November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving Day, Year B (RCL)
There are times when it seems
that the readings for the day
have been especially chosen
to fit what is going on in the world.
Today, on the feast of Thanksgiving,
you might expect to have readings focussed on
giving thanks,
and indeed, that’s what we read
this time last year.
Remember last year?
We had just elected Barack Obama President.
and the word recession
was only just beginning to come
into our vocabulary again.
This year
is very different.
The Democrats have been in leadership for a year,
a year when the recession
has dominated many of our lives.
Unemployment has grown exponentially;
wages have stalled.
The stock market has clawed back some of the losses of the first few months of the year, but we’re still nowhere near its peak;
housing prices likewise seem to be slowly increasing,
but many mortgages are still under water.
It’s a year when life has been more of a struggle for many,
when thankfulness
has come a little harder.
And then we read our gospel for today,
Jesus said, "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and 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."”
And if you’re like me, the first word out of your mouth
is “but...”
It sounds great. Don’t worry. God will provide,
just as God provides
for the flowers and the grass and the birds.
Except we know all too well
that God doesn’t always provide,
at least not for the flowers and the grass and the birds.
This year is an obvious example. Farmers’ yields have been down fifty percent in some areas. Too much rain, and the plants aren’t doing too well, and if the farmers’ yields are down, so must be the availability of feed for birds.
And if you’ve ever lived anywhere that has droughts,
you’ll know the effects of that on plants and animals.
The grass dries out and dies,
and the earth becomes parched and cracked;
birds travel far outside their usual routes to find food,
and animals waste away.
It’s all very well
for Jesus to use the flowers and grass and birds as an example,
but we know
that they don’t always survive,
and we don’t want to risk it.
Plus, if you’ve been out in the woods any time recently
you will have seen the squirrels
carrying acorns to their winter hideaways,
and the bears are foraging for food before
they sleep the winter away.
Animals worry about what they will have to eat;
why shouldn’t we?
Especially in a time like this.
But it’s at times like this
that we particularly need to hear Jesus’ words.
Times like this
we are tempted
to obsess about where our next meal will come from, and the one after that, and so in,
times like this
that we worry
whether we will have enough for an emergency,
times like this
when if we can, we prepare for our futures.
And I’m not sure that Jesus is telling us not to do those things.
But he’s warning us
not to be obsessed with it,
not to let it
take over our lives.
Because that’s the danger, isn’t it?
We say that we obey the first commandment, and put God first, we say that we love God with our hearts and souls and minds and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves,
But I’m not likely
to wake at night
obsessing about how I could express my love for God more,
or care for my neighbors better.
I am
likely
to wake worrying
about whether I have enough to pay the mortgage
or should I try to find another way of getting gifts to family overseas that’s not so expensive,
or will I have enough to retire on
in 24 years’ time.
You see, for most of us, the danger is not so much that we will actually go hungry,
as that our lives will become dominated
by worrying about material things,
so dominated
that God
will get
squeezed out.
And so Jesus’ point is,
don’t let it take over your lives. Don’t let it take over,
because God knows what you need,
and God will provide.
Of course, here my inner sceptic jumps in again.
“And how exactly
will God do that?”
And then I think
of the story of the Smithtown Food Pantry.
A month ago
there wasn’t a whole lot on the shelves,
and the storeroom downstairs
was empty.
And with hundreds of people needing food each month, things weren’t looking good.
But in the weeks since then,
the community has stepped in.
There have been collections at libraries and at schools.
People have done deals with stores to buy in bulk;
stores have shown up
with truckloads of food.
By Monday morning, the storeroom that had been empty
was packed with food;
upstairs
boxes blocked the passageways.
There was plenty of food
for all.
Of course, when things are tough, it’s hard to ask for help.
When I was an international student in New Jersey,
I had a scholarship of $12,000 per year, and I wasn’t allowed to work to earn any more.
By the time I paid rent and books, there wasn’t a lot left.
But eventually I learned to swallow my pride
and ask for help,
and the people of God
were generous, generous beyond what I might have imagined.
And then, when I was in a position to help others,
I discovered the truth of it all.
Giving
is a gift in itself.
When we receive from others
it is a gift.
When we give to others
it is a gift.
And when it comes to God providing, so often the way that God provides
is through people like us.
And so today on Thanksgiving,
we are reminded
to keep our priorities straight.
To put God first
and material things second.
God knows what we need,
our bodies, our hearts and our souls,
and God will provide - sometimes to us, sometimes through us.
And to give thanks.
© Raewynne J. Whiteley 2009