ONCE UPON A TIME, a small group of people, desperate for the freedom to worship God in their own land, traveled to a New World.

These people arrived at the beginning of a particularly harsh winter. They had already suffered disease on board their little ship. Upon their arrival, they were without food or medicine. They struggled to build crude shelters, gather food, and store firewood to survive the brutal cold.

Many died that winter, but the survivors persisted.

The following year, with the help of the native people of the land, they were able to grow crops and hunt for food. At harvest time, they gathered together to give thanks to God for the blessings they had received.

As the centuries passed, however, and the people of that land enjoyed ever greater prosperity, they began to take the simplest blessings as their just due.

Most were anything but thankful. The legal holiday was an occasion for revelry, for play, for travel, and for recreation. Yes, they wished one another “Happy Thanksgiving,” but it was only the rare believer who understood to whom they were supposed to give thanks.

Many became vain in their imaginations, and committed all sorts of evil acts. Others turned the sacred holiday of Thanksgiving into “Turkey Day,” and “Football Day,” and “Feast Day.” Instead of thanking the Creator and the Savior, they began thanking one another for what they considered their important contributions to society.

And every year, fewer gave thanks. After all, how can one give thanks to a Being that society now agrees no longer exists?

The story of “Thanksgiving” is not quite over, but the end of it certainly seems near. It remains to be seen whether a sufficient number of the people in that blessed land see the truth in time, and resume worshiping the creator rather than the creation.

It remains to be seen what God will do to the people of that land if they continue to turn away from him.

It’s not too late for them. The promise is true:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).