Sunday, November 24, 2013

Thank You

This week we are going to renew a holiday. People across our nation are going to be getting together to give thanks. And that's a good thing to do. We have received much good from our Creator, and it is only fitting that we all say, 'Thank You', in response. Doing that will, however, be a bit more difficult for some. There are many reasons for this, but let me focus on just one. It will be a bit more difficult for some because what used to be their home no longer exists. A tornado blew it away. And that may have also taken away someone they loved. For that reason - and lots more for other people - this Thanksgiving Day will be more difficult. But while that's true, the command of God to all of His people still stands. We are to give thanks.

To help you to understand a bit better what this giving of thanks is about we're going to look at one particular place in Scripture where this command is given. This is from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 
What I'm going to do is explain this by using three questions: what, why and how. 

So, here's the what. What does it mean to 'give thanks'? The first part of the answer is simple. It means responding with gratitude to whomever it is that has given you a gift. By this text the Spirit is reminding us that we all have been given many good gifts by the Father. As a result, it's only right for us to respond to the one who gave those gifts and say, 'Thank You'. It's not complicated. Gift given. Gratitude expressed. But it seems to get complicated when you ask a follow up question. For what, exactly, should we give thanks? That's where the phrase 'in all circumstances' comes in handy. Whatever happens, whatever the situation, whatever comes our way, we are to give thanks for it. Everything? What about when you've just been in the path of a tornado? What about when your house and everything in it is gone? What about when that tornado took someone you love? For what do you give thanks in those circumstances? Some will tell you that you need to give thanks that it wasn't worse. After all, they say, how can you give thanks for some evil that has just fallen on you? I understand that point of view, but I think that it is a point of view that is different from the one that Paul had when he wrote this. We don't give thanks that it wasn't worse. Rather, we respond with a 'Thank You' to God precisely for what happened, for the evil that just entered our lives. We give thanks to God in all circumstances. That means we give thanks to God for all circumstances. The good and the bad. That's the 'what' of this verse.

Obviously, leaving it there just won't work. There are loose ends to tie up, important questions to answer. And that leads to the next part of the sermon, the 'why'. Why are we to do this? Why are we to be grateful for every circumstance? Again, 'why' questions can be answered on several levels. So, I could tell you that you are to do this just because God said to. Paul was quite clear: 'this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you'. There are other levels to the answer to the 'why' question, but this part needs to be emphasized. Even if there were no other aspects to our answer, even if we did not understand how it would make sense to give thanks for something horrible, it would still be a command. And as we've seen recently, those who love Jesus obey His commands. Understanding those commands is not necessary. It certainly is helpful which is why I have more to say about this, but it is not necessary. We obey with or without understanding why. I stress that because there are too many who will obey only if they understand. And that's just a variation on refusing to obey. Not a good idea.

Now, for some another answer to the 'Why?' question. We give thanks in every situation because we rejoice. That's how this bit of Scripture starts. 
Rejoice always.
Let me remind you that rejoicing is not the same as being happy. There are plenty of times when they overlap, but they don't have to. Happiness is an emotional response to your situation. Something good happened so you are happy. Good. Rejoicing is different. It's responding to what Jesus is doing in that situation. It's responding to the fact that He is doing something in that situation, and that it’s something good.

Let me explain that. Here is a more literal translation of the phrase 'in all circumstances'. It's 'in all things'. 'Give thanks in all things.' I understand why the translators rendered the text as they did, and that's fine. But when you see 'all things' here you can connect it more easily with another place where there is an 'all things'.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 

'All things work together for good'. How big is that 'all things'? Is it big enough to include the sad times? Can it include a tornado that has destroyed everything you own and maybe even someone you've loved? It's clear that that 'all things' includes everything that has - and could ever - happen to you. It includes all things. So, if 'all things work together for good' then giving thanks for those 'all things' is understandable. It makes sense. God is doing something good - even in some evil circumstance. So, you see - and this is very important - you rejoice not because you have to but because you can. You are rejoicing at the good that Jesus is working at, even when He uses some evil to accomplish that good. Now, in that moment you may not know what the good will be. But that doesn't matter. He's doing good. That's His promise. And it's helpful to remember that some of the good that He promises may not be intended for you. The evil Jesus sends your way may be part of His plan to do good to some other saint. Because of our love for one another, we are willing to suffer evil for the good of the others. It's part of becoming like Jesus. 

