Thanksgiving Eve - Giving Thanks in All Circumstances

As St. Paul ends his first letter to the Christian community in Corinth, he advises the folks who will hear this letter to hold certain attitudes and to act in certain ways.  Paul was concerned not only with how individuals should demonstrate that they follow Christ, but, more especially, how the Christian community can be kept strong.  My personal favorite comes in chapter 5, verses 12 & 13:  "Brothers and sisters, we ask you to respect those who are working with you, leading you, and instructing you. Think of them highly with love because of their work."  How does that work for you?

But for the purposes of this Thanksgiving Eve worship the essential verse is verse 18: "Give thanks in every situation because this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Do we agree with Paul that it is God's will for us to give thanks in every situation where we might find ourselves?   The key word here is "in," found both in the Greek original and in English.

This year on Facebook a number of my "friends" are posting something they are thankful about each day for the month of November--noting, of course, the presence of Thanksgiving Day at the end of the month.  Most of the posts have been unfailingly positive statements: for friends, pets, blessings, a loving family, and so on.  I have not seen one that says something like this: my friend has just discovered she is fatally ill, and I give thanks I am able to accompany her through her last days, so she won't be alone.

Now such a statement might not be posted out of privacy concerns.  But if such concerns didn't exist, would such a statement as this come to mind as way to pray our thanksgiving to God IN a time where we are experiencing loss or lack of what we need?

Let's approach our question by considering the scriptures read tonight.  The 26^th chapter of Deuteronomy contains a description of worship when the first fruits of the harvest are brought to the priest to be set down before God's altar.  The person bringing the gift of first fruits must then recite an brief salvation history.  

Within this history, the worshipper recalls the time when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, suffering oppression through hard labor without compensation.  Now having been faithful to God, despite a few lapses, through their escape from Egypt and 40 years in the desert, the Israelites are poised to receive the land they understood as promised by God in God's covenant with their ancestors. 

Yet in this time of joyful anticipation, they are instructed to remember the bad times, for God was with them in those times as well.  Could "crying to the Lord" be considered a way of giving thanks--not FOR the circumstance of enslavement, but withIN those circumstances!  Could this be the sentiment? We thank you for being our God, and now consider our plight.  Help us! Help us!

That same kind of thanks can be seen in between the lines of the passage from the 6th chapter of John.  The crowd had followed him after Jesus had fed a crowd of 5,000 with only five barley loaves and two fish.  The people who chased Jesus to "the other side of the sea" appeared to have been impressed and grateful for the sign they witnessed.  But they wanted this miraculous moment to continue and to include them.  They begged Jesus, "What must we do to perform the works of God?”  Like when God provided manna in the wilderness? Their gratitude and their demand came in the context, I think, of experiencing emptiness, not only for food, but also for a connection to God.

Perhaps our expressions of gratitude often come with a plea for help or for something more.  Tradition tells us that the harvest meal shared by the Pilgrims and the Native Americans in 1621 came after a very difficult winter where many of the settlers died.  Fifty-three Pilgrims attended this traditional English harvest feast—out of 101 who sailed to the New World.  Ninety Native Americans joined them.  The Pilgrims who survived had endured through a winter with inadequate food.  More would have died without the assistance of the Wampanoag tribe members who shared food with them.  In addition, Squanto, a Patuxent Native American who had learned English from the settlers further south, translated for them and taught them to fish for eel and grow corn.  Could the prayers of those colonists during the winter with so much death been prayers of thanksgiving IN the midst of that great tragedy?  What might they have been thankful for?  For the Wampanoag food?  For Squanto?  For the folks who had shared this difficult journey with them, but had passed on?  For their own continued survival?

Prayers that give thanks IN the midst of loss or lack of what we need may be among the toughest prayers of all.  Perhaps they can only be prayed when we are actively hoping for relief, for better times.  Certainly they can only be prayed when we trust that God hears us in grief and pain, in loss and lack.  Ah, yes, in hope and in trust--these two facets of our lives in Christ make it possible to say prayers in difficult times.  Indeed, with hope and trust in our hearts, we can "give thanks in every situation because this is God's will for [us] in Christ Jesus."

The 26th Sunday after Pentecost - "By your endurance you will gain your souls"

Jesus had been sparing with the religious authorities in the precincts of the temple.  For example, last week we heard the Sadducees try to lay a theological trap for him in the question about a woman widowed seven times.  Now Jesus speaks to his disciples, but Luke tells us at the end of the previous chapter that "all the people" could hear him.

