As One Small Candle May Light a Thousand…
“To … the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” —Psalm 100:4-5
Fellow Patriots, the din of contentious media churn, election-year rancor, and a global pandemic have all too often drowned out what’s good and right about our great nation.
We are charged with sustaining the blessings of American Liberty and extending that blessing to the next generation. The circumstances of certain seasons make that charge more difficult, but we approach it with no less optimism and vigor. Now is the time to Stand Fast and Firm, remember who you are, and who WE are together.
Please pause with us this Thanksgiving to reflect upon how blessed we really are — blessed far beyond any measure of what we deserve. We are grateful, especially, for simple blessings and mercies.
To put our national Day of Thanksgiving into proper context is to express gratitude. In that spirit, I invite you, on this 400th anniversary of the founding of Plymouth Plantation, to read this brief but compelling “History and Legacy of Our National Thanksgiving.”
From the extraordinary journal of Mayflower Compact signer and Plymouth Governor William Bradford: “Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.”
President George Washington, in his First Thanksgiving Proclamation, declared, “I do recommend and assign [this Thanksgiving Day] to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
In President Ronald Reagan’s first Thanksgiving proclamation, he wrote: “As we celebrate Thanksgiving … we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. Such reflection can only add to the significance of this precious day of remembrance. Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people.”
Indeed.
Patriot brothers and sisters, especially in this season, contemplate all that is good and right: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
For some added inspiration from the mountains of East Tennessee, enjoy listening to “My Beautiful America” by a fellow Tennessean, the late Charlie Daniels.
Please join us in prayer for our nation’s Military Patriots standing in harm’s way, and for their families through their deployments. I also ask the favor of your prayer for our mission to, first and foremost, support and defend our Republic’s Founding Principles — the Liberty endowed by our Creator — and to ignite the fires of freedom in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as editor and publisher of The Patriot Post and for your support.
On behalf of your Patriot team and National Advisory Committee, have a peaceful Thanksgiving, and we pray God’s blessings upon you and your family.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Mark Alexander
Publisher, The Patriot Post
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776
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