Giving Thanks…

This morning as Denise and I headed to the Estes Park Sunrise Rotary Club meeting (we were inducted into the Club), we were wowed by another gorgeous sunrise over the Rockies. Once again, we felt a profound sense of thanksgiving for the blessing of living in such a gorgeous place!

In a few hours I will be preaching at the Estes Park Interfaith Alliance Thanksgiving Service.  It is easy to have a thankful heart when you live in the midst of such beauty. When we celebrated Communion at the Good Samaritan Village Assisted Living Center yesterday, I shared with the good folks gathered some thoughts about Thanksgiving. Our focus was on Psalm 107:1-10. “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” (107:1-3)

Even though there is so much violence and contentious spirits fighting against one another in the name of religion (note I said religion and not God), there is much to be thankful for. My delightful congregation at Good Samaritan knows very well that life isn’t always easy. Some of the experiences in their lives have been difficult. Yet in the midst of it all, they were able to come to the table and meet the Lord.

The readings for Thanksgiving are a reminder to each of us that God is present in our midst, even when we don’t feel God’s presence. Joel states: “Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.” (2:21, 23)

The imagery of soil and drought and pestilence and recovery reflect the state of the people of Israel. Even though they were in exile, the promise of recovery was given to them. Their time of desolation and sorrow would not last forever. These words speak to us still today as they have to people of faith down through the ages. I have been through times of spiritual desolation and emptiness in my own life. I have been through times of turmoil personally and professionally as well. Often times it has been on river banks, lake shores, coastal beaches, or in the mountains that I have experienced the promise of hope from the Lord. Do not fear, Michael; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!

If I were to base my feelings exclusively on Facebook (that is why I have blocked parts of it for my own spiritual sanity and why I try not to get into the muck and mire of the trolls) or the 24 hours news channels (there is a reason I rarely watch them) I would find almost NOTHING to be thankful for! There is plenty to fear if you listen to the fear mongers and lie spinners (doesn’t anybody believe in checking facts before spreading stories any more?).

At times like that, I truly need to go into the quiet with God. That was one of the blessings of the Ignatian retreat we went on two weeks ago at Columbia Seminary. That is also what happened when I worshiped with the good folks at Good Samaritan Village and we broke bread together. In the sea of chaos and vitriol we found refuge. In that refuge we found strength and hope for the day. In that sort of refuge I find refreshment for my soul as I continue to serve. The good folks of Presbyterian Community Church of the Rockies where I am blessed to be the pastor have heard me time and time again express how we need to focus on the love of God and love of neighbor. They hear me say again and again that we are called to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

So how do you do that in times like this? How do you do that when it feels like the whole world has gone to hell in a handcart? Matthew 6:25-33, the other passage for the Thanksgiving service, gives us an idea of how to do just that. I am going to take an alternate look at this familiar passage and explore how it leads us to do the work of the Lord despite what the surroundings look like.

“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 about more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (6:25) This speaks volumes to me if I simply take some time and sit with the verses. Imagining myself sitting with Jesus in the office, he asks me to simply chew on what he said. Then, after a time of silence, he says to me: “Michael, it breaks my heart how this verse has been used by people who say they follow me. They use it to keep the poor and the outcast in their positions of powerlessness. They use my words as empty and pious platitudes to make themselves feel all smug and spiritual. They just don’t get what these words can really and truly say to them.”

We sit in silence a bit more and then Jesus speaks again: “If people who say they follow me would look at it this way, I know it would make a difference. I tell you not to worry about your life, about what you eat and drink, about what you wear for a reason. Stop focusing on yourself! Instead of worrying about YOUR life, about YOUR eating and drinking, about YOUR clothing, why not worry about your NEIGHBOR?! Instead of being narcissistic and selfish, why not show the love of God by loving and caring for your neighbor?

“By seeking first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, all these things will be given to you as well. What does that mean, Michael? I have heard you preach again and again about building God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. What does that mean, Michael? God knows what you need… and God knows what you are supposed to do. Now it got me into a whole lot of hot water with the religious authorities in my day as you know. But hey, if you are in trouble with the Pharisees, I am guessing you are on the right track!”

As I sit and ponder what the Lord has said to me, it slowly bubbles up to the surface. What does the Lord require? Does the Lord require me to focus on myself and saving my own soul exclusively? Nope! The Lord is the one who is in the saving business, not me. What the Lord does ask is that I take the focus off of myself and put it squarely on God and neighbor. We aren’t called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the prisoners, or care for the widows and orphans to somehow “earn our salvation or get stars in our crown”. We are called to see Christ in the face of our neighbor. In doing so, we will love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength… in doing so, you and I will love our neighbor as we are called to love ourselves (for we are all created in the image of God).

Give thanks, with a grateful heart… Give thanks with every fiber of your being… If we make it about God and our neighbors, God will take care of the rest. God will take care of us. Perhaps this Thanksgiving, we should make it not about us, but rather about God and neighbor.

Will you join me, dear reader, in making it about God and neighbor?