What does Jesus choose to talk about?  He chooses to speak about disasters--religious, political and natural.  Those who hope for safety will not find it in the days to come.  In the words we heard today, Jesus sounds very much like the prophets whose work populates the Hebrew Scriptures.  What seems secure now, what appears beautiful now, whoever occupies a place of authority now--none of these will last!  False prophets will try to lead faithful people astray. And you, my disciples, will experience betrayal and persecution because you follow me.

How many of us would have stayed on after hearing these uncomfortable and frightening words?  In fact the disciples were soon to face the reality of Judas' betraying Jesus and Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion.  By the next chapter in Luke's gospel, Chapter 22, the final events in the story of Jesus' earthly life start to happen.  We know from the gospel accounts that most of the disciples fled in the face of possible arrest and worse.

As the season of Pentecost comes to its final Sundays the scholars who created the Revised Common Lectionary seemed determined to have us listen to prophecy that says everything will be coming unraveled and lives will never be the same again.

This scripture may be all too appropriate for us today. Our latest extreme natural disaster just happened a few days ago when the enormous typhoon hit the Philippines.  The images we see of the destruction there may remind us of the pictures from the Jersey coast after Hurricane Sandy last year, the tsunami that hit Japan and the huge earthquake that hit Haiti several years back.  How fragile our human structures are in the face of nature’s systems!

In the political arena there are signs of unraveling as well.  I saw some graphs this week showing how many wars were fought and are being fought both between countries and within countries between rival ethnic groups since 1946. The number of wars going on each year was an interesting fact, and the trend is sloping downward do since the early 1990s.  But what impressed me was that in no year did the graph hit zero--or even near it.

Jesus disciples and those listening to him asked this pertinent question: when will this beautiful temple made of enormous stone be utterly thrown down?  In other words, when should we be prepared for the end of life as we know it?  When should we be expecting the Messiah and the reign of God?  What Jesus described for them as he answered their questions depicted life as it was before Jesus' time, life in first century Palestine and life as it has been so ever since!

So what advice did Jesus give his disciples? What hope did he offer? And what did it mean for early Christians and for us?

He told them not to be led astray and think the end of time was near.  He said not to be terrified, although difficult times, including betrayals and persecutions, were ahead.  He advised them to trust God to be with them, so they should never give up.  His words: "By your endurance you will gain your souls."  Their endurance would be their response to God's faithfulness.

How interesting then that the Christian community in Thessalonica was torn between those who appeared to believe that the end of time was so near that working to support themselves and the community was a waste of time and those who believed they should continue to be industrious until Christ came again to reign.  St. Paul could not have been more firm in saying that one should not be idle waiting for Jesus to come again, giving himself as the prime example.  It had been several decades since Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension to the Godhead.  In the meantime "endurance" from Paul's perspective meant doing one's work quietly and earning one's own living.  To act in this way strengthened the community as well, since all who were able could contribute the welfare of those unable to work, including orphans and widows.

Over 2,000 years later and in the midst of all sorts of turmoil, how should we "endure"?  First, I think we must listen to Jesus' encouragement to trust that God will be with us through whatever trials come our way. We need not dwell in fear, but calmly find hope and confidence in God.  This isn't to say that all things will turn out the way we want them to.  Rather, it says that we can trust God's faithfulness in all circumstances!

Then once we have placed out trust in God or, as the words of our baptismal affirmation say, once we have "put our whole trust in [God's] grace and love," then St. Paul's wise advice can become an important guide for us.  Paul commands the Thessalonians--and all Christians throughout the ages: "Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right."  Of course, at times, what seems right to you or what seems right to me may be different.  But if we do not become weary of finding common ground in most situations and acting from this new perspective, then our community will grow stronger.  We may well find our relationship with God strengthened, too.  And, finally, we may discover we have grown more and more into Christ's likeness, never to be the same again!

The 25th Sunday after Pentecost - Let's talk about "hope" today--

This morning's reading from St. Paul's 2nd letter to the Thessalonians has this phrase in the final sentence: " . . . may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father . . . give us good hope."  What is "good hope?"

 

Here are some of the lyrics from a hymn written by Edward Mote in the 19th century:

         My hope is built on nothing less

         than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

         I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

         but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

When Darkness veils his lovely face,

         I rest on his unchanging grace.

