November 24, 2002

Christ The King Sunday

Thanksgiving Sunday

"The Indescribable Gift"

(Luke 17:11-19, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

[6] The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

[7] Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

[8] And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.

[9] As it is written,
"He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."

[10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

[11] You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us;

[12] for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.

[13] Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others,

[14] while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you.

[15] Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, I want to start with a poem, my wife Mary found and which I used at the Community Thanksgiving Service last year. The poem describes the experience of sitting at the little kid's table and the longing we had for the big people table. The title of the poem is "Good-bye, Pumpkin Pie!" and it was written by Howard D. Fencl.

"Good-bye, Pumpkin Pie!"

Year after year after year
I go crazy!
Every Thanksgiving
I sit with the babies!

It's the little kids' table;
The table for tots,
Where my mom makes me sit
If I like it or not.

The table for grown-ups
Is fit for a king,
With goblets
And giblets
And gold napkin rings,

And bread rolls and salad
And dressing with drippings,
One glass just for drinking,
And one just for sipping!

But here all the kids
Drink from Styrofoam cups,
We eat small turkey bits
That our moms have cut up.

Our plates are red plastic
And so are the spoons,
And we eat by ourselves
In a small dining room.

I have dozens of cousins
Age one and age two
Whose Thanksgiving feast
Is a greenish-brown goo.

They slop up their faces
With vegetable mashes
And after they drink
They all have
Milk mustaches.

They urp,
And they burp,
And they belch
And they gulp;
Oh, why can't I sit
At the feast for adults?

All the mooshing
And mashing
And smooshing
And gnashing!
I put down my fork
And I thought about fasting!

I'd never eat turkey
Again in my life!
Never pick up a fork!
Never pick up a knife!

I'd fast like a mountain-top
Indian swami;
I wouldn't touch mustard
Or bread
Or salami!

"I'll never eat mushrooms
"Or green beans
"Or squid!
"And I NEVER will eat
"At the table for kids!"

"What's wrong?" asked my mom,
She was pouring some drinks;
"You haven't touched dinner…
"Not one single thing!"

She straightened the napkin
Tucked under my chin,
She gave me a hug
As she pushed my chair in,

She cut up my turkey bits
Two sizes smaller,
She held up my glass,
"Have a sip of some water!"

She dished up a spoon
Of potatoes and gravy;
My mom tried to feed me
Like I was a baby!

Well, my face turned as red
As the rhubarb pie filling!
I quick turned away,
And my cup went a-spilling!

BOOSH!
Water splashed on
Mom's face and her hair,
And it looked like some gravy
Was mixed up in there,

Because polka dots spotted
My mom's bright white dress!
Her Thanksgiving suit
Was a gravy-brown mess!

I should've said "Sorry!"
I should've said "Oops!"
I should've helped mom
Wipe the gravy-brown goop.

What happened instead
Is a mystery, my friends.
But there's one thing for sure- - -
I won't do it again!

I opened my mouth- - -
Do you know what I did?
I sassed my mom back
Like a spoiled snotty kid.

"I can use my own fork!
"I can use my own knife!
"And I don't want to sit
"At the table for tikes!"

"I can't stand all the gunk!
"I can't stand all the gak!
"I won't watch little Timothy
"Eating like that!"

"He's got yams in his hair,
"He's got yams North and South,
"And there's food everywhere
"But inside of his mouth!"

"Then there's Sarah and Icky
"And Jimmy and Franz
"Mixing peas in their milk!
"Eating with their bare hands!"

"This is NOT what the Pilgrims
"And Indians did,
"I DON'T WANT TO SIT HERE
"AT THE TABLE FOR KIDS!!"

Then mom said,
"I think your Thanksgiving's all through,
"And I think that it's time
"You go up to your room."

"In my ROOM?!" my brain thought,
This just couldn't be true!
In my ROOM?!
Why,
WHY,
WHY??
What on earth did I do??

My tummy got grumbly,
My feet both felt stumbly,
I wanted to shout,
But my mouth was all mumbly.

