November 2007 “Getting More” Stewardship Series – “Thank Full”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – November 18, 2007

Prayer Introduction: In his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln said, “It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

            And so we have the tradition of Thanksgiving Day. Yet, “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day” said Robert Caspar Lintner.

            Indeed, Thanksgiving Day is simply a reminder that we should always give thanks. This morning we will see that God’s Word, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, says exactly that. Let’s pray…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!

Scripture Introduction: This may be one of the shortest Scripture readings we’ve ever done for a sermon. Three very short verses. “¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I. Full of Thanks in Times of Trial

In last week’s sermon we looked at Ephesians 5:16, which says “redeem the time” – or “make the most of every opportunity.” And then on Wednesday Jen’s mom had a heart attack, and Thursday her dad also went into the hospital with signs of a heart attack. “Make the most of every opportunity” – God really put that one to the test.

            And now 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances” – I’m almost afraid to preach this passage.

            But you know God’s Word was never intended just to be nice to listen to; God is talking to us about real life in the real world. Is it really possible to give thanks in ALL circumstances?!

            Have you ever noticed that God, in his word, tells us to do things that are not natural to us? It isn’t like the Bible ever says, “Thou shalt sit on the couch and watch thy TV.” The Bible never says, “Blessed is the man who drinks beer to the full, and stuffs his face with food.” The Bible never says, “Be thou grumpy in the morning, particularly when it is cold outside.”

            No, God says things like, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” This is so unnatural to us.

            In fact, the rest of the created world does it better than we do. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” begins Psalm 19. At the Triumphal Entry Jesus said that if human beings didn’t thank God, “the stones will cry out” (cf. Luke 19:40).

            All of creation offers endless praise and thanks to God. Except humans. “Basically we’re not normal!” (Susan Lutz).

            Why is this the case? Why don’t we naturally give endless praise and thanks to God – like the rest of creation?

            Because our nature is fallen, corrupted from its original created purpose. We are born with a sinful nature. Susan Lutz writes, “Every one of us begins life separated from God. We don’t know him, we don’t have a relationship with him, and we don’t trust him – we don’t even like him. This to us feels normal, but to the rest of the universe, it’s the most unnatural and tragic state imaginable. It leaves us blind to a lot of spiritual reality, even when we are searching for it.”

            In order to give thanks, our nature must be changed: transformed, restored. We must become new creations. This is only possible through the sacrifice of Christ.

            It has been said, “If you can't be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape.” Through Jesus Christ, we escape God’s wrath. We escape eternal damnation.

            In times of trial, we can give thanks that trials are only temporary. In times of trial we can meditate on the trials that Christ endured FOR OUR SAKE. O, thank you Jesus. “Once your enemy, now seated at your table – thank you, Jesus.”

            Thank you for your mercy, O Lord, for not making us suffer fully for our rebellion – and our rebellious world. Thank you for your mercy, O Lord, new every morning.

In times of trial we can seek God through Christ. In fact, trials can become the trigger for us to call out to Christ. They can serve as reminders of the trials Christ faced for us. He endured the cross to be the author and perfecter of our faith (cf. Hebrews 12:2).

In times of trial, let us fix our eyes on Jesus – and we will be thankful. Our trials will be transformed to thanksgiving, because we have been transformed from sinner to saint.

II. Full of Thanks in Times of Blessing

And so, it is unnatural to be full of thanks in times of trial; yet it is also hard to be full of thanks in times of blessing – particularly extended times of blessing.

At first, we might be thankful for the new job, the love of your spouse, the birth of a new baby. But soon we no longer see them as blessings. We stop giving thanks. All things just become another thing.

The roof over our head. The abundant food on our table. The clothes on our back. The air that we breathe. We begin to take so many things for granted – rather than being grateful.

I recently read, “A thankful heart enjoys blessings twice – when they're received and when they're remembered.”

In giving thanks we remember the blessing – and we are blessed again. That is the blessing of photographs. Looking at a picture and remembering a person, or a place, a moment in time.

Eternity in heaven will not just be an extended time of blessing – but an eternal time of blessing. And yet it will never grow old. It will never be boring. It will never seem ordinary. Because we will remember the one who gives us the blessing.

Because of the busyness of our lives, we forget how incredibly blessed we are. In fact, we are often so busy because we are so blessed. We have jobs, family, friends, and faith that require time – but O what blessed requirements of time.

One person said, “If we pause to think, we'll have cause to thank.” Last week God told us, in his word, to pause in the midst of chronos time, in order to have kairos moments. In order to have more time, we must redeem the time, by inviting God into the situation.

The kairos moment is the moment when God is near: something clicks, a decision is made, a blessing is enjoyed.

Stopping to give thanks is always a kairos moment. And reminds us of the kairos time to come – when Jesus returns, when we are with the Father in heaven, when God is always near, when everything makes sense.

Give thanks in all circumstances: in times of trial knowing that because of Jesus the trial is temporary; and in times of blessing knowing that because of Jesus the blessing is eternal. Undeserved blessing is ours – and is ours forever. Thank you Jesus.

III. Full of Thanks in Times of Whatever

Perhaps it is hardest to give thanks, not in the extreme times of trial or blessing; but in the times of whatever – the ordinary days.

            In the church’s liturgical calendar we are in the Sundays of “Ordinary Time.” It isn’t yet Advent, or Lent, or Easter, or Pentecost – or any of the “special Sundays.” We’ve made this one a little more special by calling it “Thanksgiving Sunday.” But most of our days are ordinary days.

            We certainly have times of trials and we have times of blessing; but much of our life is ordinary. We get up and go to school or work – at home or for a business. We have family activities. We have household chores. We eat, we sleep, we get up and do it again.

            Life is often ordinary, routine, dull, boring.

            It is one of the reasons that God has given us a Sabbath Day – a day set apart. The Lord’s Day is a day that is not to be ordinary, routine, dull or boring. It is designed to be different, special, extraordinary – a “day of delight.”

            The Greek word for thanks is eucharisto, from which we get the word “Eucharist.” Indeed, the Lord’s Supper is the ultimate Thanksgiving feast.

            Sundays are eucharist days – special days of thanksgiving in the routine of life. Whether we celebrate the eucharist – the Lord’s Supper – or not, the Lord’s Day is a day set apart. It reminds us of the days which are coming when all things will be made new. When Christ will return and bring the new heavens and the new earth.

            So what will be different for you today? God hasn’t given us his word this morning just to listen to, yet have nothing change. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

            Give thanks in all circumstances. Begin with today – the day set apart, the day of delight. What will you do in the circumstance of today to give thanks? How will you pursue the kairos in the chronos – drawing near to God as time ticks on?

            And then in the next time of trial – will we let it be a trigger to remind us of God’s grace in making trials temporary? Helen Keller once said, “So much has been given to me, I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied.” In times of trial we might reflect on what we have, rather than what we don’t have.

            And then in times of extended blessing – will we continue to give thanks, reflecting on the eternal blessings to come?

            May this week be filled with times of blessing, trials and ordinary – that we may give thanks in all circumstances.

MAY THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE – AMEN!