         In every high and stormy gale,

         my anchor holds within the veil.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,

         O may I then in him be found!

         Dressed in his righteousness alone,

         faultless to stand before the throne!

In the 13th chapter of I Corinthians Paul tells us the what abides in the end are faith, hope and love--thus describing "hope" as an essential characteristic of following Jesus.

My preaching professor—in justifying her assignment of speaking with only a notecard in our hand after just a half hour of preparation—said, "You must always be ready to speak of the hope that is within you."

It would seem that  "hope" is always a good thing.  Its opposite, "despair," pulls us away from hope, declaring hope useless. On the other hand, "hope" does not foolishly promise an easy time, as in "I'm just a hopeful person," meaning optimism should be a primary way of relating to the world.

"Hope" in theological terms implies a trust in God's faithfulness, even when times look very difficult.  There are two situations in today's readings that may help us understand "hope" in the sense of trusting God better.

Let's first look at the story of Job.  As all of us know, Job represents undeserved suffering.  As a righteous and prosperous man, he could not accept the condemnation of his friends.  He knew he had not committed a sin that caused him to lose his family, all his livestock and his health.

His hope was to simply to encounter God and question God's decision to let these disasters happen to him. The author of Job held the point of view, which Job held as well, that God is in charge of all that happens on earth.  Job doesn't hope for healing or restoration.  He simply wants to make his case before God--even after death, if necessary.  His hope is for justice from his Redeemer.

In the time of Job redeemers usually ransomed family members who had been enslaved for financial reasons.  Job just wants God to affirm his innocence!  Job declares with certainty that his Redeemer lives and will come to him directly.  An author, Lawrence Wood points out how outrageously Job is acting:  "Job has the temerity to imply that his redeemer is the Almighty God, the maker of heaven and earth."  Wood describes it as "breathtaking confidence."  I would call it "fierce hope" that displays a radical trust in God's faithfulness, despite immediate apparently contrary evidence.

We use this passage from Job as one of the opening sentences of the burial rite.  I think most folks assume it's referring to Jesus, because we call him our redeemer.  But, in fact, if we look at it from its original context in the Hebrew scriptures, we are claiming to cling to that same fierce hope of Job's, trusting God's faithful presence to sustain us in our grief and pain.

And now we turn to Luke's report of a face off between the Sadducees and Jesus.  Their question sounds hypocritical, even farcical, since they do not believe in resurrection.  Probably the situation described in their question is simply a hypothetical one to test Jesus. Yet apart from its legalistic tone, the situation of multiple deaths and marriages with childlessness through it all for the woman at that time could not be more tragic.  Were she more than just part of a question, her situation would be as tragic as Job's was.  She had done nothing to deserve a fate of being widowed seven times.  Her hope would have been, I imagine, to be able to put all that tragedy behind her and live eternally in God's love.  She no longer needs to be the property of a man and only defined by her inability to give her husband an heir. 

Since she is just a character in a question, she has no voice to share her hope with us.  But Jesus offers words that would most clearly express her hope when he describes "the God of Abraham, the god of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" with these words:  "Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for in him all of them are alive."  Surely, this is the hope for eternal life as beloved of God.

Our hope, our good hope (to use St. Paul's words), needs to be no different than Job's and the widow's: that God sees us as we are with whatever pain we bear and will offer us a place in God's glorious life for eternity.  This isn't because we are especially righteous or innocent.  However, we may claim our hope that God's faithfulness will supply the grace we need heal of us of our sins, comfort us in our moments of doubt, and gather us into the divine presence forever.

All Saints 2013 - A Meditative Reflection

Readings:  Ephesians 1: 11-23 and Luke 6: 20-31 (The Beatitudes)

From the letter to the Ephesians:

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Meditative Reflection:

We pray for the spirit of wisdom and of revelation:

·      The justice of the reign of God will come for the poor – may God’s mercy rest on us.

·      Abundance will come to those who are hungry – may God’s mercy rest on us.

·      Joy will come in the morning after a night of weeping – may God’s mercy rest on us.

When, O Holy One, when?  How long must we wait? Our forebears hoped, and we hope.  We hope for the end of hatred and of oppression: no striking others; no taking another’s possessions; no possessing many things without sharing what we have been given by you. 