So, why do we give thanks, especially when it's some evil that has been sent our way? We give thanks because we rejoice at what Jesus is doing. We rejoice at the good that He is creating. 

Now, the last question: how? How is it possible to give thanks while you stand at the empty lot that used to be your home, sweet home? How do you do that while you stand at a newly filled grave? You very well may be doing that with tears and sobs. You don't have to be happy. But you are to give thanks from the heart, rejoicing at what Jesus is doing. How? The answer is obvious. You can do that because you trust Jesus. No other reason will work. You give thanks because you actually believe that He knows what He's doing with your life as He sends this bit of evil your way. And we're back to that pivotal question. 'Do you trust Me now?' It always comes back to this matter of trust.

If I were to leave it at this I would be doing you a great disservice. I would be leaving you with a tremendous burden. I would be leaving you thinking, 'I guess I just have to figure out how to trust Jesus when life falls apart.' Thinking that will crush you. That's trying to save yourself. That will never work. So, there is more. And Paul has given us the more that we need. 
Pray without ceasing.
And what you pray, at least in this context, is clear. 'Father, there is no way that I'm going to be able to create the kind of trust that I will need. It is simply beyond me. So, please create it for me. If You don't do that there is no hope for me. Without You nurturing a growing trust I will become like the many who curse You and are bitter against You. And I don't want that to happen. So, save me from this also.' The key, as always, is that we pray. We see what it is that is commanded of us. And we see that it is impossible for us to do. And so, just being honest with ourselves and with our God, we come and ask Him to do for us what is impossible for us to do. And that is the kind of prayer that He loves to hear. But don't expect Him to send you a magic pill that creates supersaint-trust overnight. This is what He often does instead. He takes the long view. He'll send you little bits of evil, what we might call 'everyday evil': a flat tire on the way to important appointment or a child who gets sick at the worst time or something not terrible but just beyond your ability to handle well. And then, the ball is in your court. He's looking for something. He's look for you to pray. He's looking for you to tell Him that, at that moment, you don't trust Him enough to be able to give thanks with rejoicing. He’s looking for a cry for help. And when He sees that, He rewards your little trust with a bit more trust. He answers your prayer. And we're back to lots of little steps.  The key is honest self-awareness that leads to prayer. And bit by bit you will find that you are able to thank God for things that not all that long ago you might have been tempted to curse Him for. That's how you give thanks in all circumstances. It's done by grace.

Now, as you know, I have a melancholic personality. And you're thinking right now that this sermon shows it. But let me tell you why I preached this sermon in the way that I have. My reason might surprise you. I want you to be happy. That may sound out of place, but it's the truth. I want you happy but with a happiness that is honest and a happiness that is lasting. I want you to be happy with a happiness that is rooted in reality. The happiness of way too many these days is rooted in lies. It's a kind of happiness that tries to hide from reality. And for that reason it doesn't satisfy. It's here, and then it's gone. But the hard things of life still remain. What good is that kind of fleeting happiness? We live in a world that is broken. A world where there are terrible things like destructive tornadoes. How shall we respond to that? There is a kind of happiness that comes from following Jesus. It is a happiness that acknowledges the evil. But it also sees that the evil is in the hands of someone who loves us. We see that the evil is part of His plan for good. There are plenty of times when this happiness is bittersweet. There is a time for tears. But underneath all of that is this note of happiness. It may be happiness that is muted. But it is there. And one day it will be full and rich and without even one tear - except for tears of ecstatic happiness. One day Jesus will be here again. And there will be no more evil. None! Until then, we trust Him as well as we can, asking for more trust. And as we see the growth of our trust in Him and the growth of our understanding of what He is up to in this broken world, we experience this deeper, more honest happiness.

Thanksgiving Day is a good holiday. I hope that you enjoy it. It's good to see our jar filled with notes of thanksgiving to God. I hope that you come up later and read a few. We have much to be grateful for. It's good to stop and say, ‘Thank You’. And I hope that you will be nurturing the habit of thanksgiving as a way of life. Being able to say, 'Thank You' to God, especially when you hit one of the hard spots will set you apart. It will proclaim Jesus better than words alone. And it will result in a little more of the happiness that Jesus promises.