July 29, 2021
July 29, 2021
Have you ever noticed that before he performs a miracle or other act of healing Jesus often thanks God? Before feeding the 5000, before raising Lazarus from the dead, when about to proclaim God’s Good News to the crowd in the Sermon on the Mount, and when breaking the bread and blessing the cup that will provide sustenance to his disciples after his crucifixion, Jesus thanks God for the blessing God is about to do through him. He doesn’t wait until after God has acted the way he wants God to act; he doesn’t thank God for what he has done, he thanks him for what he knows God is going to do before God has even done it.
We are taught from the earliest age to say thank you. As a child I was not allowed to leave a party or social event without saying, “Thank you for having me.” My year-old grandson can say “thank you” in baby sign language, and will use it without prompting when asking for more food, water, or milk, or my cell phone or the TV remote or whatever he wants, some of which he gets (food, water, milk) and some he doesn’t (cell phone, TV remote). It is social custom, and studies have shown that practicing gratitude makes us happier. The problems arise when we don’t mean it or say it as a platitude, or even as a way of coercing the person we thank into doing what we want. I read something a while ago that said one should never close an email with “thanks”, especially if you have asked for something in the email. Thanking someone for a request that has not been granted can be presumptuous and even somewhat passive-aggressive – it assumes our request will be granted and can come across as manipulative and coercive, sort of insisting they do it and leaving them little room to refuse.
None of which apply to Jesus.
I imagine, that had the outcome been different for Jesus his thanks would have stood, because Jesus wasn’t thanking God for granting specific requests but for God’s unwavering, unconditional, constant presence with us and for us, giving us what we need even before we ask for it, and even if we don’t realize it until much later.
Jesus is practicing an abundant mindset as opposed to a scarcity mindset. Too often in churches we get mired down with scarcity thinking – there isn’t enough… money, time, people to volunteer etc. We tend to focus on the need and not the outcome. We have a scarcity mindset and not an abundant mindset. An abundant mindset is not the result of having a lot and some to spare, it is understanding that God provides what we need when we need it with enough to share. And so I have decide that instead of worrying that we don’t have enough volunteers to help out on Sunday mornings, or worry about how everything will get done, or worry about whether we can remain financially sustainable next year or the year after or the year after that, I am going to be thankful for the people who do show up every Sunday to help out at worship, the greeters and ushers, the musicians, the readers, the lay ministers, altar guild, and hospitality. I am going to be thankful for what does get done and the people who show up to do it – the Bishop’s Committee, and Mission Possible, and the facilities committee, and the ECW. And over the next few weeks I am going to invite them to share why they are thankful to serve in this capacity, and maybe that will encourage others to join them and receive the same blessings, rather than coerce people into serving reluctantly, and if it doesn’t I am going to thank God anyway for providing what we need when we need it. I am going to give thanks that the PPP loan we applied for and were granted has been forgiven, which means that this year we will end the year with a balanced budget, and maybe even a surplus. I am going to give thanks for the generous outcome of last year’s stewardship celebration and for those of you who continue to pledge and increased your pledge, and for the eight new pledges we received. All of these are signs of abundance – of God providing what we need when we need it, with some to spare. And I am still going to end my emails with “thanks,” because I and Saint Anna’s have much to be grateful for.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Jane