It is well known, at least among most Americans, that the voyage of the Mayflower had been motivated by the desire of the Separatists ("Pilgrims") to secure religious freedom for themselves. England in the 17th century had an official church--the Church of England (or Anglican Church)--which all were required to attend. However, not a few people in England were opposed to the official church, as they believed it was corrupt and too closely resembled the Roman Catholic Church. Some of these religious dissidents, known as the Puritans, sought to reform the Church of England in order to conform it to what they perceived as the New Testament model for the Church. Others, however, believed the Anglican Church was far too corrupted to be susceptible to reform, and wished to separate--hence the name "Separatist"--completely from the Church of England so that they could worship God in the way they believed Christians ought to worship Him. Unfortunately for them, it was illegal to not participate in the life of the official church; consequently, in order to avoid persecution, many of the Separatist moved to the Netherlands, which, unlike the rest of Europe, offered religious freedom. However, the Separatists soon became convinced that they could not remain in the Netherlands, especially since their children were being tempted to abandon the ways of their parents thanks to the country's easy-going way of life. Thus, it was decided to attempt to establish a colony in North America, where the Separatists could follow their beliefs without harassment or temptation.
The Separatists were willing to sacrifice their accustomed lives and to risk great danger in order to be obedient to what they believed was God's will. How many American Christians today would be prepared to do the same? I doubt the number would be very high--if we were to be completely honest. Nevertheless, the "Pilgrims," whose story we remember on this Thanksgiving Day, were willing to sacrifice essentially everything for their faith--and even now many persecuted Christians around the world are willing to do the same. Perhaps we who are Christians living in the modern United States would do well to take a little time to reflect on their example, and that of the "Pilgrims." What would we be willing to give up in order to prove faithful, as they did?
Image of the Mayflower II (a replica of the original Mayflower) from Wikimedia Commons