Thanks is a Big Little Word

Thanks. It's a word we throw around alot.  We nonchalantly call "thanks" over our shoulders. It's a pretty handy word. Short, sweet and to the point. Yet, if we take seriously its true meaning, we might pause and take more care in this expression of gratitude we take so lightly.

From the old German, dank(gratitude) and the Latin, tongere(to know), thanks literally means "to know gratitude." The first definition given on the internet dictionary is the one we all know and assume when we hear the word "thanks."  It is:
             1.  an expression of gratitude, as in "a letter of thanks"
But the second meaning I think is closer to the true definition - to know gratitude - and the way we need to view it in terms of the day of thanks we call Thanksgiving.
             2.  a feeling of gratitude, an expression of a state of gratitude
What would it be like to live in a state of gratitude? We would be giving thanks constantly because we have so many things for which to be thankful. Most of what we have came from the hands of someone else. For example - you may have bought that sweet potato for the yams at the grocery store or market, but were it not for the person who transported it to the store, the person who harvested it, the person who cared for it, and the person who planted it, you couldn't buy it! That's at least five others to thank for their service to you!
WOW! Living in a state of gratitude isn't easy! Yet, we cannot afford spiritually to give thanks only once a year for all that we have.
I've kept a journal for as long as I remember, and in the back of it I have a "gratitude list." I try to add to it daily, even if only to say thank God I'm alive, I woke up today, and I am able to walk and talk and freely move about with two legs and two arms and eyes and ears that work.
If we all truly lived in a state of thanks, it would destroy the epidemic of entitlement devouring our culture. Living in a state of thanks would slow us down and help us make more careful, considerate choices based on a mindset of thanksgiving. To live in a state of gratitude is to focus on others, not self. It is to acknowledge that we are neither dependent nor codependent, but rather interdependent as a people. We all need each other, and we all need to know we have something to contribute that is of worth. It is learning to give AND receive thanks that set in motion that first Thanksgiving that we tell the children about. It is a way to live in peace with one another - for you cannot hate someone for whom you are grateful.
In our Methodist doctrine, as well as in many others, we call Holy Communion "The Great Thanksgiving." As we become mindful of all the blessings that come our way, as we unravel the complexities of how we receive all good things, when we come to the end of the chain of thanks, we find a Creator. That God, our creator, is the source of ALL THINGS. God gives us land and water and fish and fowl and vegetation and companionship and sunshine and rain and soooooooooooo many things, we couldn't possibly name them all. God, above all others, is the one whom we thank and praise and adore because of all he has given to us and each and every thing we have received from His hand.
So when you sit down to eat that turkey, be mindful of how you came to have a turkey to eat. When you pass the potatoes, yams and cranberry sauce, think of those who worked at hard labor to bring them to you. Pause to thank God for making it all possible. Thank God for the family you have with you. Make it a goal to start this Thanksgiving keeping a gratitude list, and adding to it every day. Who knows, this state of thanks may be contagious? We might start a trend. God is good - all the time. Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Post-election Fallout

Someone sent me an email this week entitled "A Christian Response to the Elections". There are some people threatening to secede in response to the election that claim to be Christian. Some people labeled liberals, some of whom claim to Christian as well, seem thrilled, but demand more, more, more from this president. I don't know definitive “Christian” the answer. So I fall back on the things that I value most, seek to maintain my integrity as a Christian, and get on with life.

Basically, all we Christians can do is vote our conscience, accept the results, and pray for all of our public servants. We need to be Christ-like in all our dealings, no matter what! We need to respect authority. We need to work for compromise, not draw battle lines. We need to model the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

Jesus submitted to crucifixion. Even though he was wrongly accused and the government was corrupt, even though he could have called down all the powers of heaven to wage war against them, yet he submitted to the authorities humbly and without protest. How can we not submit to the authority of our government, even if it's unjust or corrupt? We are citizens of Heaven and just resident aliens here. Part of being Christian is living peaceably with our neighbors. Our government – for better or worse – is our government. Like Jesus said, “Give to Caesar the things that are of  Caesar, and give to God the things that are of God.”(Matthew 22:21)

Jesus said, “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike..” (Matthew 5: 43-48)  We've got to stop fighting. The bible says, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart." (Luke 11:17) Someone's got to start talking about peace and consensus, and I think we as Christians are bound by the wounds of Christ to be a part of the solution, not add to the problem. We can best work for change from a position of reconciliation, cooperation, and charity than from a point of view that is negative and hateful. Like my granddaddy used to say, "You attract more flies with honey than vinegar." It seems to me that our time would be much better spent sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ than arguing about who’s right and who’s wrong.

