Something to Be Thankful for

Community Thanksgiving Service November 21, 2021 Matthew 6:25-33 Fresh out of business school, a young man answered a want ad for an accountant. Now he was being interviewed by a very nervous businessman who ran a small business that he had started himself. “I need someone with an accounting degree,” the businessman said. “But mainly, I’m looking for someone to do my worrying for me.” “Excuse me?” the accountant said. “I worry about a lot of things,” the business man said. “But I don’t want to have to worry about money. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back.” “I see,” the accountant said. “And how much does the job pay?” “I’ll start you at eighty thousand,” said the businessman. “Eighty thousand dollars!” the accountant exclaimed. “How can such a small business afford a sum like that?” “That,” the businessman said, “is your first worry.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could pay somebody to do our worrying for us? It is amazing how many things we can find to stress us out--even at Thanksgiving. Or maybe--for those of you responsible for cooking for a large family or those who are entertaining relatives--we find ways to stress out especially at Thanksgiving. I think that we can all agree that there is a lot for us to worry about this year, we still have not overcome the COVID pandemic, people are still getting very sick every day, it has wreaked havoc on our lives, it affects our families, it affects our jobs, it still affects our abilities to even gather for basic reasons, and as winter and Christmas is approaching stores do not have things in stock, business and other organizations are not able to stay open. And as we look forward into the future – there seems to be no end in sight, each season brings with it a new set of challenges. Like I said there is a lot for us to worry about. But I also want to remind you that Thanksgiving did not develop as a time of celebration. It was a time when the early settlers were digging more graves than huts to live in. And in the midst of their suffering, that made an intentional decision that they needed to come together, to gather in unity with neighbors and friends. As the harvest started to come in they realized that they had to acknowledge the presence of God and to take account of what they had in life. The renown teacher and author Dr. David McLennon tells a story of his very first job in a small town general store. This was the day before mails and supermarket chains at least it was in his community. At age thirteen he was hired as a handy boy. He would sweep the flour, bag items for customers, put up stock. On one particular Saturday, he recalled, he heard the owner say to one of the clerks "It's that time of the year again, it's time to take inventory." Dr. McLennon wrote that this was a word that had not yet entered into his vocabulary. When an opportune moment arrived, he went up to the kindly older man and asked, Sir, what is an inventory? Patiently the owner explained that it was a time when you made a list of everything that you had from groceries on the shelves to wrapping paper and string. Still somewhat puzzled, the young McLennon then asked, Why? "Well," responded the owner, "it's easy to forget exactly how much you have each year. Every now and then you have to take an inventory just to see what all you have." That little story, to me, pretty well sums up what Thanksgiving is all about. It is a time when each of us needs to ask ourselves the question: Have I taken inventory of my life lately? Have I made an effort to count all the things that I do have in life instead of complaining about the things that I don't have. It is a good exercise especially when we are of a mind to brood or whine in self pity. Have you taken inventory lately? When we take time to think back on our lives, when we think about the last 18 months. I am sure all of us have had some challenges, some horrible things to happen. But when we look back, I am sure that somewhere in the midst of our struggle, we have also seen God. There have been some blessings, some unexpected grace, some new lessons, some new visions. When we take account of the times in our lives – it always helps us to see God more clearly. Thanksgiving is a time for us to count our blessings. We were not able to gather for community Thanksgiving service last year. That is why I think this service is more important than ever this year. For us to gather as the community of Christ and to take account of what God has done in our churches and in our community. And then again, when we think of our churches – there are things that we still have to worry about. The church has changed over the last 18 months – if it wasn’t in the midst of change way before then.