . ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic. . . . "

As Rainey writes, the compact was a hedge against revolt, but it meant much more. The Pilgrims took it seriously; their Bible told them just how significant covenants were. In the Old Testament, God created covenants between Himself and His people, the Israelites. In the New Testament, God covenants with all who choose to follow Him through the life, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As Rainey writes, the Pilgrims "journeyed to this new land to proclaim by their lives this message of redemption, the New Covenant, and the light of Christ. This covenant that God established with His people became their model for the Mayflower Compact as well as for the peace treaty they established with Massasoit and his people. They knew a God who keeps His word, and therefore they were faithful to keep their word, their promises to one another and to others."

The Mayflower Compact became one of the most important documents in American history—and yet, its religious language may make some teachers reluctant to teach it. But that same language reveals the lengths to which the Pilgrims were willing to go to follow the Lord.

If you have youngsters in your family, consider giving them a copy of Barbara Rainey's book Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember. And talk about it at Thanksgiving: Let them learn how a small band of ordinary people covenanted together to build a new life—and to serve one another through Jesus Christ. That's something you can really be thankful for.

This commentary first aired on November 3, 2005.




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A UNC grad stood on the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night
in the middle of a storm. The thunder was rolling and no cars passed. The
storm was so strong, he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly
he saw a car come towards him and stop.

The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door to
realize that nobody was behind the wheel. The car started slowly. He looked
at the road and saw a curve ahead. Scared, he started praying, and begged
for his life. He hadn't come out of shock, when just before he hit the
curve, a hand appeared through the window and moved the wheel. The man,
paralyzed in terror, watched how the hand appeared every time before a curve.

He gathered his strength, got out of the car and ran to the nearest town.
Wet and in shock, he ran into a bar and asked for two shots of tequila,
and started telling everybody about the horrible experience he went
through. A silence enveloped everybody when they realized the man
was crying and wasn't drunk.

About half an hour later, two men walked into the same bar, and one
said to the other. "Look Billy, that's the character who climbed into the
car while we were pushing it."


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Please note: If you see a UNC student or liberal reading 'Thought & Humor', please
explain to them which is thought & which is humor. They always get it backwards.......

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In our public schools they can have instruction in
witchcraft and Satanism, they can observe the satanic
holiday of Halloween, have their parties, and dress
like goblins and witches. But Christmas carols are
outlawed at Christmas time. Chuck Smith
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Martin Luther: A rough-hewn young monk,
Martin Luther transformed Europe.

Click Here
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