I walked past the turkey,
The dressing and trimmings,
My feast was now ending
Before its beginning.

"Good-bye, pumpkin pie!"
I said, as I walked by it,
"So long, green bean bake!"
Though I never would try it,

"Farewell, acorn squash,
"And potatoes au gratin!
"Ta-ta, apple tart
"With your whip-creamy topping!"

I sat all alone
On my bed feeling hungry.
It felt like I had
A stone knot in my tummy.

I could still hear
The forks and the knives and the spoons
Clacking and clinking
And scraping up food;

My sniffer sniffed smells
Drifting up from afar,
And on Thanksgiving Day
I was sure I would starve!

So I played with my toys
Then I sang a few numbers,
I stood on my head
To get rid of this hunger,

Then somersaults,
Push-ups,
I played tiddly-winks,
But Thanksgiving turkey
Was all I could think!

My belly growled out
Like a great grizzly bear,
And I knew,
Pretty soon,
I'd need something down there!

Anything,
ANYTHING!
Liver, or beets!
Even heaps of
Hungarian pickled pigs' feet!

"I'll eat wood like a termite!
"Or flies like a frog!
"I'll chew catnip like kitties!
"Or shoes like a dog!"

I was just about ready
To snack on my hat,
When I heard someone knocking,
RAT-TAT-A-TAT-TAT!

It was mom with a plate
Piled high with a feast,
And it didn't seem that she was mad
In the least.

She set up a TV tray
Right by my bed,
And she gave me a kiss
On the top of my head.

"You're growing up fast,"
She said, hiding a tear,
"Won't you join the adults
"For Thanksgiving next year?" (1)

I don't know about you but I sure was glad the year I got to graduate to the big people table. But you know something, I was even more thankful when, just like all of you, I accepted the invitation to sit at God's Table and became one of God's children. I found out just how much God loved me. I found out the lengths to which God went to make sure I knew how much God loved me. And I also found out how much it cost God to show me that love.

Every time I look at the cross, every time I look at and partake of the elements of The Lord's Supper, I'm reminded of that love and the sacrifice made for me. And I'm glad we've been invited to feast at God's Table, the banquet of His Salvation. It's there that we taste the true Bread of Life. And it's there at God's Table, that we find out what Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks are really all about.

Let's look at that together today as we look at the passage from Luke 17:11-19, NT p. 76 or 1284.

[11] On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.

[12] As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance,

[13] they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

[14] When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.

[15] Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.

[16] He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.

[17] Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?

[18] Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

[19] Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

[NRSV]

As we think about the 10 Lepers who were healed and the one who came back to give thanks, let's talk about OUR NEED, OUR GIFT AND OUR RESPONSE.

I. FIRST LET'S LOOK AT OUR NEED:

The Biblical witness is that because of the Fall, we're like the 10 Lepers. Leprosy made people outcasts. It separated them from their families and loved ones. It separated them from each other and from society. Scripture tells us that's what the fall did in our relationship with God.

That's what sin continues to do in our lives. It separates us from God and each other. It separates us from our friends and family and sometimes even from society. Sin is the great divider.

Walt was frustrated with the fading hearing of his aging wife. He couldn't understand why she refused to admit the fact and get a hearing aid. One day Walt tried to make his point as he sat across the room watching his wife work at her desk. In a soft tone, Walt said, "Honey, can you hear me now?"

Walt heard no response, so he stepped closer and asked again, "Did you hear me?"

Again there was no response. Walt stood right beside his wife and said louder, "Can you hear me now?" At that point his wife stood up and said, "For the third time, yes, I hear you!" (2)

Sometimes we're not even aware of what it is that divides us and separates us. Sometimes we think the problem is with everyone else, when it's really with us.

In Romans 3:23, the Apostle Paul tells us that we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". [NRSV]

Since we've all fallen, since we're all separated from God and each other, our greatest need is for reconciliation and forgiveness. And that brings us to our second point.

