THANK GOD! It’s easy to be thankful when you get what you want. The test of true faith is to be grateful when you get what you don’t want. The child in this joke makes it clear: “Dear God, Thank you for my baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.” When you pray for a promotion and get laid off; when you pray for your loved ones to be safe while deployed and you don’t hear from them for a while; when you pray for good health, and get bad test results -- can you be thankful then? It’s not easy. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Ephesians 5:20 says the same thing. This weekend I was blessed to visit Helen Dodds, Gerd Reich and Barbara Smithmier, three of our most faithful members who were here when they could be, but are now unable to worship with us. Despite their health, they thank God for each new day. They are our examples. We’ve had a series of surgeries over the past two weeks: Joan Murphy, Jim Phillips, Carol Goodall, Cheryl Woods and Nelson Morgan, among others. And several of you have been sick with flu, colds, sinus infections, unexplainable headaches and dizzy spells, two getting ready for kidney dialysis treatments. And deaths among our families and friends and co-workers. Have you ever wondered, “What do I have to be thankful for? I think I’ll just ignore the religious significance of this Thursday. Treat it like a holiday instead of a holy day. Put on my stretch pants with the elastic waist. Don’t bless the food, Jesus gave thanks before every meal, but not me. Without one thought about those who are starving around the world, I’m going to inhale all the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, butter, ice tea and pumpkin pie I can get. Eat until I pass out in front of the TV set. That’s all Thanksgiving is about anyway.” I was in a store Friday and two people in front of me in the checkout line referred to “Turkey Day” one time too many. And I heard myself say, “It’s called Thanksgiving Day because it’s a time to thank God for being our most generous provider.” I didn’t think they’d understand “Extravagant Generosity.” They weren’t talking to me, but I was talking to them. One who was irritated said, ”It’s just another day to me because I have to work.” The other became real quiet. The cashier said, “You tell them. The holiday is more about God and people than about food.” I don’t think they agreed. Have you ever stopped to think that when we gather at the Lord’s Table, we pray The Great Thanksgiving? Every day is Thanksgiving Day at the Lord’s Table. A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?" Is Thanksgiving Day more than an annual opportunity to wear our selves out, cooking and cleaning? So tiring, we regret that we chose to socialize? Today’s text is simple, it brings us back to reality. “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This verse makes me think of the hymn, “Victory in Jesus.” Perhaps you have not been feeling victorious lately. I confess that I haven’t this week. I’ve been fighting deep sorrow -- missing my husband George fiercely and relentlessly. How about you? Are you walking in the victory of Christ? Victory over what? Illness, money problems, disappointments? All the troubles of this world! Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth was a response to Christians who were confused and starting to doubt the resurrection. The apostles, saints, disciples, that whole generation who walked and talked with Jesus were gone. In chapter 15, Paul writes what amounts to a foundational course that today could have been titled, Introduction to Resurrection 101. It was the same basics of the gospel he preached to them years before: “Not only did Jesus live and die, but God raised him from the grave. And if you can just hold on to your faith in him, you will be raised after you die. Your flesh and blood will be no more, because you won’t need them where you’re going. But just as you were shaped in the image of God in the physical sense, you will be re-created in the image of the resurrected God, Jesus Christ. What will you look like? Feel like? I don’t know; no one does. But here’s what I do know -- that our new bodies will be indestructible, disease- and pain-free. Our new minds will be depression-free. Sin and its consequences, death, have been conquered. Salvation, the gracious gift of eternal life, has been won through Jesus Christ.” This is the victory about which Paul writes. It is for all of us. Thanks be to God who gives us victory over sin and death, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” A Thanksgiving Prayer: “May I bring to my home ... to my family, friends, and neighbors the best of myself and the gifts of this world. Allow me to set aside my burdens ... that I may celebrate those things that reflect the light and love of Jesus. May I also give to my church ... my brothers and sisters in Christ ... the best of myself and the gifts of this world. Allow me to trust in your forgiveness and the power of your grace to make me a faithful disciple. Then with the blessings of my home and church ... my family and friends ... may I bring to the world the love of Jesus Christ. In his holy name. Amen.” (Dr. James A. Simpson, author) |