Bible Text: Matthew 6:25-34 | Preacher: Pastor Dorry Newcomer | Series: It’s A Wonder-full Life | Have you discovered Christmas music playing on the radio yet this year?  As I scanned stations on my radio while driving this week, I heard quite a few Christmas songs, and I have even seen houses with Christmas lights up!  Believe it or not, one month from today is Christmas Eve.  That’s a wow!

There’s a lot of debate about how early is too early to start getting ready for Christmas.  It was no surprise to me when, on November 1st, the day after Halloween, Christmas was on full display in the stores. But I have to tell you, I saw my first Christmas decorations even earlier than that this year.  On October 18th, I was driving upstate to see my mom.  She lives in a little town called Sayre, which is about a half an hour north from the little town of Towanda where I grew up.  In between Towanda and Sayre is Ulster, and even smaller town.  Growing up, my sister and I always got a kick out of Ulster, because in their town square they have a totem pole.  They even have signs that say, “Ulster, Village of the Totem Pole.”  Besides the totem pole, Ulster is home to the local animal shelter, and it used to be home to Ray Maxim’s barber shop—which was not in great repair and leaned a little on the north side and has since fallen down completely.

My dad loved going to that barber shop, even though we swore sometimes his haircuts looked a little slanted, and maybe it was because Ulster has an eccentricity about it that borders on charming.  It’s a fine line, though, between charming and crazy, and in mid-October as I was driving through, I decided they had gone over the edge.  I couldn’t believe they had decorated the town square with the totem pole with those big inflatable decorations for Halloween—but they also already put up decorations for Christmas!  I know Christmas seems to start the day after Halloween, but even before Halloween?  As I drove further through town, I saw people had both Halloween and Christmas decorations in their own yards, too!  I was by myself in the car, but I said out loud, “Come on people!”

When I got to my mom’s house, I said something to her about the decorations in Ulster.  I was fully expecting my mom, who has never leaned toward the charming side in her opinion of Ulster, to make a snide remark about Ulster.  Instead she said, “Isn’t it nice?  There is a little girl in town with brain cancer, and everyone is decorating for the holidays to her to cheer her up.”  Jeez o man.  It was as if someone threw a switch inside of me, and I instantly went from annoyed to, well for lack of a better word, ashamed.  I was immediately aware of all I take for granted.  I began to pray without even realizing I was praying.  Lord forgive me for being so judgmental; obviously I didn’t have the whole story, but even if I did, what’s wrong with decorating early? Lord, how terrifying for the parents.  How horrible for the little girl.  I have no idea what it feels like to be in their shoes.  Bless them.  And Lord, thank you for the love being shown in Ulster.  The little village of Ulster cares.  It doesn’t just have a totem pole.  It has a heart.  Thank you for these neighbors.  Bless them in their efforts to support this family.  As I prayer, I felt something gently warming and brightening in my soul, and I realized, this is gratitude!

Have you ever had an experience like that, where you were moved from a dark emotion like annoyed or angry or frustrated—to instantaneous gratitude? This week I read an article by Methodist theologian Len Sweet, who said that “To be thankful, truly thankful for life is a transfiguration moment, a life-changing event. Thankfulness turns a willful life into a wonderful life.” That was my experience back in October.  When I found out why Ulster was already decorated for Christmas, it was a transfiguration moment.  I felt something shift inside of me, a shift from my will—from wanting the world to be the way I want it to be—to a grateful acceptance of things the way they are.

Thankfulness turns a willful life into a wonderful life.  We have been talking a lot about stewardship this month, and in case I didn’t do a good job of communicating the main point, gratitude and generosity are the keys to a wonderful life!  When we experience God’s goodness, we feel gratitude, and that gratitude prompts generosity.  Generosity opens something up in us, and we receive more of the wonderful life!  Goodness, gratitude, generosity, wonder.  What a remarkable way to go through life.

After all, isn’t that what Jesus is all about—giving us a way to go through life?  I am the way, the truth, and the life he told his disciples.  This week we will celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and I know you will all make a special effort to give thanks to God on that day.  But is one day of Thanksgiving enough?  Maybe what Jesus really wants from us is Thanks-Living!

Thanks-Living is much different from Thanks-giving.  In our culture, we mostly give thanks for our prosperity, and we crown our celebration of thanksgiving with Black Friday—a day of shopping!  Thanks-giving in our society is really about worshipping ourselves and our material wealth.  But Thanks-living is about worshipping our Creator, and appreciating the provisions of earth and sky, sun and rain, planting and harvest—as well as grace and mercy, peace and justice, hope and joy.  These and many more are all God’s gifts to us.