I recently read a statistic that made me sad. One in three young adults in America have no religion at all. One seventh of all Americans are “nones”, the nomenclature for people who have no religious affiliation. Look around you. If you see seven people, one of them is a non-believer. If we spend as much energy sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and what he means in our lives as we do sharing the political junk, then maybe we’ll be blessed enough to see the fruits of our labor when some “nones” show up at our church, or give their lives to Christ.

All I know is that my Lord died for ALL humankind. Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, rich and poor, Christian and non-Christian. If we follow the lead of Christ, we, too, will love everyone. We don't have to condone things we don't believe in, but we also don't have to condemn. Judging is God's job, not ours.

A Christian response to the election? Continue being the best Christians we can be. Seek God's will in all we do. Live a life that mirrors Christ as best we can. Avoid sin. Spread the good news. And, "Go make of all disciples!" And, for the love of God, be nice to each other - even if we disagree. And maybe, just maybe, when we stand before God, he will say, as he did in Matthew 25:23 “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you much more. Let’s celebrate together!” Then we all have a praise party and go back to work, because Luke 10:2 says, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” See you in the fields!

 

Fa La or not Fa La - that is the question

Someone recently posted on facebook a question about whether or not it is acceptable to listen to Christmas music the day after Halloween. They wanted my advice as a spiritual advisor. I probably didn't give them such a spiritual answer. I said ABSOLUTELY you can listen to Christmas music as soon as Halloween is over. In fact, you don't even have to wait for Halloween to be over! Anything that shares love and cheer and positivity should be shared a often as possible!
Being born on Christmas Eve Eve myself, I have always felt a special kinship with Christmas. Unlike Lent, where we are charged to be penitent and reflective for the 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter, Advent can be joyous all the way through. We can read and heed the prophets as they proclaim the Messiah is coming - and then celebrate! God made us a wonderful promise that he would send a Savior!
Therefore The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
WOOHOO! YEEHAW! HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD! The Lord is sending "Immanuel" - God with us. God is going to live with us on the earth! How awesome is that! I'm singing the Hallelujah Chorus in my head, even as I write this!
But there is a responsibility that goes along with the jubilation...

Sandy was NO Lady!

I've been watching the TV, and I've been deeply affected by the devastataion in the wake of super storm Sandy. I want to help. I think everyone wants to help. Many will and have in many ways. Yet, I just gave out of my extra change. It's easy to click the donate button and give that automatic $10.
Then I see the reality. People without food, and the food they have going to waste without refridgeration. I see water everywhere. I see people cold and tired, huddling together in public places with power and heat, but having to leave and face a cold night when that place closes for the day. I think of children and families that depend on their kids eating at least one and sometimes two meals at school, suddenly having to provide three meals a day on the same budget, if they're lucky enough to have a paycheck coming in when their place of business is closed due to the devastation.
I pray to God, "What is my response? What is Your will for me in helping my neighbors? What is the best use of my resources for Your ministry of healing and hope for the victims of Sandy." I'll certainly encourage my church members and all my readers to give. Money is the best gift the experts tell us. Then disaster response people can buy supplies locally in the affected area and so help the faltering economy in that region. Certanly volunteerism is the next best gift. First responders are still needed, along with anyone with disaster response training. Truck drivers are needed, as well as emergency relief and Red Cross volunteers. I am none of those, and I have already given what I think I can afford.
Still, God keeps giving me that little nudge. What if I sent a gift of money that was equal to one week's power, food, water and other necessities of life? I'm told relief agencies can feed a family of four for a week with $126. I can divide my power bill by 4, and send a quarter of my costs to relief work. I can go to the grocery or discount store and price a week's worth of water at 8 eight ounce servings a day times seven days, then send that money to the Red Cross or UMCOR (my church's relief agency). That would be a slight hardship on me. I'd have to juggle things, cut back on others. Yet, it's nothing like the hardship my friends in the wake of Sandy are facing. It's time for some sacrificial giving on my part.
1 John 3:16-17 (The Message)

"This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear."
Pray for your response, and I'll pray for mine. May we all be faithful in our sacrificial love in the name of Jesus.