\ There is an old Irish poem by an unknown author that goes like this: “Why worry? In life there are only two things to worry about: Whether you are well, or whether you are sick. Now if you are well, you have nothing to worry about. And if you are sick, you only have two things to worry about: whether you get better, or whether you die. If you get better, you have nothing to worry about. And if you die, you only have two things to worry about: whether you go to heaven, or whether you go to hell. Now, if you go to heaven, you have nothing to worry about. And if you go to hell, you’ll be too busy shaking hands with your friends that you won’t have time to worry. So why worry?” But our scripture – Matthew 6 reminds us that the antidote to worry is gratfuleness. And you cant have gratefulness with the presence of God. What do atheist and those who don’t believe in God do when they are grateful and they have no one to thank. One family that didn’t go to church gathered together and when it came time to eat – they thanked Paine and Webber for the meal. Their employer may have provided the money for the meal – but they did not truly provide everything that went into preparing that meal. When you look to God, you are never without blessing. Not only is being grateful the antidote to worrying, it also keeps the blessing flowing in our lives. A recent study found that people who jot down what they are thankful for each week feel more optimistic about their lives, exercise more, and even have fewer visits to the doctor than people who write down things that annoy them or even neutral events. There is something about the spirit of gratitude that is healing to the body and the soul. When University of Connecticut psychologist Glenn Affleck interviewed 287 people recovering from a heart attack, he discovered that people who found some positive benefit from their attack were less likely to suffer another attack within eight years. He recommends that each day we write down one or more things we are grateful for, and read the journal once a week. (1) You may have heard of the three sisters in planting. Native Americans would plant corn, beans and squash together. The three crops would support one another and keep important nurtients in the soil. Well there are three sisters in faith as well. I’m no master gardener, but in my small-scale gardening, I’ve learned about companion planting. Some flowers, vegetables, and herbs grow better together. They don’t just tolerate one another; they encourage one another’s health and fruitfulness. But some plants can’t grow together. One steals nutrients, blocks the sun, or entices pests that hinder the growth of other plants. The same is true in our life. Faith, humility, and thankfulness are companion practices, supporting and sustaining one another. As one increases, so do the others. But unbelief and boasting choke out the tiniest seedlings of thankfulness. Whereas humility and gratitude feed off each other, gratitude and pride cannot coexist in proximity. Either we’ll view ourselves as the source of good things and take the credit, or we’ll acknowledge God behind everything we have and redirect the glory to Him. As our lives center on God, gratitude grows. When self-focus sprouts and spreads, gratefulness withers.4 —Dustin Crowe, The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks: Reclaiming the Gifts of a Lost Spiritual Discipline This year as we gather together tonight in faith – may this moment lead to beautiful things in the coming days in our churches, in the community because of us, and in our own lives. Covid has changed us, COVID has changed the way we do church. Many people who were worshipping with us are not in the pews tonight or any Sunday. There are more young people facing the struggles of growing up with no knowledge of faith. People who we saw last year are disillusioned with the church, but they are still present in the community. We have to remember God and we have to live out our faith in tough times, so that the doors can be open and others feel safe to return to God and bring others with them. In our community of 5000 1250 of those people have no church home and may not know the power of putting God first in their lives. Our work is cut out for us to make sure that next thanksgiving they know the power of thanking God for all that we have. But it start right here, right now with our own faith. With our ability to be grateful and to know that God is present when we live life with a grtful heart and take inventory of what God has given us. An estimated 1.5 million people are living today after bouts with breast cancer. Every time I forget to feel grateful to be among them, I hear the voice of an eight-year-old named Christina, who had cancer of the nervous system. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she thought long and hard and finally said, “I don’t know. I have two sticker books and a Cabbage Patch doll. I have everything!” The kid is right.5 —Erma Bombeck, quoted in 10,000 Sermon Illustrations I long to be like that girl and know that as long as I have God – I have everything. Did you know that humans are the only cretrures capable of worrying. We are the only creatures capable of praise. Said the Robin to the Sparrow: “There is one thing I would really like to know, Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so.” Said the Sparrow to the Robin: “Friend, I think that it must be That they have no heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me.” Matthew 6 where our scripture comes from is the sermon on the mount. Those who are listening are used to struggle. They worked tirelessly, but there was never enough. Life was a challenge, if they survived today – that was no guarantee about tomorrow. And yet Jesus stands before them and tells them not to worry. If God takes care of the Robin and