Thanks-Living. <1 Thessalonians 5:18 CEB>

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1 Rev. Joan Pell Sierra Pines United Methodist Church Sermon: 11/19/2017 Stand-Alone Sermon Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:4-9 <Philippians 4:4-9 NRSV> Thanks-Living <1 Thessalonians 5:18 CEB> 18 Give thanks in every situation because this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. My message for us today is for us to look and think less about what we do not have and for us to see what we do have and to give thanks joyfully. You can call it Thanks- Living. It may seem paradoxical that the letter of Saint Paul that speaks most about joy was written in prison. [That s the reading we heard from Philippians. It was written] at a moment when the apostle does not even know whether he will be freed or whether he will undergo martyrdom. But [it is] precisely in this difficult and complicated situation [that] he discovers the secret of Christian joy and shares it with us. 1 We tend to think that joy comes through our circumstances. When things are going well, we are happy, and in the dark valleys, we are miserable. Paul though has found a source of happiness that never fails. He sees all of life from the standpoint of his relationship with the risen Christ and so experiences a joy that nothing can remove. He has learned to be satisfied in all circumstances because of his closeness with Christ. 1

2 Paul s joy is a deep joy that has a lasting effect and the power to change us. And joy is not the same as fun Paul was persecuted, beaten and imprisoned for his faith. It has to do with where the focus of our lives are. Joy comes from knowing that we are inseparably connected to God. Paul has worries, but instead of letting them poison his existence, he prays and makes his requests known to God and makes sure he says thanks. And it is through that rejoicing that peace is found. As he wrote in 1 Thessalonians Give thanks in every situation because this (this giving thanks) is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. I am going to preach a different type of sermon today. I am going to share some stories with you, for which I give thanks. I will bind them together with a few observations, and leave you to remember and ponder. My first story this morning comes from Corrie Ten Boom. In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells about an incident that taught her the principle of giving thanks in all things. It was during World War II. Corrie and her sister, Betsy, had been harboring Jewish people in their home, so they were arrested and imprisoned at Ravensbruck Camp. The barracks was extremely crowded and infested with fleas. One morning they read in their tattered Bible from 1 Thessalonians the reminder to rejoice in all things. Betsy said, Corrie, we've got to give thanks for this barracks and even for these fleas." Corrie replied, "No way am I going to thank God for fleas." But Betsy was persuasive, and they did thank God even for the fleas. During the months that followed, they found that their barracks was left relatively free, the guards left them alone, and they could do Bible study, talk openly, and even pray in the barracks. It was their only place of refuge. Several months later they learned that the reason the guards never entered their barracks was because of those fleas. 2 We are told to thank God for the good and the bad. It is easier to thank God for the wonderful things in our lives, and we all have many blessings to be thankful for. But what about the fleas? Can you thank God for the fleas in your life? We all have them - health issues, family concerns, financial worries, job stresses, etc. What about all those fleas? Being thankful is a holy discipline and a way of life. So, thank God for the good and the bad. It s not easy! Yes, I am preaching to myself too! Give thanks in every situation because this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. 2 Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place. -2-

3 Second story. A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: I am blind, please help. There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write? The man said, I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. You wrote: I am blind, please help. I wrote: Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it. Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? 3 We are not always free to choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond and the joy is ONE of those responses. When we are struggling, we can choose to find things to rejoice about. With the fruit we have, what can we make from it? But when we are in a good position, we also have choices. What do we do with the bounty we have received? From the fruit we have picked? What do we do with what we have made from that fruit? Do we just say we deserved it? Or do we come with thanks. And do we share that bounty with others? Give thanks in every situation because this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. Another story. One afternoon a shopper at the local mall felt the need for a coffee break. She bought herself a little bag of cookies and put them in her shopping bag. She then got in line for coffee, found a place to sit at one of the crowded tables, and then taking the lid off her coffee and taking out a magazine she began to sip her coffee and read. Across the table from her a man sat reading a newspaper. After a minute or two she reached out and took a cookie. As she did, the man seated across the table reached out and took one too. This put her off, but she did not say anything. A few moments later she took another cookie. Once again the man did so too. Now she was getting a bit upset, but still she did not say anything. After having a couple of sips of coffee she once again took another cookie. So did the man. She was really upset by this - especially since now only one cookie was left. Apparently the man also realized that only one cookie was left. Before she could say anything he took it, broke it in half, offered half to her, and proceeded to eat the other half himself. Then he smiled at her and, putting the paper under his arm, rose and walked off. Was she steamed. Her 3 muslima, A Story with a Moral.Being Thankful -3-

4 coffee break ruined, already thinking ahead of how she would tell this offense to her family, she folded her magazine, opened her shopping bag, and there discovered her own unopened bag of cookies. 4 I like that story - it makes me think about how well God treats me even when I am acting badly. It also makes me think about how, sometimes, I do not really appreciate what I have or act like I know where it has come from. 5 We have been given so many gifts and often do not realize it. This story serves as a reminder that there could be another perspective, and mine is not always the correct one. Give thanks in every situation because this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. Now a story that offers some wise advice for Thanksgiving Day. It comes from Today s Woman magazine, called A Change in Plans by Barbara Tyler. It s a Martha Stewart story. And let s remember that Martha Stewart herself had to experience the grace of forgiveness when she was greedy and got things wrong. But this is a story about Martha s way of decorating and cooking for the holidays. I ll read this one to you Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I m telling you in advance, so don t act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won t be coming, I ve made a few small changes: Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy China or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey. We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I m sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 AM upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. 4 Richard A. Fairchild, Remembering to Give Thanks: Blessing God in Sermons & Sermon-Lectionary Resources. 5 Ibid. -4-

5 As accompaniment to the children s recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don t own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying. We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We ve also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door. Now I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice: take it or leave it. Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won t come next year either. I am thankful. 6 Ok, so now there is a smile on your face! We do not have to live the perfect Martha Stewart life to have a great Thanksgiving! In fact, we might be more thankful if we do not. God can work through all circumstances and has given us much to be thankful for. Give thanks in every situation because this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. As Paul said: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. And while there is much division and uncertainty in this country and the world and while there is personal sadness in our midst there is lots to rejoice and be thankful about. So as you come to your thanksgiving celebrations this week, give thanks. Give thanks for the good and the bad, including the fleas; give thanks for what you can do, for eyes to see this beautiful world; give thanks for unexpected, for strangers sharing cookies; give thanks for families in all their technicolor glory. Because our God is a faithful God. 6 Barbara A Tyler, A Change In Plans in Today s Woman magazine, as quoted by Johan Neethling, How to have a Wise Thanksgiving, November 2005) -5-

6 So as we bring in the harvest, as we pick the fruit, let s remember that giving thanks in all things is not just for thanksgiving. ThanksLiving should be our way of living every day. Thanks be to God. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord, you are an awesome God. In this Thanksgiving week, we come before you in Thankfulness. Forgive our ingratitude, when we do not offer our thanks. Open our hearts to the gifts we seldom notice, to the bounty we often take for granted. Thank you for the good and the bad, including the fleas; Thank you for the abilities we have been blessed with, including our eyes to see this beautiful world. Thank you for the unexpected ways you move in our lives, and strangers that share their cookies; and thank you especially this thanksgiving for our families in all their technicolor glory. As we leave today, place that spirit of thankfulness within us so that it overflows in this week ahead. Amen. -6-