This is a crazy time for all of us. It is only by the grace of God that Cathy and I were even able to find appropriate attire for today. When we are looking for some item that we desperately need, or think we need, it is either at the ranch, at the rectory, in the sacristy, in her car or in my car…who the heck knows? And, for all of us, preparing for the holidays can be stressful, full of too many obligations, too many unfinished things on our ‘to-do’ list, too little time and too little sleep.
Here we are, in the midst of Advent, a time of anticipating the birth of God incarnate. We desperately need some inner balance and outer harmony. How do we survive, let alone flourish, in such a hectic time. Indeed, how can we approach all of our days, good ones and bad ones, frantic ones and restful ones, with a sense of joy and peace?
The Christians of Philippi were frazzled, frightened and fragmented; outsiders were trying to draw believers away from God, many Christians faced persecution. Paul wanted them to know that, no matter how rotten things might seem, they would not be defeated.
Paul gives the Philippians the secret to finding joy and peace; he gives them two words, ”with thanksgiving”. Thanksgiving is the dynamic, the spirit and the emotion that opens us up to joy and peace and hope. Gratitude is the one emotion where we are truly focused not on ourselves, but on the gift and the giver. We are turned toward God and toward Life.
We teach children how to say thank-you and that’s not always easy, because it can be hard to find role models for them in our world. We insist they say it but we cannot force them to mean it. And we cannot force ourselves to mean it either.
Gratitude is a matter of perspective, it’s about what we focus on, what we pay attention to in our lives. The folks I know who project gratitude regularly are the folks who make it a habit to pay attention to whatever is positive in their lives.
The grace of gratitude comes when we are able to discipline ourselves to develop a healthy perspective, when we learn to be patient and to show our gentleness to everyone. The grace of gratitude comes when we lose the assumption that life would be better without the obstacles, troubles and deprivations that come our way. I’m sure, if we are honest with ourselves, that most of us can name at least one surprising benefit or gift that has come our way through circumstances that initially did not seem favorable.
Corrie ten Boom, who with her family lived through the holocaust, often told the story of how she and her sister Betsy survived in a flea-ridden Nazi prison camp. Betsy one day said “I have found something in the Bible that will help us. It says, ‘In all things give thanks’. Corrie said, “I can’t give thanks for the fleas.” Betsy replied, “Give thanks that we’re together. Most families have been split up.” Corrie thought she could do that. Her sister continued, “Give thanks that somehow the guards didn’t check our belongings and we have our Bible with us.” Corrie gave thanks for that, but she would not even think of giving thanks for the fleas. Later, they found out that the only reason they were not molested and harmed by the guards was because their captors were so repulsed by the fleas that they would not even enter the sisters’ cell. Corrie allowed as how this taught her to give thanks for all things, because you never know…
Gratitude and thanksgiving are not about the easy and pretty places in our lives, but they are about accepting that all of life, warts and all, is a precious, glorious gift. It is about the trust and faith that Jeremiah had when he said “I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.”
Luke’s gospel, continuing the story of John, points us toward hope. Well, it points toward hope after you get past the brood of vipers stuff…. The recipe that John gives us for a hopeful future isn’t as hard as it sounds. John says to share what we have, be honest with each other and resist the urge to be bullies. That is how we will do our part to create the kingdom that Jesus will soon announce.
Our job is to live like God’s kingdom is here, like we believe it’s really coming, like we believe it actually matters. (David Lose. In the Meantime. Advent 3 C. Ordinary Saints) Imagine what our world would look like if we disciplined ourselves to do these three things; share, be honest and don’t bully. Imagine how all of the political rhetoric about guns, refugees, medical care, equal rights, income disparity, and foreign policy would change if we insisted all of our leaders also have to share, be honest and stop bullying. Imagine how schools, hospitals, retail shops, financial service institutions, insurance companies, and public utilities would change if we demanded from them that they share, use honesty in all of their dealings and stop bullying their clients . That’s living like we really believe in God’s kingdom, here on earth.
Good Shepherd Ending
This is the last time I will preach with you on a Sunday morning. My heart is full of gratitude and thanksgiving for you, the people of Good Shepherd. Gratitude and thanksgiving that you trusted me with your rector, with your rectory, with your Sunday School, and with your developing relationship with School 54. You accepted me as your deacon and welcomed me as a friend. This is not an easy time for any of us. Saying “good-bye” is not for sissies. I don’t know about all of you, but it has been hard for me to get past my personal feelings of loss, of sadness, of fear and anxiety. And yet, we all have, as Jeremiah said, a future filled with hope. My prayer for you is that you will claim this hope and continue living into the future God is calling you into. I ask for your prayers, as you will always have mine. Amen.
Ascension Ending:
This is the last time I will preach with you on a Sunday morning. My heart is full of thanksgiving and gratitude for you, the people of Ascension. You welcomed me warmly as a diaconal intern, you raised me up as a diaconal candidate, and you surpassed anything I could have anticipated in your embrace of the Pet Food Pantry. Together we soldiered on when Armand left. Together we rejoiced when Cathy came to be among us. Together we agonized over what to do with the building at 16 Linwood. Together we made history with our move to share space with Good Shepherd. And, through it all, we loved one another. No matter what, we came together for worship and shared the grace we received through the Eucharist. Saying ‘good bye’ isn’t for sissies. I don’t know about all of you, but it has been hard for me to get past my personal feelings of loss, of sadness, of fear and anxiety. And yet, we all have, as Jeremiah said, a future filled with hope. My prayer for you is that you will claim this hope and continue living into the future God is calling you into. I ask for your prayers, as you will always have mine. Amen.
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