"For What Did You Give Thanks?"
Rev. Ken Streitenberger
the Scripture Lesson...
Ephesians 5: 15 - 20
In a past issue of “Circuit Rider” magazine there appeared a cartoon appropriate for this day. The cartoon was titled “Pontius Puddle.” The first frame of the cartoon shows the lead character thumbing frantically through a bible. In the second frame of the cartoon, another character enters the scene. This character asks the first, ”Got a problem?” To which the first character replies, --without a moment’s pause in his thumbing—“Yeah, I’ve got a problem.” In the third and final frame of the cartoon, the lead character states exasperatedly, “My problem is I can never remember whether the Thanksgiving story is in the Old Testament or the New Testament. (Circuit Rider, p. 32)
Now, if you did not chuckle at that cartoon, that might very well tell something about your biblical knowledge. My initial reaction to that cartoon was “Dummy, the Thanksgiving story is in the history books. It is not in either the Old or the New Testaments of the bible!”
But, before that thought was completely out of my mind, a second and more accurate thought arose. This second thought observed
–correctly— that while the traditional Thanksgiving story is uniquely American and is indeed lodged in the legendary history of our nation, in a much larger and greater sense, the real Thanksgiving story is spread throughout the bible. The pages of the bible, both Old and New Testaments, are permeated with thanksgivings to God. Pontius Puddle was right after all, the thanksgiving story is a biblical story.
As we stand this morning in the midst of a long Thanksgiving weekend, I think it is important for us to realize that thanksgiving is a part of our biblical story. And further, I think it is important for us to ask ourselves, “What is it for which we are thankful?” “For what do we give thanks in this season?” Or, as the sermon title asks a little more pointedly, “For What Did You Give Thanks?”
I.
One of the bishops in our United Methodist Church tells about what might be the greatest typographical error in all of religious music history. The bishop said that some friends of his were participating in a community chorus that was about to perform Handel’s “Messiah.” On the evening of the concert, one of the participants picked up a copy of the program which contained the text of the music they were about to sing. –And there it was. One line, instead of reading, “Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth,” read “Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent Resigneth!” (Melvin Wheatly)
Now goodness knows, the Lord would have just cause and good reason for giving up on humanity, for washing his hands, throwing in the towel, and exclaiming “Enough already!” But can you imagine what our world would be like if, indeed, the Christ had resigned? If God had given up on the likes of us?
“If Jesus Christ had resigned,” observed Leslie Weatherhead, “our world would be like a lovely garden whose owner had left it to the weeds.” (“A Plain Man Looks at the Cross”) If Christ had resigned, we would be overcome by chaos –the current wars and disasters and hardships notwithstanding— we would be smothered by the cares and troubles of life.
But Christ did not resign. And God has not abandoned us. We are not left to fend for ourselves among the weeds and thistles and thorns of this world. And for that I am thankful. One of the things for which I give great thanks in this season is the love of God and the way that love of God has been expressed through Jesus Christ.
A Christian leader in another country tells a delightful story that just tickles me clear through. It is a fanciful story, but I think it has a lot of basis in truth. The story takes place in heaven. It is told about St. Peter. As the story goes, St. Peter was becoming quite upset because every morning he was finding a horde of undesirable aliens on the streets of heaven. St. Peter was convinced that these people had not been admitted by him during the regular business hours. Some of these people had never even been baptized. Some of them were ignorant of the bible. And many of them were soiled and damaged souls who clearly had no right in the celestial precincts.
St. Peter decided to discover just how the leakage was occurring. One night St. Peter prowled about the ramparts of heaven. After some length of time, St. Peter discovered a dark corner where a few stones had been removed from the wall since his last inspection just an hour before. A crowd of people was steadily creeping in at that spot. St. Peter rushed at the people with indignation and anger. But St. Peter was stopped short with astonishment. Christ the Savior was there with them. In fact, the Christ was even helping some of the more timid souls over the wall.
