Let’s Be Thankful

FUMC Fort Dodge

November 25, 2008

Mark Haverland

Luke 23: 33 And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, 37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" 38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." 42 And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Today is Christ the King Sunday, when we reflect on the way Jesus redefined the word “King.” He hangs on the cross in obvious defeat at the forces of the world and the sign proclaims that he is “King of the Jews.” People mock him. Even one who hangs on a cross next to him engages in ghoulish sarcasm asking why the Christ can not even save himself.

A second thief merely accepts the justice brought to him by the Roman authorities. By accepting his guilt and asking forgiveness, he receives the blessing of Jesus and the assurance that paradise awaits. Now there is something to be thankful for.

We have much more to be thankful for than that guy - at least in the short run. We have just spent the last few days thinking about our many blessings. If your Thanksgiving was like mine, it was full of family, friends and memories of good times and places. And so I’d like to suggest that we bring to God some of those things for which we are thankful. And I suggest we do so in an alphabetical manner. An Alphabet Thanksgiving takes us through the alphabet to find those things which start with each letter of the alphabet and for which we are very thankful. This will stretch us to think about a far greater variety of our blessings than usually come to mind. Here’s my alphabetical Thanksgiving. Listen to my list but as you do, construct your own alphabetical Thanksgiving as well.

A. Ambiguity, ambiance, athletes, autumn...

I am really thankful for ambiguity. I don’t mind that life doesn’t always offer clear and concise answers to all the things that bother us. I like a challenge. I like to wrestle with questions. I like the fact that often life provides answers when we weren’t asking questions and poses questions when we think we have all the answers. This makes of life a grand adventure where we are never quite sure what will happen next. Indeed, we are often not even sure what just happened.

B. Baseball, bakeries, books...

I am thankful for backpacking. I love the solitary beauty of the mountains. I love the physical exertion that threatens to completely wear us out. I like being so worn out I can do little but lie back and wait for tired and sore muscles to restore themselves. I love the fact that only a few of us hearty souls can and will go to the effort to see a part of God’s creation that is truly stunning. I love to catch trout in clear and cold mountain streams and lakes.

C. Cakes, cookies, Christmas, Christ, Carols, children, cowboys, cows...

I’m thankful that God choose to come into the world as a child, actually a baby. It was a good choice: My Aunt Esther once said to me that we can’t help loving babies. Have you seen the advertisement for some retirement program? “You are supposed to enter the world bald and naked, not leave it that way.” Well, God entered the world just as we did: bald and naked. In other words, God entered our world with the same helplessness and need that we enter the world. This always gives me hope when I struggle with my own dependence on the kindness of others to get me through the day. I know that God knows first hand how fragile life is for us and how helpless we can sometimes be. How cool is that?

D. Dogs, digestion, daughters, dragonfly,

I am very thankful for my daughter. The father-daughter relationship is special in many ways. Faith helps her more with boyfriends and shopping, so there is some sharing that Faith and Kate do about the mysterious ways of women that excludes me. I have learned that it is not necessary to understand women, either wives or daughters. It is enough just to love them and be loved by them.

E. Elephants, eagles, elevators, escalators,

I’m thankful for eagles. I once steered a canoe in a small circle so a friend in the bow could follow the flight of an eagle soaring across our bow. My friend was extremely grateful to get such a glorious view of a truly majestic animal. We once had an eagle land in the water just twenty yards from our canoe, apparently trying to divert our attention from his nest. He was very successful as it turns out but we did not mind for it is as close as I have come to a bird which inspires us as few others. We occasionally toss a fish into the lake while fishing some remote Canada lake to watch an eagle swoop down and take it from the water a few feet from our boat. It’s an amazing thrill. God was really on a roll when he created a bird with such regal bearing.

F. Football, frankfurters, food, friends, fun,

I’m thankful for my friends. Like most people, I suppose, I have just a few very close friends. These are the people I can really talk to, or be with and not say anything at all. In my case, they are people whose opinions and ideas which inspire and amaze me. I love my friends. They make my life rich and full.

