As we gather this
week, many of us are busy with preparations
for the Thanksgiving holidays. The
guests are coming, so the house needs to be
cleaned from top to bottom. The food
preparation is a job in and of itself:
Turkey, stuffing potatoes, vegetables, and it
just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the
homemade pumpkin pie. Don’t forget to
put fresh batteries in the remote control and
bring out the colors for your favorite team.
There is ample
temptation to make ourselves so busy with the
preparations for the holiday, that we fail to
celebrate the holiday. Thanksgiving: we are to
pause, and give thanks to God for the things
in our lives that we’ve thankful for.
Are we thankful for the piles of dirty dishes
that will result from the hours slaving away
in the kitchen? Are we really thankful
for the opportunity to stick half our arm into
a cold and wet turkey? Or how about the
argument that will inevitably come up with
Uncle Ned about who has the better football
team.
Sometimes it can be difficult to give thanks
on Thanksgiving. If we take a look at
the world around us, it can also be difficult
to give thanks this Thanksgiving. Within
our families, our children are falling victim
to the dangers of alcohol, methamphetamines,
and other drugs. Within our nation, we see
scandal, dishonesty, and violence ruling the
headlines and the city streets. Within
our communities, our farmers must work harder
to make the same living that they earned two
or more decades ago. Within our
churches, an aging population struggles to
teach the faith to the younger generation, who
all too often seems ambivalent or antagonistic
to the faith. As many people struggle
with financial hardship and despair, it can be
difficult to give thanks this Thanksgiving.
But the word of the Lord breaks into the chaos
of our life: "Therefore I tell you, do not
worry about your life, what you will eat or
what you will drink, or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more than
food, and the body more than clothing?
Can any of you by worrying add a single hour
to your span of life? Therefore do not
worry, saying, ’What will we eat?’ or ’What
will we drink?’ or ’What will we wear?’
For it is the Gentiles who strive for all
these things; and indeed your heavenly Father
knows that you need all these things.
But strive first for the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:25, 27,
31-33 NRSV)
Sometimes it can be so difficult for us not to
worry. The cares and troubles of this
life can seem so overwhelming, that our
efforts and labors seem to accomplish little
or nothing at all. Some days it seems
that all we can do is worried. We
wonder, "Where is God when I am suffering so?
Doesn’t God care about my pain?” And it
is in moments like these were Jesus words
speak to us most clearly: “Do not worry about
your situation. God will provide.”
Logically, we can step back and tell ourselves
that things are not as bad as they seem.
The stress and the emotion of a difficult
situation can often get the better of us, and
we lose sight of the big picture. There
are indeed many blessings in our lives, but we
are either too busy or too distracted to see
them. One great theologian asked the
question, “What would happen if God took away
all of those things that we neglected to give
thanks for? This world would be filled
with people with one leg, no arms, and no
eyes. There would be no birds, no sky,
and no flowers. The world as we know it would
cease to exist.”
Our task as Christians is not to expect that
God will hand everything to us on a platter.
Instead, we are to seek out those priceless
gifts that we have already received, and to
give thanks to our Creator. St. Paul
tells us to "Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NRSV)
Several churches in North Dakota were being
served by a clever old preacher. The
people were always amazed, for no matter what
the circumstances, the preacher could always
find something to give thanks for. As he
made his rounds one cold December morning, he
was late in getting to worship because of
excessive snow drifts. As he began the
service with prayer, the parishioners were
eager to see what the old preacher could come
up with to be thankful for on this dismal and
frigid morning. "Gracious Lord," his
prayer began, "we thank you that all days are
not like today.”
As the people of God, we are called not only
to praise the Lord with our voices, but to
praise God with our lives as well. When
we stop worrying about our own needs and
wants, we are free to live for others. When we
stop looking at our own wants and desires, we
can more clearly see the needs of others
around us. We can give freely of our
time, talents, and treasures, trusting that
the Lord will take care of us as well.
Four Jesus tells us, “Indeed your heavenly
Father knows that you need all these things.
But strive first for the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:32-33
NRSV)
When we strive for the Kingdom of God, we look
for opportunities to bring equality and
justice to light in our communities. We
see the face of Jesus in those who are hurting
and suffering in our own communities, and we
work to free them from the chains of suffering
and oppression that bind them and keep them
down. After all, our Lord Jesus paid the
ultimate sacrifice to free us from the chains
of suffering and oppression that bound us in
our sin.
Our Lord has freed us. Freed us to love
and served our neighbor, to act on behalf of
those in need in our midst. We have been
blessed to be a blessing to others.
There is indeed much to give thanks for.
So go ahead. Clean the house and prepare
the turkey. But remember to set aside
some time to thank God for the many, many
blessings that you have received, and ask God
to use you to work for justice on behalf of
those in need. “Strive first for the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.”
(Matthew 6:32-33 NRSV) Amen.
Associate Pastor Frank Jackson
Rush Co. Community Thanksgiving
November 19, 2000,