Homily for
The Eve of Thanksgiving Day
Wednesday 23 November 2016
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
A Parish of the Diocese of Bethlehem and The Episcopal Church
Readings:
I love this Epistle
reading from Philippians. It is a
beautiful passage. Whenever I hear or
read these words, immediately my heart and mind go to the catchy little tune:
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”
This reading from
Philippians has much to say for us as we gather on the Eve of Thanksgiving
Day. How we need to hear this message in
the context of this secular holiday which we who are the Church of Jesus Christ
seek to reframe with a Christian voice.
Even in secular circles,
we are reminded on this day that our focus ought to be on the giving of
thanks. Things get a bit fuzzy for us as
Christians living in the secular world when the question is raised, “But to whom
are we giving thanks?” The secular answer
is of course “to each other.” I do not
wish to discredit the significance of this response. But tonight as we gather again for
Thanksgiving, keeping in mind that each Eucharist in which we participate is
Thanksgiving, I want to flip the coin as it were and show another side. As Christians, first and foremost, we give
thanks to God for divine mercy, grace, and blessing.
Giving thanks to God for
these gifts in turn causes us only to be a people of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving that is fixed on the awareness
of the presence of God also causes us to become a people of joy who rejoice in
each and every moment in which we are aware of the near presence of God who
chooses to be deeply invested in us and present in our lives at all times and
places.
At times this may seem a
little difficult even for us who are Christians. I say that because the temptation of our
human nature is to say that thanks and joy are one and the same, and that both require
us to be happy always. My friends, let
me remind you that joy and happiness are not one emotion. One can rejoice even when one is not
overflowing with joy and gladness. In
fact I would say that it is even more important for us to rejoice when it is
difficult to show forth gladness than when our happiness is undeniable. For when we are a people focused on joy, we
are the most fully aware that we are not a people alienated, but rather a
people blessed with the presence of a God who is our strength when we are weak,
our help when we feel vulnerable, who carries us when we cannot walk, whose
hands hold us close in good times and in bad.
We rejoice always then
because we know that God is always at our side as the one who is ever our near
and present help. It is for this reason
then that Paul writes not merely to the Philippians but to us also that
invitation: “By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God.” And though the
apostle does not use the word rejoice at this point in the reading, I think it
is abundantly clear by the way that his words begin in this reading that he
also has in mind that we Christians in our thanksgiving that leads to prayer
should pray with joy, knowing that we have a God who is always bigger than
anything that can be thrown our way in life.
Remember this well, my
friends, for at this liturgy I want to be clear in saying that we are not
simply recalling the gifts of God that have already been realized and brought
to fruition. Whenever we gather,
including this night, at the Altar, our hearts carry with us all who are
burdened by needs that weigh them down which we place in the hands of God, whom
we believe has the ability and desire to meet these needs and taken away those
burdens.
The significance of this
approach to bringing the needs of the Church, the world, and all persons, known
to us and unknown, is that the focus of our hearts shifts away from the person
and the need to God. Once our focus is
shifted, then and only then can we hear the words that precede the words of
Paul which I quoted moments ago. First
and foremost the apostle tells us: “Do not worry about anything.”
This is a difficult task
for many of us, if not all of us. It
becomes easier once we are reminded that the God to whom we lift our hearts
knows our needs before we ask, and desires to pour out grace upon grace long
before the need for that grace has existed.
Recall the words of Jesus that fit so well with this approach. In the Gospel he invites the disciples to
consider the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, to see how lovingly
God cares for them and provides for them.
And once he has gotten the disciples attention on these things, he asks
the question: “If God so cares for all of them, will he not much more care for
you, his chosen people in whom he delights?”
The disciples knew the
answer to the question, as do we. The
answer is a resounding “Yes!” We have
received grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, blessing upon blessing, all rooted
in divine love. It is this awareness
that allows us to pause for a moment, not just on one day of the year, not only
whenever we are present at the Eucharist, but in every moment of every day,
giving thanks for what we have received and trusting that God is not finished
acting on our behalf. From those moments
where we are filled with thanksgiving, we truly are surprised by joy as if for
the first time all over again. And then,
and only then, can we embrace the invitation of Paul for each and every day:
“Rejoice in the Lord always!”
Father
Timothy
Alleman