G. God, gifts, grace, goodness,

I’m thankful for God. I suppose this is no surprise. It’s my job to be thankful for God. But I know that if God did not exist, we would have to invent him. I at least cannot live without the notion that a spirit greater than me lives within me and within you, making of us far more than we have any reason to expect. God means many things to different people, and this is okay. It’s like the blind men touching an elephant. Each thinks the elephant is like the part he touches. Each of us experiences the God we need and so God becomes slightly different for each of us. I like the fact that God can be different for each of us and yet more than any of us can possibly imagine.

H. Helpfulness, Halloween, hands, husbands,

I am thankful for husbands, even if I have to say it myself. I am really happy to be a husband. I think the world is a much better place when husbands know how to love their wives and families. Husbands get a bad rap because many of us don’t take seriously the difficulty and responsibility of being married. But many do, and the world is better for it.

I. Indians, intelligence, Iowa

I’m thankful for Iowa. It’s a state of wonderful people. It’s my adopted home and feels very much like home to me. I could live in many different places and be happy. Iowa, however, is where I live and it has offered me many wonderful opportunities.

J. Jesus, justice, jump ropes, jalopies,

I’m thankful that Jesus came to point the way to God. Jesus offers us a glimpse of what God would do if faced with life as we know it. I heard Bill Moyers define a fanatic as someone who does what he thinks God would do if God was in possession of the facts. Well, Jesus is the only one who ever did exactly what God would have done because Jesus and God were in complete possession of the facts. Our job is to be like that.

K. Knowledge, kites, kittens, kisses

I am thankful for knowledge. I wish I had more of it. The older I grow the more I value its importance. The older I grow, the more I have of it, but at the same time the more I know I will never have. If I could have one wish, I think it would be to be wise. This goal always recedes at the same speed as my approach. But I am thankful for the knowledge I have, and even more thankful for the knowledge of others wiser than me.

L. Love, light, liberty, life

This is such a rich letter. I am thankful for lots of “l”s. Life and liberty have to be at the top of our lists. Love is no slouch either. I’m thankful that God gave us the letter l.

M. Mothers, men, marriage, movies, mountains, music

M is pretty rich, too. I’m most thankful for my marriage. My marriage is where I get my most joy. I’m so amazed and grateful and lucky to be married to Faith. Our relationship gets better every day.

N. Nuts, notions, nickels, nice, nutrition, numerals, nucleus, nimble, nuance

I’m thankful when people are nice to each other. I make married couples promise to be nice to each other, in addition to the sickness and health business. “Nice” is a very maligned characteristics. But there are few better compliments that to say someone or something was very nice.

O. Onions, oranges, optimism,

I’m thankful for optimism. Optimism means that you have hope. My dad was the most optimistic person I ever knew. He took many risks in his life because he was so optimistic. Optimism frees us to take risks, to dare, to try the new and unfamiliar, because we are optimistic about the outcomes. Optimism gets us in trouble from time to time when things don’t turn out as we expected. But usually, optimism leads us to new experiences which the pessimist never knows.

P. People, poetry, pleasure, pioneers, peace, patience

I’m thankful for patience. I’m learning all the time to have more patience. It is such a good thing to have. All good things seem to come to those who know best how to wait. I get into trouble when I try to hurry, when I want to pick the fruit before it’s ripe. I’ve seldom had trouble because of too much patience. Those who know the art of waiting patiently are wise indeed.

Q. Quiet, questions, quality, quota, quintessence

I’m thankful for quiet. I like the wilderness of Canada and the West because it is so quiet. No traffic noise, no radio or TV, no voices. It’s wonderful to sit in the quiet of the wilderness and contemplate the beauty of God’s creation – I’m never more patient than when I’m in the Wild. The marvel is that quiet does not mean silence. No matter how absent are the noises human create with their machines, toys, and voices, there is always some sound from the wind, the birds, the animals, the streams. Quiet doesn’t mean no sound. It just means only natural sounds. I like that.

