Saying Thanks

Rev. Debra Cato

Peace Presbyterian Church

Jeremiah 31:7-14 and Ephesians 1:3-14
January 4, 2015 – 2^nd Sunday of Christmas

“Saying Thanks”

I love to open presents. I’ve never outgrown the excitement of Christmas and packages under the tree. I would rather open 4 small gifts than one large gift. I think it’s the surprise element, the “what will this be” feeling that I love.

When I was probably 13 or 14, I got so excited that one night when my parents were gone, I opened up all my presents, tried the clothes on, and then re-wrapped everything. I honestly don’t think my parents had any idea I did that. On Christmas morning, I reopened every-thing, knowing what each gift was, if it fit or not and, if I liked it or not. It wasn’t any fun. I had spoiled the exact thing that I loved about Christmas – the element of surprise. I didn’t feel thankful for any of my gifts because for me – they weren’t new. I thought I was pulling something off on my parents but it backfired.

I never did that again. I was never even tempted. I learned my lesson.

My daughters and I had a wonderful Christmas and I feel very blessed. Our tradition is that we open gifts one at a time, taking turns at being first. That way, we can all share in the surprise and enjoy each other’s gifts. I love to see how excited they are – even as young women, like me, they love to open presents.

All my thank you notes have been written and mailed and my hope is that I was able to convey to each person, how much their gift means to me; how thankful I am that they remembered me; that they chose to bless me with a gift to open. I like to send thank you notes right away because I’m afraid I will forget.

Is it ever too late to send a thank you note? In this age when handwritten thank you notes are becoming passé, the Second Sunday of Christmas presents us with an overflowing page of thanks. Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians not by thanking them, but by raising a sweeping note of thanksgiving to God.¹ “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

Three times in one sentence, Paul uses a form of the word “bless.” It’s as if Paul is saying, “The Blessed One blesses us with blessings.” Whatever else Paul is going to say in his letter to the church in Ephesus; whatever his purpose for writing them, Paul begins with a doxology; he begins by saying, “Thank you.”

Most of us were taught as young children to say thank you. Thank you when someone does something for you. Thank you when someone gives you something. And so as adults, we continue this habit. We write thank you notes. We are good for giving thanks for things. Thanks for gifts and favors; for dinner and an evening together. Thanks for doing a favor; for helping out; for being there.

If we give thanks for earthly gifts – for stuff, then all the more urgent is the need to give thanks for heavenly gifts. God has provided every spiritual blessing. The riches of grace have been lavished upon us. Therefore, our return of thanks ought to be as lavish as words will allow.²

Paul lifts up thanks for all blessings – not only personal blessings, not only blessings to the church. Paul’s thanks reach to embrace God’s overarching plan for all creation. He praises God from whom all blessings flow. All blessings.

The truth is, the English language does not provide words that are lavish enough to really express our thankfulness for all the blessings God pours on us each and every day. Words cannot describe the wonder and glory and thanksgiving for God just being God. But Paul gives it a heck of a try!

Ephesians 1:3-14 is a one-sentence eulogy that invites the community to do three things:

1. It invites us to praise God for God’s grace and blessings in Christ for Jews and Gentiles;
2. It invites us to praise God’s gracious, sovereign, and free decision to incorporate and honor Gentiles believers in Christ; and
3. It invites us to praise God’s inclusive grace and redemption for Jews and Gentiles, planned and accomplished in and through Jesus Christ.

The letter to the Ephesians is a declaration that proclaims full membership, equal status, and an honorable place for Gentile Christians – for us, in the people of God. ³ Do you ever think about that? Think about how you have been fully and completely adopted into the people of God. You have equal status with everyone else. You have this because of God’s free gift of grace to you – a sinner. When is the last time you praised God for this reason alone? When is the last time that you said thank you to God? Thank you for loving me unconditionally; in spite of my sin. Thank you Lord for your sacrifice so that I can be free from sin. Thank you Lord, for calling me your beloved child. The exact grace that has been poured over us can and will enable us to love our enemies, for we know they will not be our enemies forever.

In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul calls us to live into the unity and equality we all have in the love of Jesus Christ. The encompassing grace of God stands as a judgment and a promise that helps all Christians. This knowledge must help us to explore the inclusive love of God and how we are called to live like Jesus Christ in our own context; our own place and time and culture. It begs the questions, “Where and how can we be more inclusive, more gracious and righteous, more loving and merciful than we have in the past? How can we be inclusively hospitable in our worship and in our ministries? How can we witness reconciliation, hospitality, and peace with justice in words and deeds in the community where God has planted us?

It’s a new year. A fresh start for each one of us. A fresh start for us as a body here at Peace Presbyterian Church. We can choose to be grateful people in 2015. We can choose to be people of praise. We can choose to be a grateful church, fully aware and grateful for our

“Blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.”

We can choose to be intentional about sharing God’s inclusive love with everyone we meet – even people that are not like us; people that we may initially feel “don’t fit in.” We can decide that we are going to be a church that is all about reconciliation and hospitality and peace with justice in our community – outside the doors of this building. We can commit to being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in 2015. Looking for ways that we can bring the love of Christ that is ours, to others. We can decide that we are going to be a church that recognizes and praises and celebrates the blessing of worshipping the God of all creation. We can be a blessing people.

At a time of year when everyone seems to be making resolutions, what if our resolution is to just plain live more fully as the people of God? Full of joy and thanksgiving in the midst of our fear and doubt. To love radically and welcome everyone in new and maybe even risky ways.

As the pastor of this church, I want to ask you to sincerely pray about this. I want to encourage you to be people of praise and gratitude and see how that shift in attitude might change the life of our church. I’m going to use this jar to capture the ways I see God blessing me in the new year. I'm going to keep it on my kitchen counter where I will see it every day. I'm going to watch it fill up with God's blessings. And on New Years Eve, I'm going to read every note that I put in this jar this year. And you know what? I know that just reading through them will be yet another blessing from God. Would you join me? Would you consider having a blessing jar of your own? I think it will help us be people of gratitude in the coming year.

Now, we are going to do something different. In a minute I’m going to have the ushers pass out pieces of paper for you. Take a moment or two and think about what you are most grateful to God for in 2014. What do you need to praise God for blessing you that perhaps you have not contributed to God? In a couple of minutes we will collect our praises. No one will read them. No one will see them. We will leave them on the communion table for a couple of weeks and I will pray over them – collectively blessing God for every spiritual blessing. Let’s practice being grateful people.

1 James W. McTyre. Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 1. Pastoral Perspective. P 182

2 Ibid. p 184.

3 Luis R. Rivera.. Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 1. Theological Perspective. P 184.