Foundry United
Rev.
Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 24,
2011
Rev.
“The Inconvenience of Thanksgiving”
Matthew 6:25-33
I want to express my sincere gratitude to each person for every prayer, expression of love and sympathy during this time of illness and bereavement in the death of my cousin. My family and I continue to be overwhelmed by your love and prayers. We were so blessed to have Portia for 40 years and she is deeply and truly missed, especially as we enter the holiday season.
On Tuesday morning I left Biloxi, Mississippi bound for D.C. My travels would include a brief layover in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Like many frequent flyers, I easily fall into the routine of not paying attention to the hustle and bustle of the airport and to silo myself into my cocoon of familiarity. I know the Atlanta airport very well so during most stops I know which store I will visit, which place I will eat or where to find the least known power outlets so I can charge my iPhone and spend some time on the laptop. My ultimate goal is to reach my final destination without delay, free of distractions and without any inconveniences.
We live in a society, and even a world, of worry and anxiety and convenience. From the moment we open our eyes, we are so easily and conveniently flooded with reasons and signals that trigger worry. From posted terror threat levels to tweets to breaking news feeds, we seem to thrive on the chaos of worry. We even have systems, gadgets and cell phone apps that conveniently reinforce our worries. We want instant gratification with instant results without need for process and thought. From convenient stores to convenient foods to convenience fees we are overloaded with a life that manufactures worry and drama in ways that are convenient for all of us. If only we can control the situation, control people and even control God, we would not have to worry and life would simply be convenient.
Today, we find ourselves in the back of the crowd, in the valley, listening to Jesus’ preach the ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ From ‘The Beatitudes’ to ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ Jesus’ words in this sermon, found in Matthew, are revolutionary and countercultural. I will even go as far to say that this text should be entitled, “The Manifesto of Jesus.” This is not a pretty little packaged three point sermon of ideals and hopes. No. It is here, in this open space on the side of a mountain, that Jesus challenges the status quo, the systems and thus makes himself a target. Jesus is now a target for the Roman Empire and he has created frenemies with those who once believed in his mission and ministry but now wonders if Jesus has gone a little too. As we take our seats we catch the last bit of his sermon and we hear Jesus say,
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion - do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers - most of which are never even seen - don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Some believe that in this passage, Jesus is preaching against materialism and wealth. However, I believe that Jesus is challenging us to define ourselves beyond our ostentatious lifestyles and materialism and the convenient things of this life. I find myself lost in and pondering the words of verse 31 in The Message paraphrase, “What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.”
In many ways, Thanksgiving is inconvenient. For some random and mostly economic reasons, President Franklin Roosevelt decided that Thanksgiving would take place on the fourth Thursday of November, not a convenient Friday/Saturday nor on a worshipful Sunday. This holiday sneaks up on us and winds us up into a frenzy as we plan, shop, travel, organize, gather and overindulge.
Oh the inconvenience of thanksgiving. Who has time to be thankful when our minds are frenzied with planning, traveling, hosting, gathering, overindulging, hosting, cooking, baking and Black Friday shopping? Who cares about being thankful when we are struggling in so many areas of our lives, and the finances seem impossible, our hearts are broken, our stomachs and bank accounts are empty and we feel all alone even when we are surrounded by people. Oh the inconveniences of Thanksgiving. Yet, I must ask, why in the world are you here today at a 10am Thanksgiving Day worship service?!
But “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you.” This morning, I believe that we are here because we are all seeking. We are seeking God’s righteous, God’s grace, God’s love and a place that allows us to be inconvenienced by thanksgiving.
This Thanksgiving and throughout the Advent season, challenge yourself to be inconvenienced by gratitude and praise. Find some time to interrupt your convenient life to seek God and to be thankful in the midst of the chaos of convenient living. So I pray, that…
In the midst of your pain, that you be inconvenienced by thanksgiving.
As you search and try to find your way, make time to be inconvenienced by thanksgiving.
As you shed tears and battle with depression, loneliness and a broken heart, sit still and be inconvenienced by thanksgiving.
Make it priority to inconveniently interrupt your life to find time to consider the lilies of the field and I promise that you will be completely thankful.
Amen.
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