“I Am Grateful”—Psalm 100; Philippians 1: 3-11
My mother sent me a picture of snow on the ground back in Kentucky the other day. [SLIDE 2] I’m not sure what she expected, but my reply of “Eww, gross,” was apparently not it. I don’t like the cold; it’s a cause to complain. The other day a package I needed was delivered very late, and I complained bitterly to the FedEx about it. My car needed new tires, and it took almost 4 hours to get the done. They weren’t the ones I had expected. I complained. Years ago, at a friends get together for Thanksgiving, I was asked to pray with green bean casserole sitting in front of me. [SLIDE 3] I wanted to say, “Lord, bless this puke-looking stuff in a casserole dish to the nourishment of our bodies.” And you know what? I realized that I complain a lot.
A pastor-friend of mine realized the same thing. [SLIDE 4] She said, “I know in my heart that I am blessed beyond measure, but boy do my brain and mouth complain about everything.” This is a month where we pause for a moment to be thankful. And in a few days, we will spend an entire day called “Thanksgiving” hopefully taking stock of our blessings in the midst of eating. How often, though, do we spend our time complaining instead of taking stock of the things we have in life to be thankful for?
The very opening line of our Epistle from Paul says, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy.” Paul’s greeting to the Philippians is warm, loving, and reminding them of how joyful their relationship with Paul truly is. The overarching theme of this letter is Paul’s joy. But Paul had every reason to be a complainer. He was imprisoned at this point with no hope of escape. As Morna Hooker says in her commentary on Philippians, this is not a perfect community of faith, but they have a long and happy relationship with Paul and bring him great joy.
Paul writes to them one of the most memorable phrases in Christianity, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” I think that is where some of our struggle with complaining comes in. Learning something new, or growing, takes time, trial and error, mistakes which teach us new ways of doing things. [SLIDE 5] Think of it in terms of learning to drive. When you began, it seemed kind of easy—press the pedal and go, and all the while try not to steer into a tree. But then came a three-point turn, parallel parking, and for anyone above the millennial generation with the knowledge for this…a standard gear shift with a clutch pedal. The way you learn is by making enough mistakes to do better.
Likewise, in faith, God began a good work in us—a work of hope, love, and gratefulness that would be infectious throughout an often-cruel world. But for that to be continued and built upon, we must sometimes fall short, struggle, and complain about it all. That way we learn to lean on God and grow. A pastor I’m friends with says that she has stopped complaining about mistakes and problems in life. She now calls it being “grateful for the growing pains.”
A friend of mine bought her retirement home in Florida a few years ago. They split their time between Atlanta and the Florida beach. They had planned to retire full time to the beach soon. A few months ago, Hurricane Helene left 7 feet of storm surge in their home. It was a total loss. And yet, through faith, she found a sense of gratefulness. [SLIDE 6] They were unharmed. They still have a home, and God’s grace and mercy was still with them all through life. There’s a contemporary Christian song that says, “And though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm.” Being grateful in all things is a difficult but powerful and rewarding place for us to grow and find ourselves in life.
Our Psalm for today is one of the most well known in the Bible. It’s often quoted to be kind to those whose singing voices aren’t exactly pitch perfect. I remember hearing that growing up, “Well, the Bible says, ‘Make a joyful noise…’” I think we call that a back-handed compliment. We are told in verse 4 to “Enter into [God’s] gates with thanksgiving; go into [God’s] courts with praise.” The reason we are able to approach with thankfulness and gratefulness is found in verse 5: “For the Lord is good. [God’s] unfailing love continues forever, and [God’s] faithfulness continues to each generation.”
One of the reasons I think we complain so much in life is because whatever present trouble is before us tends to overwhelm us like a blanket tied around our head and face. [SLIDE 8] We can’t see. We feel as though we can’t escape. The present trouble is right there in front of us covering us up from everything else in life. That’s why the words of one of our hymns is so important, “Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings, see what God has done.” My spiritual director, who keeps me focused back to God when my brain goes to 100,000 different things, told me some good advice.
When life becomes overwhelming, and you face a problem, trial, or sadness you can’t seem to overcome, check first to see if you need medical help. If not, sit down and make a list with two columns. [SLIDE 9] In one column, list every single trial, problem, difficulty, and struggle you are facing in life. In the other column, list every way God has blessed you in the past 5 years. And don’t hold back on that list…don’t be stingy with God…give credit for all God has done. Then, count your blessings, and see what God has done. From time to time, when I’m irritated and frustrated, I still do this. Every single time, I’m amazed at all the blessings God has given me. And after reading that list a couple of times, the blessings absolutely overwhelm the troubles.
But let’s say life is really, really bad, and the blessings come few and far between. There’s one final one to put on the list—everlasting hope in God’s love for us. And I pray that one blessing, God’s never-ending love in this life, in death, and in life after death, tips the scales to know that we are OR will be blessed beyond measure by the God we serve. Remember that the Lord is good. God’s unfailing love goes on forever for us. And God’s faithfulness continues from generation to generation without pause or end.
Paul wraps up this part of his epistle to Philippi with a beautiful challenge to them, “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding…[and] may you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation.” That is, in fact, the good work God has begun in us and will continue to do through us: that our love will overflow more and more, and that we will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. The God who loves us never stops working in and through us.
I remember a story a pastor once told in a sermon while I was visiting. She said that, when they were in middle school, they had an 8th grade dance. Being the late 90s or early 2000s, someone brought glitter to the dance for her and her small group of friends. [SLIDE 10] Two hours later all 200 kids at the dance and most of the chaperones were covered in glitter that seemed to keep multiplying and never able to be washed off. When we live in God’s love and count our blessings it is much the same. [SLIDE 11] That love and hope spread to everyone, and we realize just how many blessings we truly have—it’s like the glitter—we realize at some point we are covered with them. And for that we can say, “I am grateful.”
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