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An Attitude of Gratitude
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Pentecost25B2009 The 25th Anniversary DVD shows this congregation’s move from Seneca Valley High School to its brand new church here on Clopper Road. It shows members going down the steps of the high school; members directing traffic on the gravel parking lot; members and children congregating in front of the doors with the UCC symbol handles; members in choir robes as part of the mix, and everyone, everyone is smiling. Even without a sound-track of the various individual comments, it is clear that there is a spirit of joy, a spirit of rejoicing, a spirit of anticipation and thanksgiving. Now imagine that instead of heading for cars to drive from the high school to Clopper Road, imagine that the entire congregation had walked, and as they turned the corner from Great Seneca Highway onto Clopper Road, imagine that they started singing something like Great Is Your Faithfulness, or I Thank You, Jesus. That’s something of the spirit of Psalm 126. Especially if pilgrims began along the Jordan River, the hot, steep, rugged climb to Jerusalem would have required serious effort–and anyone who has climbed a mountain knows the feeling of exuberance once the goal is reached. But the pilgrims climbing the hills to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount are singing of thanksgiving and yearning with much more to their song than a sense of triumph at reaching their goal, their ‘mission accomplished.’ Just as no one now looks at the New York city skyline without remembering the twin towers, no pilgrim to Jerusalem would look at the Temple Mount without remembering the Exile, remembering when their beloved, sacred temple was destroyed and the people of Israel were forcibly moved to Babylon. Now the pilgrims of a new generation sing of a land restored, and gather once more in the city of Jerusalem, which once again plays a central role in the religious life and imagination of the people Israel. Yet even as the pilgrims celebrate restoration of the land, we hear their poignant plea: restore our fortunes. These same pilgrims recognize that they themselves are in need of the same restoration God has shown them in the land. Like a twist on the line in the old Dylan folk song, Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, the pilgrims realize that God’s gift of their heart’s desire of the land is only one part of the restoration that they need. They plead for God to restore their soul as well. And that’s the paradox. We enjoy the gifts God gives us–our opening prayer this morning doesn’t even scratch the surface of all that God showers upon us. Our attitude of gratitude is exactly the right response. But...we can also look upon those gifts as our due, as so much a part of what we have come to expect as rightfully ours, that our attitude of gratitude shifts to an attitude of entitlement. This can be especially true if our gifts include abundant material wealth. More can create the desire for more...and in the process, it can destroy the soul. Think Leona Helmsley, the “Queen of Mean.” It’s a matter of where we build our foundations. Several weeks ago, I was talking with some of our members from Asbury, and asked what advice they could give me as we moved my parents out here from Spokane. One of the most helpful comments was, “You’ll be surprised at how little you really need.” But what we need is critical. During the children’s message this morning, we were reminded that the pilgrims—the UCC’s spiritual forebears—did indeed celebrate the first thanksgiving in 1621. But that was followed by what those same pilgrims called “the starving time.” That winter of 1621, new colonists arrived with no food, extra clothing, or equipment. The harvest of 1622 was a dismal failure. By the spring of 1623, the Pilgrims’ daily rations were down to five kernels of corn a day. Two centuries later, the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts celebrated Forefathers’ Day on December 21–the day the Pilgrims ostensibly landed at Plymouth Rock. Five kernels of corn were placed on each empty plate at the start of the meal. It reminded people of the sacrifice and the hardships the Pilgrims endured, and it reminded people to take time to count the blessings they enjoyed. Whether we are climbing the Temple Mount with the pilgrims of this morning’s psalm, , or sitting down with one to enjoy a simple meal, or with many for a feast, Thanksgiving is our annual opportunity for a gratitude check. Like Christmas and Easter, holidays with deep religious roots, Thanksgiving itself has largely become a secular celebration–complete with the requisite parade and big ball games. Those “of us who do have a living relationship with God must take care to be intentional in honoring the purpose of the day:”[1] to give thanks. As the ushers pass around the bowls of corn, you are invited to take five kernels each–or if you are hosting others for Thanksgiving, buy a bag of popcorn when you do your shopping–and place the five kernels on your empty plate Thanksgiving Day. Extend the tradition developed around Forefathers’ Day. Let each kernel serve as a reminder: with the first kernel, give thanks for the God whose love for us teaches us to love one another; with the second, for your family in whatever form brings you life and nurture; with the third, for the friends you cherish; with the fourth, our Pilgrim forebears and the many gifts of this great country; with the fifth, thanks for the life and ministry of this Christian community, the United Church of Christ of Seneca Valley.[4] Let us celebrate Thanksgiving with an attitude of gratitude. For in the words of the old German theologian, Meister Eckhart, “If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice.” *** [1]http://daily.presbycan.ca/devotions/2009/09-10-11.html |