FIVE KERNELS OF THANKSGIVING
The winter of 1623 in New England was a time of famine. Corn became so scarce among the newly-settled Pilgrims that Governor William Bradford had to ration it. Each person was given five kernels of corn per day.
When the days of famine passed, it became a custom to place five kernels of corn at every plate as a reminder of the sacrifices and courage of those sturdy pioneers of earlier years.
The word, “thank” comes from the Old English word “then-can,” which means “to think.”
The First Kernel of Corn stands for the beautiful bounty of nature. How dependent we are on the few inches of earth under our feet and the few miles of air over our heads.
The Second Kernel of Corn stands for the ordinary men and women of our past who have stepped forward at the right time to do extraordinary things.
The Third Kernel of Corn symbolizes the work that we have to do. For hands, minds, and hearts with which to become co-creators with God in the work of the Commonwealth of Heaven.
The Fourth Kernel of Corn stands for our friends and loved ones. As Emerson said: “Friends are not only for vacation time, but for days of shipwreck; not only to be with us on pleasant rambles, but to be with us as we travel the rough roads of life.”
The Fifth Kernel of Corn stands for God. Nature, history, and personality point to his loving kindness and gratuitous giving of all that we are and have. God is the one “in whom we live, and move, and have our being.” God’s greatest gift is the promise of a world of forgiveness and love where hatred, resentment, and violence will soon be lost to our vocabulary.
Thanksgiving Meditation on the Five Kernels
Sometime today or this week, perhaps as you sit in this church or in some other quiet place, I invite you to write about your sense of thanksgiving using the Five Kernels above as your guide.
The First Kernel of Corn
The Second Kernel of Corn
The Third Kernel of Corn
The Fourth Kernel of Corn
The Fifth Kernel of Corn
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