Long-past-time

From Paul – a guy who knows the peace of Christ, but who also knows how debilitating the world can be – we have these words of encouragement:

4 Rejoice* in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.* 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved,* whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about* these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

These words give me courage to try a thing; not just because September is nearly over, but because it is long past time for us to be thankful.

We haven’t had much opportunity to sing praises - to be joyful. Since March the news has been grim, and our options have been limited. We have gradually descended to the depths of complaining - finger-pointing - and an overall mood that would curdle fresh milk.

The world is not a happy place these days, and even the most optimistic among us has caught the bug. So I am declaring a three week ‘season of Thanksgiving.’

I have no authority to do this - there are no special cards you need to send - the liturgical colour is whatever your favourite colour is. But for the next three Sunday’s, we will have ample reason and opportunity as a collection of ‘Jesus’ people’ to give thanks.

It’s long past time.

The Christian church occasionally styles itself as a joyful gathering of thankful people - and often enough, that’s what we look like…at least for an hour on Sunday morning. We are quickly brought back down to earth by the sheer weight of events over which we seem to have no control. Economics, social problems, political squabbling and armed conflicts - each of these add a dull layer to our joyful selves. Add a global pandemic, and climate crisis and the light of life we find when we gather to worship seems easily extinguished.

It is not unlike the up and down experience that Matthew describes in his gospel. After a miraculous picnic, where 5000 + people are fed from nothing but scraps, Jesus sends his friends out across the lake…alone.

From the joy of that miraculous moment, they are gradually - certainly - inevitably plunged into a wild night-time storm on open water; all joy, forgotten.

What did it take to put them back on top of the world? Jesus - walking across the water. Not without fear – not without doubt – but eventually, they are able to praise again.

They needed the reminder that there is never a situation that Jesus is not with them. (spoiler alert - this will be especially helpful following the resurrection/ascension)

They needed this shocking reminder that the midst of the storm is also the domain of God’s calming, compassionate presence. They didn’t learn that perfectly the first time. Peter asks for proof, accepts Jesus invitation, and still sinks up to his neck. A sure sign that it’s not just the sight of Jesus standing next to him that brings salvation - it is the belief - the trust - the ‘sure and certain knowledge’ of the love of God made known in Jesus - that brings peace, offers comfort, and indeed saves us from the storm.

So our thankfulness is an outward sign of that internal feeling of hope. Our joy may not immediately calm the wind and still the waves, but that joy can soothe our battered souls. And since joy is often contagious, maybe a little levity - a little thankfulness - maybe these small acts of gratitude can change the world a little bit at a time.

So here we are - worshipping but not exactly as we remember it. Listening to our hymns - missing our conversations over coffee - happy to be here, but searching for ways to be truly thankful. What say you: can you find something beyond these walls to be grateful for? Can you elevate your appreciation - lift it above the news  and the situations that threaten to drag you to the bottom of the lake. Can we, as disciples of Jesus, see for ourselves the signs of Go in this good world, and thus help others to find their way to the surface again?