The Lord saw St. Peter and understood his ire. Said Jesus,
“I’m sorry, Peter, I know it is against the rules. I know I’m breaking the laws. These poor souls are not all they should be. Some of them were never baptized, some of them are not quite orthodox in their opinion of me, and all of them are miserable sinners. But,” sighed Jesus, “they are my special friends, and I want them here with me.” (Bishop Festus Segun of Lagos, “Friendship with Christ,” Interchange)
As I said, it is a fanciful story. It is a make-believe story. But I am convinced that it is solidly based in what we know about the love and compassion of Jesus for his people. Jesus broke the rules for his people. Jesus was adamant that people and their salvation were much more important than any law or any ritual or any human expectation. For Jesus, we, and all our sisters and brothers across the years, are his special friends and he wants us with him.
God wants us. God loves us. God wants only good for us. God knows what is best for us. God wants to lead us to God’s salvation. We are God’s special friends and God will do whatever God has to do to see that we are with God.
In this season of Thanksgiving, one of the things for which I give thanks is the love of God and the way that love of God has been expressed in my life and in the lives of those I hold dear.
II.
In addition to this being a season of Thanksgiving, this is also a season of migration. On almost any day you can look to the skies and see formations of ducks and geese flying south for the winter. Many of you have engineering backgrounds and those backgrounds may well explain to you the importance of the V-formation the ducks and geese use in their annual pilgrimages. But just so we all know, and as a refresher for those of us who do already know, let me say that my understanding is that the V-formation of the migrating ducks is an aerodynamic principle.
In fact, two aerodynamic engineers some time ago did an experiment of why the birds fly in a V-formation, and what they discovered was that as each bird in the formation flapped its wings, they created an uplift for the birds that followed. By flying in the V-formation, the whole flock added a 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. (Ken Chapman, “The Gardens Where Depression Grows”)
But beyond the increased efficiency and the longer flying range, the V-formation is also a vehicle of mutual support. The strongest duck in the flock is at the lead point of the V. The weakest duck in the flock is in the middle. The uplift helps the stronger to carry the weaker. –And, whenever one duck finds it necessary to drop out of the formation, he does not drop out alone. A second bird leaves with him and remains with him until that one bird is strong enough to return to the flock.
The ducks, in their own instinctive way, care about one another. They support one another.
During this season, as I remember my thanksgiving to God, the second thing I am grateful for are the acts and gestures and instances of support in my life from family and friends and fellow Christians.
Life in this world is sometimes very difficult. We all know that from first-hand experience. We are often kicked, wounded, discouraged. Sometimes for us, life seems to be too much. The challenges overwhelm us. Death strikes. Relationships break. Jobs lose their meaning and fulfillment –or perhaps we lose the jobs. The lack of money worries us. Our futures are clouded and anxieties rise within us. –And we are at the point of dropping out of life, dropping out of relationships, dropping out of involvement with and concern for anything.
If we are fortunate, when we get to those points in our lives –and they come to all of us—if we are fortunate, when we get to those points in our lives, we will have family or friends or fellow Christians who will comfort us and stay with us and nurture us until we are ready and rested enough and strong enough to re-join the formation and live again.
Harold Kushner tells, in his book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” about a marvelous custom in the Jewish mourning ritual. Says Kushner,
“The custom is called the meal of replenishment. On returning from the cemetery, the mourner, the person who has lost the loved one, is not supposed to take food for him or her self or to serve food to other persons. Instead, the other people are to serve and feed the mourner. The custom symbolizes,” Kushner says, “the way the community rallies around the mourner to sustain him or her and to try to fill the emptiness in their world.”
We all need support. None of us can make it alone in this world. We all need a network of family and friends and fellow Christians who will bear us up when we aren’t strong enough to stand by ourselves.
In this season, one of the things for which I give thanks to God is the support and the caring of family and friends and fellow Christians.
III.
Charlie Brown and Lucy are the two characters that set the scene in a “Peanuts” cartoon. Lucy sits behind her outdoor stand sporting the sign: “Psychiatric Help, 5˘ .” Charlie Brown mopes out front of the stand with a dismal look on his face.
“I find myself always worrying about tomorrow,” Charlie Brown confesses. “And when tomorrow becomes today, I start worrying about tomorrow again. I guess I’m afraid to face the future.”