the Sparrow, then surely God will take care of us. They believed them. Do we ? There is an old Irish poem by an unknown author that goes like this: “Why worry? In life there are only two things to worry about: Whether you are well, or whether you are sick. Now if you are well, you have nothing to worry about. And if you are sick, you only have two things to worry about: whether you get better, or whether you die. If you get better, you have nothing to worry about. And if you die, you only have two things to worry about: whether you go to heaven, or whether you go to hell. Now, if you go to heaven, you have nothing to worry about. And if you go to hell, you’ll be too busy shaking hands with your friends that you won’t have time to worry. So why worry?” Don’t worry – be holy. Practice your faith, find gratitude in every day. Look for God in every circumstance This thanksgiving I wish you healing, restoration and joy. But don’t stop there – find God in everyday afterwards. Here are 12 suggestions to building thanksgiving into your everyday life. – write thank you notes, make a monthly call to someone, surprise your spouse and other family members with a second thanksgiving, just because, spend a day a week in prayer, write notes to those who have really influenced you, at work – sponsor a thank you break, wherevery one is free to take a break and be grateful, help neighbors in need, start a journal, go to church, be active in your faith and the life of the church. As we are intentional about our faith, may we encourage others to do the same and to come back to church with us. And one day we will all be one in the kingdom of God. Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this." It is not always going to be like this. One day in Christ it will be so much better. Peace. Sermon Opener - In All Things Be Thankful - Ephesians 5:20 Back during the dark days of 1929, a group of ministers in the Northeast, all graduates of the Boston School of Theology, gathered to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Sunday services. Things were about as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted, and the term Great Depression seemed an apt description for the mood of the country. The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject of Thanksgiving in deference to the human misery all about them. After all, what was there was to be thankful for? But it was Dr. William L. Stiger, pastor of a large congregation in the city that rallied the group. This was not the time, he suggested, to give mere passing mention to Thanksgiving, just the opposite. This was the time for the nation to get matters in perspective and thank God for blessings always present, but perhaps suppressed due to intense hardship. I suggest to you the ministers struck upon something. The most intense moments of thankfulness are not found in times of plenty, but when difficulties abound. Think of the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving. Half their number dead, men without a country, but still there was thanksgiving to God. Their gratitude was not for something but in something. It was that same sense of gratitude that lead Abraham Lincoln to formally establish the first Thanksgiving Day in the midst of national civil war, when the butcher's list of casualties seemed to have no end and the very nation struggled for survival. Perhaps in your own life, right now, there is intense hardship. You are experiencing your own personal Great Depression. Why should you be thankful this day? May I suggest three things? 1. We must learn to be thankful or we become bitter. 2. We must learn to be thankful or we will become discouraged. 3. We must learn to be thankful or we will grow arrogant and self-satisfied. How to Be a Pilgrim The Pilgrims had the courage to act on their commitments, no matter what. Do we? Sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, is impressed by the power of religion. He once said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision (and act on it)." Christians make up far more than two percent of our town, far more than two percent of Massachusetts, far more than two percent of Americans. So, why don’t we have a greater effect: on issues of the environment, on justice for the needy, on the quality of life on Cape Cod? Could it be we need more courage to act on our commitments? To be a Pilgrim means to stand up for what you believe, no matter what. To be a Pilgrim also means sharing what you have, and turning thanks into giving. The Pilgrim colonists willingly shared all they had. During their first three years, all property was held in common. At one point, they were down to five kernels of corn per day for food. Still, they divided the corn kernels up equally. And, the original group of fifty that survived the first winter shared their limited food with the sixty newcomers who arrived in the spring. One of their finest moments came in 1623, at the first real Thanksgiving. The small colony hosted over ninety Native American braves for three days. There was eating and drinking, wrestling, footraces, and gun and arrow-shooting competitions. It was the Pilgrims’ way of saying "Thank you" to God, and to the Native Americans who had helped them survive. To be a Pilgrim means sharing and turning thanks into giving. How