VERY GOOD, VERY GOOD, YEAH!
indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
“In this economy” – just like last week and the week before, we hear these words spoken everyday on the news. “In this economy” – just like last week and the week before, we see them in the headlines and read them in articles detailing current events. “In this economy” – just like last week and the week before, these words have become a mantra to live by… a rallying cry of fear.
We must begin this Sunday morning just like last week and the week before by asking, “what does it mean to live as people of faith… as followers of Christ… in this economy?” And just like last week and the week before, this question leads us to the words of this prayer … “Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don’t need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity.” In this economy, as people of faith, we are called to embrace simplicity, cultivate generosity and practice gratitude.
What would it look like for us to practice gratitude? I read recently of a study conducted several years ago. Two researchers asked several hundred people to participate in a research project designed to study the role of gratitude in a person’s sense of well-being and happiness. They divided the participants into three groups. The first group kept a journal, noting all of the events that happened each day. The second group kept a journal as well but noted only the unpleasant experiences of each day. The third group kept a journal of those things that occurred each day for which they were grateful. (From Enough by Adam Hamilton)
I want to pause here and invite us to participate in this research this morning. I am not going to divide us into three groups but instead invite us to join the third group of research participants. Grab a pen or pencil and take your worship folder and find a bit of blank space and spend a moment thinking about what happened yesterday that you are grateful for. Jot down two or three or even four things that you are thankful for.
PAUSE
How many of you were able to write down at least one thing that happened in your life yesterday that you are grateful for? How about two? Three? Did anyone write down more than five? Six? Hang on to your list. I’ll be circling back to it in a few minutes.
I selected this morning’s scripture reading from Matthew’s Gospel because it is the lectionary reading for Thanksgiving Day. Biblical scholars believe that Jesus may well have been directing these words of encouragement and faith to his immediate disciples who had left homes and families… everything really… to follow him. This passage is one of the best-known passages of the New Testament, praised for its beautiful, poetic nature. But since we haven’t chosen to leave homes and families behind in order to follow Jesus, how are we to understand it for our lives. Since we are continually bombarded with messages – if you had a little bit more, you’d be happier… if you had this thing that you currently do not have, you’d find more satisfaction in life… if you had a bigger house or a nicer car or more fashionable clothes, you’d be happy – at least happier than you are right now – since we are continually bombarded with these messages, how are we to understand the power of Jesus’ words? “… do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or “What will we wear?’… indeed God knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When heard again this morning, just a few days before Thanksgiving, these Gospel words force us to go beyond simply saying “thank you God for all our stuff” in our Thanksgiving prayers. We are called instead to the practice of gratitude… the heartfelt affirmation that God is the source of everything in life.
There are very few moments when my mind isn’t thinking ahead to the next worship service I am leading or the next sermon I am preaching. It was no different last Friday evening when several of us ate dinner together at Jane’s new home. As I was slicing bread for dinner, I noticed this quote from author Melody Beattie, prominently displayed on the computer screen: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance and chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
With these words in mind, how will we practice gratitude and what difference will it make in our lives and in God’s world?
Let’s turn our attention back to the research study I spoke of a few minutes ago. Would you be surprised to learn that “the group that took time to record things they were grateful for each day showed ‘higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy’ and lower levels of depression and stress?” Would it surprise you to learn that “they also felt more loved and were more inclined toward acts of kindness?” (From Enough by Adam Hamilton) When we move beyond “thank you God for all my stuff” to “thank you God for life itself,” we are beginning to practice gratitude. Then what we have turns into enough and more. A simples meal becomes a feast… a house a home… a stranger becomes our friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a new vision for tomorrow.
Several months ago, while attending a meeting in Chicago, I ran into an old friend. As our meeting began, she was introduced as a person who practices “Laughing Yoga.” The plan for this meeting was to begin each of our sessions with just a few minutes of “laughing yoga.” Anyone here acquainted with this? Well, I am by no means an expert but the basic premise of “laughing yoga” is that laughter is beneficial because it gets our blood flowing. We actually began our first session of “laughing yoga” with some of us lying down with our heads on each other’s stomachs and sharing a good “belly laugh.” But don’t worry, I am not going to suggest that for this morning.
What I am going to suggest though is that we join in one of the practices that we were taught. It’s simple – VERY GOOD! VERY GOOD! YEAH! – VERY GOOD! VERY GOOD! YEAH! Let’s practice this together.
It should come as no surprise to you that I tucked this practice away in the back of my head for this morning. So let’s turn back to those lists we made a few minutes ago… those things that happened yesterday for which we are grateful.
CONGREGATIONAL PARTICIPATION
This week, in preparation for the celebration of Thanksgiving, I challenge each one of us to spend a moment each day by writing down five things we are especially grateful for from our day. And then instead of just offering this list quietly to God in prayer, I want to try a little laughing yoga. If you live by yourself, do this by yourself or call one of your friends and do this over the phone. If you live with others, lift your prayers together. You might even try sharing a good belly laugh.
For God’s gift of life, we say together “Very good! Very Good! Yeah!”