Psalms 103:1-12 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalms 107:1-2 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

Psalms 107:8-9 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

That winter was long and cold and difficult- they had very little food and they worked hard to build a settlement.
The ship which was to bring food and relief brought 35 more mouths to feed, but not an ounce of provisions.

William Brewster, tells of a scanty Plymouth dinner, consisting of a plate of clams and a glass of cold water, to thank God “for the abundance of the sea and the treasures hid in the sand.”

At the end of the winter in 1621, a Native American Indian named Squanto made friends with the Pilgrims. He taught them how to plant the Indian corn by heaping the dirt into a mound and putting the seeds and a fish in each mound for fertilizer.

The Pilgrims planted corn the way Squanto taught them, and the corn grew so well that they harvested a lot of food for the coming winter.
Their harvest was so successful; they wanted to have a special day of thanksgiving to show their thanks for God’s blessings. From that time on at each Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims kept 5 kernels of corn at their plates to remind them to be thankful to God.

They had a custom of putting 5 kernels of corn upon each empty plate before a dinner of “thanksgiving” was served.
It was to remind them that the first Pilgrims were in such dire straits that their allowance was only 5 kernels of corn per person each day.
Each member of the family would pick up a kernel and tell what they were thankful for.

Five kernels of corn to remind us of the meaning of Thanksgiving:

Kernel 1: The first kernel reminds us of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Kernel 2: The second kernel reminds us that God provides for us.
Kernel 3: The third kernel reminds us of the friends God has given us.
Kernel 4: The fourth kernel reminds us of all the people God has given us who love us.
Kernel 5: The fifth kernel reminds us that God hears our prayers and answers us.

Five Kernels of Corn
by Hezekiah Butterworth

‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
And dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!“
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and the arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!“

O Bradford of Austerfield haste on thy way.
The west winds are blowing o’er Province-town Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone.
And ye still have left you Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!

“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking, and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle: rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice! “
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “ Five Kernels of Corn.“
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!
To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!

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