R. Religion, running, refunds, regard, repose, rescue, rivers,

I’m grateful for rivers. When I was a boy scout, I learned that you should follow a river when lost. Going downstream always takes you to some civilization. People live on rivers. They travel on rivers. They eat the fish from rivers and drink the water. Rivers are like the veins of a body. They carry the vital nutrients from place to place. No doubt the ease of travel on water inspired us to be a wandering people, frequently on the move in body and spirit.

S. Sleep, speech, song, school, seas, simple, space, stars, sweets

I’m thankful for space. Not outer space, although that is pretty good in itself. I mean the space we call our own. Each of us has a room, a workshop, a favorite chair, a trail in the woods, a nook in the library. It’s a wonderful thing to have a space which is very special and personal and private.

T. Time, telescopes, team, talk, thought, tool

I’m grateful for time. We need time to grow. We need time to ourselves. We need time to finish any task worth doing. Time passes, thank goodness, so that we can move on to something new. Time is running out on some of us, but still time makes all things precious.

U. Uniforms, Unity,

I’m thankful for the preface “un”. Whenever we have something that doesn’t work out, we can often just add the preface “un” and be done with it. Something happening you don’t like, it’s unwelcome. Don’t want to hear something, leave it unheard. Don’t want to share something: leave it unspoken. Don’t want to pay the price, leave it unpaid. Don’t like the complexity of something, unravel it.

V. Victory, vision, view, vowel, voyage, volunteer

I like volunteers. Our country is made great by the way people will give their time and talents to their communities, their church, or their friends. I sometimes volunteer some of my time at Christmas to ring bells for the Salvation Army. My four hours of time will generate some money that will help poor and hungry and homeless people cope. The value volunteers contribute to our community by giving away talents and time is enormous. We could not afford the country we live in if we had to pay for it with our money. It has to be created by volunteers.

W. Women, wives, wealth, welcomes, water, wind, wishes, words, writing

I am thankful for writing. I am an avid reader. I gain enormous enjoyment reading about new ideas, new places, and new adventures. I love to learn. I will read anything that is at hand. If I eat breakfast alone, I’ll read the back of the cereal box. It’s possible to visit and see and learn about so many things by reading the writing of someone else. I don’t have time to do everything I’d like to do, nor the money, but I can read about them, which is sometimes almost as good. I’ve read books recently about the circus, about oak trees, about the Ojidway Indians near Sioux Lookout, about E=MC Squared, about pioneers in British Columbia. Reading is the best way to learn, period.

X. xrays, “X” (marks the spot), XEROX

I’m thankful for XEROX copies. What a wonderful thing to be able to create copies of something you want to share with someone else.

Y. Yellow, yes, young, yards, yeast,

I’m thankful for the word “yes.” It’s a word which we use too little it seems to me. I sometimes think we should start every response with a “yes.” Affirm the other person right off. But what I like most about the word yes is that it signals a willingness to be helpful. I am forever asking people to do things. Help with worship. Be a Sunday School teacher. Serve on a committee. Give some money for a worthy cause. I’m so happy when people say yes. It brightens my day and restores my confidence inhumanity.

Z. Zenith, zebra, zither, zipper, zest, zilch, zinnia, zipcode

There are lots of good words that start with “z.” I think I am thankful for zippers. They are so handy. Buttons always come off eventually. Zippers keep the cold wind out with a simple zip.

O God, we thank you for all the myriad ways in which you make us thankful to be alive, to have friends and families, and to be children of a loving God. And now as a forgiven and reconciled people, let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God. Amen

Lord, hear our prayers for …. And lead us now in our time of worship that we might learn to live as you would have us live. Teach us so that your ways become our ways, that your thoughts take over our minds and that your love possesses our hearts. Make us aware of the blessings we enjoy and thankful for the ways your world provides for us. Keep us strong to resist the evil forces which pull us away from your word yet gentle enough to cradle the small and fragile in our hands. Make us bold to be your disciples yet humble in our struggle to know your will. Lord, place Jesus at the center of our lives and let us radiate his light to all the world. Amen.

Sovereign God, receive, bless, and use these gifts toward the day of peace and justice for which we work and pray. Amen.