“I think I can help you, Charlie Brown,” Lucy says as she strides up to him. “Now, the first thing you have to do is turn around. The future is over this way. There, that’s better,” she says, lining him up to face the opposite way.
“Now, the next thing is your posture,” she decides. “If you’re going to face the future, you’ve got to do it with your chest out. That’s the way! Throw your chest out and face the future. Now, raise your arm and clench your fist… That’s right! Now, look determined.”
Lucy steps back to gaze at Charlie Brown standing with his determined posture and fierce look.
“Well, I think I know why you’re afraid to face the future,” Lucy announces.
“Why?” asks Charlie Brown expectantly.
“Because, “ declares Lucy, “You look ridiculous!”
Charlie Brown has picked up on a fear that afflicts many of us. We are afraid of the future. We worry about what the future will be. We have great anxieties about what the future has in store for us.
One author comments on this scene from the Charlie Brown cartoon. He writes,
“Life abounds with Lucys, ‘nay-sayers’ who laugh at any positive stance, pessimists who ridicule any attempt to meet the unknown future head-on. To offset the Lucys of life, “ the author concludes, “the Christian learns to say ‘Yes’ to the future, remembering that God has opened the future for fantastic possibilities.” (Clyde Chestnut, “Windows,”)
In this season, as I remember to give thanks, the third thing for which I will be grateful is a faith that speaks authoritatively of the future.
I suppose to some people it takes either a lot of nerve or a great deal of foolhardiness to speak positively and confidently about the future. Knowing the risks that surround us. Being aware of the tragedies and disasters that strike. Sensing the needs and hurts of a world sometimes in great turmoil, how can we be hopeful for the future?
Milton Propp, a United Methodist pastor in New Mexico, wrote once in his church newsletter that
“The resurrection is always jumping out at me from unexpected places.” He says he had re-seen recently the motion picture “Gandhi.” He says, “In that stunning motion picture there is just such a jumping out. Gandhi is near death from his self-imposed fast. His adopted daughter is near emotional breakdown at the sight of his wretched and emaciated state. As the daughter turns his weakened and pathetic body, Gandhi seeks to comfort her with the whispered words: ‘Remember, tyrants have their day and they seem invincible. But, alas, they always fall! History is quite clear about that. They always fall!”
“When the world has done its worst,” declares Mr. Propp, “there is still something that God can do.” And that is what gives us hope for the future. We know in whose hands the future lies. We know that come what may, God has the final word. We know that after the world has done its worst, God still has something to say. And that something is a word of redemption, a word of renewal. God will see to it that God’s day and God’s plan are achieved.
A minister was once visiting a church’s Christian Education program. He had stopped in one of the younger elementary classes. The minister looked at one of the little boys in the class and asked him, “Son, can you tell me ‘What is the Kingdom of God?’”
Now even great theologians have a hard time answering that question. But the little boy tried. He thought for a moment and then said, “I think it is God’s tomorrow, sir.”
The little boy could see by the look on the minister’s face that the answer wasn’t quite what was expected. So the little boy tried to amend it by adding: “But I guess it’s kind of here already today.”
Asserts the teller of the story, “That is an answer that not even the greatest of theologians could improve upon. ‘The Kingdom of God is God’s tomorrow, but it’s kind of here already today.’” (Leonard Wolcott, “Alive Now,”)
And because it is “kind of here already today,” and because we know that God’s future is our future, we have confidence in what is to come.
In this season, as I bow my head in prayer to God, one of the things for which I give thanks is a faith that speaks authoritatively and confidently of the future.
* * * * *
Friends, last Thursday, November 22, was Thanksgiving Day. We are still celebrating and still mindful of the Thanksgiving Season even on this day. We may even be still eating left over turkey. In this season, I want you to know what it is for which I give thanks. I give thanks for the love of God especially as it has been expressed through Jesus Christ to me and to those I love; I give thanks for the support and caring of family and friends and fellow Christians as they undergird my life and express the love of God to me in this world; and, I give thanks for a faith –a faith in God, --a faith that is strong and sure and that speaks authoritatively and positively about the future.
What about you? As you paused in these days just passed, as you stopped to think about your blessings, “For What Did You Give Thanks?”
