October 22, 2024
Fourteen years had passed since the Mayflower had landed upon New England’s shores. Of the 102 who made the perilous voyage, only half survived their first year. Yet over the next seven years, Plymouth Colony increased threefold. For Thomas Welles, the prospect of finding political and religious safe harbor was enticing. And although seeking that refuge remained fraught; the hazards of remaining in Warwickshire were more terrifying.
Welles determined to make the precarious voyage to the new world. For on November 3, 1634, he was charged with holding puritan tenets, an indictment that equaled none other than sedition under King Charles II. Some six months later, Welles and his wife Alice (Tomes) departed their native England, landing thereafter on Connecticut’s shores.
History records Thomas, Alice, and their children traveled north and made their home in the colonial settlement, arriving on or about the 9th of June 1636—some 356 years before their great-granddaughter 12 generations removed would marry and take her husband’s name.
My wife’s family has deep roots in these United States of America. Thomas Welles became the governor of Connecticut, and his descendants fought during the American Revolution. By the time England declared war in 1812, the Divine family had also landed in these United States and made their home in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Like many of our fore parents, Thomas Welles left his native land to escape persecution. While still under the control of the British crown, the political and religious unrest dictated change. He, like his brethren before him, gave thanks to the LORD for His provision and their newfound freedom.
To Thomas Welles, and our Lord who brought him here, I owe my gratitude. For without him, I would not be married to my wife, who along with her father prayed for me fervently to know the Lord. Welle’s legacy of religious devotion has remained constant for over 400 years. That’s a legacy of gratitude I pray continues.
In less than a month, our nation will gather for the timeless tradition of giving thanks to our Lord and Savior. Many of us will feast, watch parades, and with stuffed tummies doze off while keeping tabs on the NFL scores. We will enjoy a day of family and tradition, and hopefully also give thanks to the Lord our God for the provision He alone gives.
This year, I have much to be thankful for: my call to my current congregation; our return to Minnesota; a new grandchild; and of course, the legacy of faith instilled in me by the descendants of the Honorable Thomas Welles. For them all, I am grateful. But most importantly, I am thankful for our Lord and God and His Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have been granted forgiveness of sins, freedom, and lives of plenty within these great shores.
What are you thankful for this year? May I encourage you— share that for which you are grateful. As Thomas Welles did, continue the legacy of gratitude you inherited, so that your descendants may richly know the Lord. May God thoroughly bless you and your family this Thanksgiving, and in the years to come.
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