But you made us free:  free, not only to hope, but to choose—and then to live into our choices.  Have we chosen to live with compassion?  Is that the hope to which you call us? 

No matter what the oppression, are you calling us to live freely?  Without concern for the outcome?  For you have promised a glorious inheritance.  Is this the outcome?

How does your great power work, your immeasurably great power?  Have our forebears suffered?  Have our forebears oppressed others?  Is what we experience a sign your economy, Holy One?  Or is there more than we understand?

How can we show compassion, when our nature seeks to control?  You created us, you have sustained us, and you love us—as you did our forbears.  Have us seek to care for others as you care for them—and for us.  Help us to love, to give, and then leave judgment to you.  May we share with others out of our riches.  May we offer to others out of our abundance. May we allow others to enter into our joy.

Enlighten the eyes of our hearts, Holy One, as you did our forebears, your saints, to see the needs around us—to listen for your whispered word—to discern your holy will.  Lead us, guide us, sustain us as we seek to follow even your most difficult command to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us.

We long today—and every day—to share in your glorious inheritance among the saints.  By your grace, through our faith, make us worthy to stand before you at the hour of our death and to live throughout eternal life in your glory.

The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost - Confessing Pride?

Today we consider Luke's account of Jesus' telling of the Pharisee and the tax collector. There are three themes on which we need to reflect:  holiness vs. sinfulness, pride vs. humility, and, lastly, dependence on God.

In this parable Jesus sets up to contrasting characters that come from different groups in first century Palestine.  They may well be modeled on real people, but they are prototypes.  The Pharisee is a model of the responsible follower of the Law who doesn't cheat or harm anyone.  He gives to God the amount of money expected. He shows great spiritual discipline by fasting twice each week.  What is there not to admire and respect?  The tax collector is part of a system set up by the Romans that emphasizes the oppressive nature of their rule.  The tax collector pays the civil authorities the amount they specify, but then he can charge the person taxed as much as he can extort.  The difference between these sums was his profit--and tax collectors tended to be wealthy and despised.

Because we are aware of Luke's point of view in his gospel, we know that Jesus will turn the relative status of these two men upside down.  Luke prefaces this parable with this comment: "[Jesus] also told this parable to some trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt."

We shouldn't be surprised by Luke's use of this parable. Remember that Luke's gospel recounts Mary's song upon encountering Elizabeth's welcome of blessing: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."  Mary's response, as reported by Luke, contains these words: "[God] has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly."  Mary, of course, was reflecting on how someone without any standing in her society has been blessed by God.

So holiness mixed with pride does little to find favor with God in Luke's view.  It smacks of idolatry when our pride leaves us blind to our faults and super aware of the faults of others.  Our following the rules and practices of holiness are leading not to righteousness, but to self-righteousness.  These rules and practices are religious in this example, but they could be related to any aspect of human society.  Anytime we look at ourselves as deserving of some privilege or reward because of our own accomplishment, Luke--and Jesus--would tell us to watch out.  For if the next step is automatically look at ourselves as superior in character or effort to others less fortunate, we run the risk of making an idol of ourselves.  And in doing that, we negate what blessings we have been given by God and what help we have been given by others to achieve what we have.

Indeed, the penitence of the tax collector and his asking for God's mercy was considered exemplary by Jesus and deserving of God's receiving him (justification).  This wasn't because the tax collector would now turn his life around and only be good from then on.  Rather it was because the tax collector acknowledged his dependence on a power outside himself to help him avoid self-righteousness: God's never failing grace to all of us who recognize we--by what we have done and by what we have left undone--have separated ourselves from God's love and want to turn back to God.

If we are honest with ourselves--and with God--we are, at times, full of self-righteous pride like the Pharisee; yet at other moments we turn to God fully aware of our shortcomings.  Because we rarely use Morning Prayer for our public worship on Sunday anymore, we don’t have much experience with the prayer called "The General Thanksgiving."  It very neatly sums up the sort the approach to God and to the way we should live that this parable from Luke commends.

Let us pray "The General Thanksgiving" together:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, 
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks 
for all your goodness and loving-kindness 
to us and to all whom you have made. 
We bless you for our creation, preservation, 
and all the blessings of this life; 
but above all for your immeasurable love 
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; 
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. 
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, 
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, 
not only with our lips, but in our lives, 
by giving up our selves to your service, 
and by walking before you 
in holiness and righteousness all our days; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, 
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.