thankful and giving are we? Alex A. Gondola, Jr., Holidays Are Holy Days: Sermons for Special Sundays, CSS Publishing Company With Heart and Hand and Voices Martin Rinkert was a minister in the little town of Eilenburg in Germany some 350 years ago. He was the son of a poor coppersmith, but somehow, he managed to work his way through an education. Finally, in the year 1617, he was offered the post of Archdeacon in his hometown parish. A year later, what has come to be known as the Thirty-Years-War broke out. His town was caught right in the middle. In 1637, the massive plague that swept across the continent hit Eilenburg... people died at the rate of fifty a day and the man called upon to bury most of them was Martin Rinkert. In all, over 8,000 people died, including Martin's own wife. His labors finally came to an end about 11 years later, just one year after the conclusion of the war. His ministry spanned 32 years, all but the first and the last overwhelmed by the great conflict that engulfed his town. Tough circumstances in which to be thankful. But he managed. And he wrote these words: Now thank we all our God With heart and hands and voices; Who wondrous things hath done, In whom his world rejoices. It takes a magnificent spirit to come through such hardship and express gratitude. Here is a great lesson. Surrounded by tremendous adversity, thanksgiving will deliver you...with heart and hand and voices. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com Better Not Bitter If we are not thankful then we can become bitter. If we are not thankful, then it becomes too easy to sit around and ponder the question: why me? Dr. Jim Moore, retired pastor of St. Luke’s UMC in Houston wrote a book entitled "You Can Grow Bitter or You Can Grow Better". He writes that he got the idea for the title from a young woman who once came to him in a most tragic moment in her life. She had tears in her eyes and her knuckles were white as she twisted a handkerchief. She had just received word that her twenty-six year old husband had been killed in a farming accident, leaving her alone with three pre-school age children. One moment he was alive and vibrant, the next moment gone. "I don't know how I am going to be able to get along without him," she sobbed. "But I do know one thing. I can either get bitter or I can get better." One way that we can get better rather than bitter is to develop a thankful heart. We must learn to be grateful to the Lord with whom we shall spend eternity. Our morning prayer should always begin: O Thou who has given me so much, I pray that you give me yet one more thing--a grateful heart. Staff, www.eSermons.com God’s Provision The words "harvest" and "thanksgiving" are linked together in many cultures. Most who till the soil know that our feeble human efforts do not produce crops; crops require sun and rain and other variables that are beyond our control. The early settlers and the indigenous people they found here also recognized the importance of God's provision for survival. Hundreds of years later, a commemorative meal serves as a reminder for us to thank God for those things necessary for our survival. Safiyah Fosua 3. HOW TO BE A PILGRIM The Pilgrims had the courage to act on their commitments, no matter what. Do we? Sociologist Robert Bellah, author of Habits of the Heart, is impressed by the power of religion. He once said, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision (and act on it)." Christians make up far more than two percent of most town, far more than two percent of Americans. So, why don't we have a greater effect: on issues of the environment, on justice for the needy, on the quality of life in our own city? Could it be we need more courage to act on our commitments? To be a Pilgrim means to stand up for what you believe, no matter what. To be a Pilgrim also means sharing what you have, and turning thanks into giving. The Pilgrim colonists willingly shared all they had. During their first three years, all property was held in common. At one point, they were down to five kernels of corn per day for food. Still, they divided the corn kernels up equally. And, the original group of fifty that survived the first winter shared their limited food with the sixty newcomers who arrived in the spring. One of their finest moments came in 1623, at the first real Thanksgiving. The small colony hosted over ninety Native American braves for three days. There was eating and drinking, wrestling, footraces, and gun and arrow-shooting competitions. It was the Pilgrims' way of saying "Thank you" to God, and to the Native Americans who had helped them survive. To be a Pilgrim means sharing and turning thanks into giving. How thankful and giving are we? 22. SEVEN THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR Seven things to be grateful for: For automatic dishwashers. They make it possible to get out of the kitchen before the family come in for their after-dinner snacks. For husbands who attack small repair jobs around the house. They usually make them big enough to call in professionals. For the bathtub the one place the family allows Mom some time to herself. For children who put away their things and clean up after themselves. They're such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents. For gardening. It's a