In our gospel lesson today, Jesus was addressing a crowd for whom daily life was a struggle.  As we have talked about this month, those who first heard Jesus teach had no social security, no paid sick leave, no pension plan, no minimum wage.  They had good reason to be worried much of the time.  But Jesus tells them, worrying won’t help.  It won’t add a single hour to your life or a single dollar to your bank account.  What will help?  Trusting in God.

At its best, the holiday of Thanksgiving is about setting aside a special time to give thanks to God for all God has provided.  Thanks-Living is about trusting God to always provide!  Gratitude and generosity are only possible when we trust in God.  Thanks-Living provides us with a way that names the truth and leads to life.

C.K. Chesterson said, “Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”  Happiness doubled by wonder.  On Wednesday my sister Marlene called to say she took our mom to the doctor and they decided to admit her to the hospital.  I drove up to Sayre Thursday morning, and got back yesterday afternoon around 5.  I had planned to help in the breading room starting at 1 pm, and then be on hand for the evening at the Oyster Supper, but I wasn’t going to be able to do that.  I came home very tired, and not fully prepared for today, and not sure what I will be facing in the days ahead.

So I came over here to church, just to say hello and make my excuses for not being able to help more, and do you know what happened?  People told me they’d been praying for my mom. They gave me hugs. They affirmed how wearying it is to be caring for parents who are far away.  The empathized with my mom’s situation as she waits for more tests and test results.  No one was mad that I wasn’t taking my shift in the breading room.  No one looked at me like I’m not a team player for not helping as a greeter.  Everyone was kind and caring.  And do you know what?  I felt gratitude.  I felt a sense of wonder and peace I haven’t felt in some time.

It was if Jesus was saying to me, “Dorry, why do you worry about your mom?  I love her more than you do!  Dorry, why do you worry about what she will eat, and where she will live, and how she will cope?  Worry will not add a single hour to your life or to hers.  Dorry, seek first my kingdom.  And everything that you need will be taken care of.”

It was a transfiguration moment.  I could feel myself relax, and loosen the grip I had on my will for my mom’s situation.  My willful life became, in those moments last night, again a wonderful life.  I came over to church expecting to encounter a beehive of oyster supper activity.  Instead I walked right into the Kingdom of God.

So thank you.  Thank you for being Lima United Methodist Church, and for doing so many wonderful things!  From working together on the Oyster Supper, caring for each other and for your pastors, reaching out to help in our community, I see you being open to how God is trying to form us and transform us.  That is such a deep joy.  Because change is never easy!  We often wish things could to stay the same, we know that isn’t God’s design for life.  God designed us to change!  God designed us for transformation and formation, so we can be the body of Christ and reveal his glory.

This week you will receive a December newsletter, and I wrote a little about the change we anticipate happening in our denomination.  I know it’s a time of worry for many churches.  But can you hear Jesus saying, “Do you worry about what you will eat and what you will wear and what will happen to your denomination!  Your Father in heaven knows all of your needs.  Look how the lilies of the field are so beautifully dressed!  Look how the birds of the air are so creatively housed.  If God provides for the birds and the flowers, certainly You can trust your Father in heaven to provide all that you need.”

The truth is, God is always working for our good, and we can trust God to bring to completion the good work begun in us.  God is gracious!  Perhaps that is why we call it “saying grace” when we pray before meals. I don’t know why we don’t just call it “giving thanks”.  Maybe because giving thanks makes the prayer about us and our efforts.  But “saying grace” makes the prayer about God and all God does for us.  There’s a strong connection between thanksgiving and grace, so strong that I thought about celebrating communion at all of our worship services today.  Did you know the word “eucharist”, which is our most formal word for communion, actually means thanksgiving?  Pastor Karen has planned communion for Wednesday night in our Thanksgiving eve service.  Before we feast on turkey with our families on Thursday, we will share in Christ’s feast on Wednesday night.  Jesus came to offer us the way of thanks-living, where we can trust in God’s provision for today and for always.  I can’t think of a more wonderful reason—or way–to be thankful than to trust in God!

Gratitude can transform our willful life into a wonderful life.  In her book, “Grateful”, Diana Butler Bass wrote, “Gratitude is not a magic fix, but it just might be the bright star directing us to a new and better place.”  I think that new and better place is joy.  Next week is the start of a new liturgical year, and for Advent this year, we are going to focus on joy.  This year marks the 300th anniversary of the writing of the hymn, “Joy to the World”.  We will see how joy, hope, peace and love are all connected as we anticipate the birth of God’s gift of love to the world, Jesus.  But for today, instead of looking forward to what is yet to come, let us stop to give thanks for what is. Not because everything is perfect.  But because God is with us in it.  Let gratitude transform your willful life into a wonderful life!  Amen.

Let’s close by saying grace.  I found a new one this week that I’d like to share with you:  There once was a cock and a hen, who gave lunch to a goose in a pen.  “Good Lord,” said the goose, “bless this food for our use, and us to thy service, Amen.”