1 P a g e. Most us know about tough times. And those of us who have been through tough times know that such times can be good teachers.

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1 1 P a g e Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church The Peril of Prosperity Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:7-18; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Psalm 138:1-5 MSG no refrain Hymns: Come thou fount (insert); Saviour, teach me day by day 698; Give thanks (insert); For the fruits of all creation 802 October 12, 2014 Thanksgiving Sunday Rev. Steve Filyk He went into the hospital For what was called a routine operation. But the pain he felt in recovery was unfathomable. After only 5 minutes with the physiotherapist He was in tears. That first year with her newborn was manageable. But when her child started getting those ear infections The babe would only sleep When she was holding him in the rocking chair. And mom, she can t remember sleeping at all, That year. They worked hard in the summers And saved every single penny. But after paying rent and tuition There wasn t much left. Their dining room Was a makeshift table Surrounded by some old milk crates. They ate whatever they could find on sale. Most us know about tough times. And those of us who have been through tough times know that such times can be good teachers. You learn the value of an encouraging word When you are worrying whether you ll ever leave the hospital When you re anxious about managing on your own. You learn the value of generosity When your someone notices your economising, your skimping and treats you to an incredible feast. You learn how to depend on God. When you have no-one else to lean on. And in the act of dependence You learn that God really provides for our needs. Most of us have been through tough times. And most of us have learned a few good lessons. The same can be said for the people of Israel. Today s Old Testament lesson is an excerpt from a sermon Delivered by Moses. A sermon he preached At the end of his peoples desert wanderings. When they stood at the doorstep Of the Promised Land. In this sermon Moses looks back on their time of struggle, Their forty years in the desert. It was a difficult time. It was a difficult place. It was wilderness. Nothing could be cultivated on that parched land.

2 2 P a g e It was wilderness. Full of dangers like scorpions and snakes. And yet in this desolate place God proved to be faithful to God s people. Where there was no water God brought springs out of hard rock. When there was no food, God provided manna from heaven. God preserved them in the wilderness. Their feet didn t swell despite all the walking. Their clothes didn t deteriorate Under the blazing sun. i Experiencing this provision During tough times, The people learned that their God could be trusted. Tough times can be good teachers. Of course too much time in the wilderness Can break our spirits. Thankfully God not only preserves us But God also delivers God s people. And there are times in our lives When it s like we ve moved from the desert Right into the Promised Land. Life outside of the hospital. No more bedpans. No more needles. No more pinching pennies. Paying the rent and then having money left over. Thankfully God not only preserves us, But often wondrously blesses us. Leads us into a new land With streams of refreshing water, Fields of wheat and barley, Fig trees and vines. But there are perils to prosperity. There are dangers that come With these blessings. At the dawn of their deliverance Moses warns his people: Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up make sure you don t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God ii Moses adds later, don t trick yourself into thinking: I did all this. And all by myself. iii When we are in need God is on speed-dial. Because of our needs Our prayers rise up in the morning And at night. Life without earaches. Sleeping right through the night.

3 3 P a g e Knowing our dependence on God We plead to God And we listen to God. We plead and we listen and we obey. But when we are surrounded by many blessings We easily forget God s goodness. We stop drawing near to God. And we forget about God s plans for us. The end result is not only That our thinking becomes twisted [we believe we are the source of God s blessings] But that cut off from God s good purposes We self-destruct as individuals And collapse as communities. So how can we keep connected with God In a land of so many blessings. How do we remain conscious of our dependence When so many of our basic needs Are already taken care of? One suggestion is to simply start looking At those things we take for granted; To nurture a sense of awe and wonder At the free gifts of God. In her book Radical Gratitude, Mary Jo Leddy Tells a simple story about her own origins That has cultivated [in her] a new and deep appreciation For God s goodness and blessing. In her own words: A few years ago I began to read my dad's old diary from the Second World War As I read between the lines of his diary, I realized that I had been conceived in London, England, on V.E. Day. My mother, a young nursing supervisor, and my father,a surgeon, had been married in Canada just before the war in Europe had begun. Together they decided to go across the ocean to share their medical skills to help the wounded. They were separated for years by the English channel, my mother nursing in the south of England and then in London and my father operating in a M.A.S.H.-like unit in France, Holland, and Belgium. Toward the end of the war, although he didn't know the end was near at the time, my father received a four-day leave for the first time since the allied invasion of France. He grabbed a motorcycle and raced across the roads of Belgium and Holland until he reached the port of Ostend on the southern coast of the channel. He could hear the boat honking its departure as he roared up the pier on his motorcycle. This was the last ferry leaving for England that night and my father caught it just in time.

4 4 P a g e As darkness fell, the boat crossed the channel and he awoke to see the white cliffs of Dover. He boarded the train to London and as it pulled into Victoria Station he could hear the church bells pealing. When he walked out onto the platform, strangers ran to hug him crying, The war is over! It's over. In the midst of this pandemonium, he found my mother and they were able to spend the day together. My father left London the next morning and would not see my mother until a year after the war was over. Nine months after V.E. Day I was born... [which shocked me into] wonder: What if he had missed that last ferry? He would still have made it to London and had some time with my mother and probably someone would have been born nine months later but not me. For me, at least, this was a matter of crucial importance I [suddenly] realized that there was all the difference in the world between being or not being at all. I could no longer take my life for granted. iv It s an interesting story. And yet really quite ordinary. We can equally assert that but not for We may not have been. But therein lies a real miracle That too often remains unacknowledged. The miracle of our existence. Maybe you saw our church sign That has been getting some notice on Facebook. Nothing to be thankful for? Check your pulse. Could it be when start to notice At those things we often take for granted That we will avoid the perils of prosperity That as we recognise God s goodness In the simplest gifts, the most basic blessings, We will rediscover gratitude And nurture a spirit that is open to God s will. Moses warned Israel against forgetting God s goodness. So what are the overlooked miracles in your story? What do you have to be thankful for? Let us pray: Be Still. My Soul Do not snatch and grab. Do not grab and run. Do not flip to the next channel of the Universe. To what flows in the midst of flux. To what fires and is not consumed. To what stays and satisfies.

5 5 P a g e Be attentive to the graciousness the glory and the goodness i Deuteronomy 8:4 ii Deuteronomy 8:11-14 MSG iii Deuteronomy 8:17 MSG that is here, that is now ever new. Amen. v iv Leddy, Mary Jo ( ). Radical Gratitude (Kindle Locations ). Orbis Books. Kindle Edition. v Leddy, Mary Jo ( ). Radical Gratitude (Kindle Locations ). Orbis Books. Kindle Edition.