II. SECOND LET'S LOOK AT OUR GIFT:

No greater gift has ever been given than the gift you and I have received and acknowledged as our own. Through this gift, God has made us God's own. We are now son's and daughters of the Kingdom. Brothers and Sisters with Christ Jesus. Heirs of the Kingdom of God.

The gift we have been given is the greatest gift Humankind will ever experience. It came wrapped in the shadow of the cross and sealed in a tomb and left for dead. But this gift burst forth on Easter morning to give Hope and Joy and Life and Light to us and to the world.

The gift I'm talking about of course is the Gift of Jesus, God's only Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, willingly, voluntarily submitted his life to the cruelty of the cross. He suffered humiliation and shame, underwent brutality and a horrible death for our sake.

Jesus did it all so that we would know just how much God loves us. And the extent to which God would go to prove that love.

And just like a birthday or a Christmas present from a loved, we don't have to do anything other than accept the gift. There are no strings attached. It's just the opposite, it cuts all the strings that have kept us bound to the sinful way of life. This gift sets us free and offers new life.

And all we have to do is accept it.

III. AND FINALLY LET'S LOOK AT OUR RESPONSE:

This is Thanksgiving week. Thursday we will gather with our families and pause and give thanks for all the blessings of life; for friends, family, health you name it. Our response should be the same as the one former leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus for the miracle of being healed.

That's all God asks, that we be Thankful. Let's take a couple of minutes to do that. This may very well be our last Sunday to Worship together in this Sanctuary. There have been a lot of wonderful acts of praise and ministry that have taken place here. Think about those for a second. What is your favorite memory? What was the most significant thing to happen to you here? When did you feel the closest to God?

It's good to remember and be thankful. Thankfulness actually helps pull us along and pull us through the rough spots in life.

I ran across a story that illustrates what I'm talking about. Three men came to town. Each one carried two sacks; one tied to the front and the other on their back.

One man carried all the bad things that happened to him in the front sack. He carried the good things in the rear one. Obviously he spent most of his time viewing the bad things. And as a consequence of only viewing the bad things that had happened to him, he didn't make much progress in life.

The second man kept the good things of life in the front but accumulated his mistakes and errors and load them in the sack on his back. The sack on his back became heavy and burdensome. It not only slowed him down, it nearly crippled him. And for some unknown reason he couldn't or wouldn't put it down. This man made progress in his life but he could enjoy out. The weight on his back kept robbing him of his joy.

The third man kept all his blessings and all the positive events of his life in the front sack. Unlike the other men, the second sack, the one he was carrying on his back, had a hole in the bottom. He put all the bad experiences of life in that sack. He put all the mistakes and errors of life in that sack. Anything negative in his life went into that sack. But it wasn't long before the things he had placed in the sack, fell out. As a result, he carried no weight on his back. And the sack of blessings pulled him forward in life. (3)

What are you carrying in your sacks? And where are you carrying them? Don't let yourself get weighed down by all the negatives. Keep the love and forgiveness of God in front of you at all times. Keep the blessings of life in front of you at all times through thanksgiving.

CONCLUSION:

As you gather with your family and friends for Thanksgiving, just remember to keep those blessings in front of you. It doesn't really matter what table you sit at during the holidays, as long as you've taken time to sit and the Lord's Table of Grace and Redemption. Remember God's Gift. And Give Thanks To God. Let the blessings of life pull you through.

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

______________________________

Bibliography

2. Daily Uplink, November 2, 2002

3. (H. Norman Wright The Perfect Catch), Daily Uplink, November 17, 2002

Other References Consulted

www.SermonMall.com

www.deaconsil.com

www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermon.html (Richard Fairchild Lectionary Resources)

Homiletics, (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)

Lectionary Homiletics, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)

Dynamic Preaching, (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN)

The Clergy Journal, (Logos Productions, Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN)

Preaching Magazine (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN)

Circuit Rider, (The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN)

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The New Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1995)

Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 2002) SermonPrep Version.

Preaching the Miracles, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1998) SermonPrep Version.

Preaching the Parables, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1997) SermonPrep Version.