relief to deal with dirt outside the house for a change. For teenagers. They give parents an opportunity to learn a second language. For smoke alarms. They let you know when the turkey's done. 23. HAVE YOU TAKEN INVENTORY LATELY? The renown teacher and author Dr. David McLennon tells a story of his very first job in a small town general store. This was the day before mails and supermarket chains at least it was in his community. At age thirteen he was hired as a handy boy. He would sweep the flour, bag items for customers, put up stock. On one particular Saturday, he recalled, he heard the owner say to one of the clerks "It's that time of the year again, it's time to take inventory." Dr. McLennon wrote that this was a word that had not yet entered into his vocabulary. When an opportune moment arrived, he went up to the kindly older man and asked, Sir, what is an inventory? Patiently the owner explained that it was a time when you made a list of everything that you had from groceries on the shelves to wrapping paper and string. Still somewhat puzzled, the young McLennon then asked, Why? "Well," responded the owner, "it's easy to forget exactly how much you have each year. Every now and then you have to take an inventory just to see what all you have." That little story, to me, pretty well sums up what Thanksgiving is all about. It is a time when each of us needs to ask ourselves the question: Have I taken inventory of my life lately? Have I made an effort to count all the things that I do have in life instead of complaining about the things that I don't have. It is a good exercise especially when we are of a mind to brood or whine in self pity. Have you taken inventory lately? What I am suggesting here is not some shallow "count your blessings" platitude. But from time to time, in a genuine kind of a way, we need to sit down and do some talking to ourselves about all of the gifts and opportunities and challenges that God has given each one of us. Perhaps there is a deep underlying wisdom in the children's poem that says: "Count your blessings one by one, and you might be surprised what the Lord has done." 28. GOD IN THE ORDINARY Once upon a time, there was a far-away land that was ruled by a vicious king. His iron hand reached into every corner of his subjects' lives. Every corner - except one. Try as he might, he couldn't destroy their belief in God. In his frustration, he finally summoned his advisors and asked them: "Where can I hide God so the people will end up forgetting about him?" One suggested hiding God on the dark side of the moon. This idea was debated, but was voted down because the advisors feared that their scientists would one day discover a way to travel into space travel and God would be discovered again. Another suggested burying God in the deepest part of the ocean. But there was the same problem with this idea, so it was voted down. One idea after another was suggested and debated and rejected. Until finally the oldest and wisest advisor had a flash of insight. "I know," he said, "why don't we hide God where no one will ever even think to look?" And he explained, "If we hide God in the ordinary events of people's everyday lives, they'll never find him!" And so it was done. And they say people in that land are still looking for God - even today. 31. TOO MUCH TURKEY In 1953, the Swanson food company found themselves with too much turkey on their hands after disappointing Thanksgiving sales. One innovative employee came up with the idea of packaging individual servings of turkey and vegetables in an oven-safe aluminum tray. Thus was born the first TV dinner. 49. THANKSGIVING DAY - DO NOT WORRY It is interesting that on Thanksgiving Day, our lesson from the Gospel should be on being anxious. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Interesting text for Thanksgiving, isn’t it? On the other hand, maybe it’s right on target. After all, gratitude is the perfect antidote for anxiety. Looking over the total scope of your life, hasn’t God been good to you? Do you think the future will be any different? A man invited a friend to go hear a preacher, saying, “I want you to hear the most thankful preacher I’ve ever heard.” The two men weathered a storm to hear him preach. On the way they thought nobody would be there; that even the preacher wouldn’t come. But when they got to the little country church, there was the preacher seated on the platform. The stranger said to his friend, “He has nobody to preach to. There’s a storm outside. It looks like we will have a flood. He won’t have anything to be thankful for tonight.” “Yes, he will. He’ll thank God for something.” When the preacher stood up, he bowed his head and prayed, “Dear Lord, it is stormy outside. It looks as if the roads will wash away before we can get out of the church tonight. It’s an awful storm. But we’re thankful that it’s not always this way.” The only way you can thank God for “all things” is to couple the “all things” of Ephesians 5:20 with the “all things” of Romans 8:28: “And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God. . . .” If you really believe that, you can thank God even for the bad things in life.8 Few Americans have had more setbacks than the Pilgrims who made seven times more graves than huts. They still set aside a day for giving thanks.