National Bible Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my brother in the Lord from Colorado for hosting this Special Order tonight, during a special week where we commemorate the Holy Word, the Bible.

Mr. Speaker, since 1941, every President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has declared the week of Thanksgiving as National Bible Week.

It is fitting that we celebrate this week along with the national day of Thanksgiving. Both the Bible and this annual holiday provide us with the time to reflect on what is most important in our lives: our faith, our creator, our family, and our love for one another.

Mr. Speaker, part of my family lineage can be traced back to those Pilgrims who set out for the New World in search of religious freedom. They endured both hardship and sacrifice at a heavy cost to be able to freely worship without persecution.

Forty-five of the 102 Mayflower passengers died in the winter of 1620 to 1621, and the Mayflower colonists suffered greatly during their first winter in the New World from lack of shelter, scurvy, and general conditions of hardship. They brought with them, though, their faith and several Bibles.

The event that Americans commonly call the First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October of 1621. This feast lasted 3 days, and, as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow, it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.

Thanks to William Bradford's journal, we have knowledge of how these Pilgrims gave thanks. The question remains as to whom and why did they do this.

As people of faith, I would like to believe they were acting out the lessons of the Bible, such as that found in Psalm 107. This Scripture states the theme of God's loyal love and redemption. It is written for at the time of Israel in exile.

Wandering and overwhelmed by circumstances, I could see why these early Pilgrims could find solace in this Scripture. They also found themselves wandering and enduring hardship.

The Bible illustrated the power of giving thanks to the Lord, the importance of assuming thankfulness as a human attitude.

These words indicate not just a knowledge of, but also a recognition and a relationship through, the Word of God that the Bible offers.

I don't know if the Pilgrims referenced this Scripture in preparing or dealing with the hardships that they endured. I do know that the Bible and the Word within it was important to these travelers and early settlers.

The Bible has had a tremendous influence in my life and the lives of millions of Americans. The Scriptures inside serve as a guide for us in both times of trouble and in times of triumph. And, for that reason, it remains the best-selling book of all time.

During this week, I am thankful for the strong community of faith that I have come to know through weekly Bible studies and prayer service here in the United States Capitol and, certainly, back in my district and my home community. It is a time where we put aside differences and come together to share the love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The words of the Bible unite people, nations, and even politicians as we come together to celebrate faith, fellowship, and prayer.

As I prepare to close, let me share these thoughts.

God chose Israel; America chose God; and God's first love is Israel. Let's make America God's lasting love.

Mr. Speaker, let us also celebrate the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose and exercise faith without government coercion or retaliation.

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