The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(Matthew 6:25-33)
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Ask a child what Christmas is for, and they will tell you, “For presents!”
Ask a child what Easter is for and they will tell you, “For chocolate eggs and bunnies.”
Ask an adult what Thanksgiving is for and they will tell you it is for turkey – or more exactly, to feast and spend time with family.
Not many will say that Thanksgiving is to remind us to give thanks to our God.
Those first immigrants, the people who began the tradition, knelt on the ground and gave thanks to God for a safe landing, and for the food they found provided for them in their new land.
We may too, say ‘Thanks,’ at Thanksgiving – we might say ‘Thank you,’ to someone who passes the stuffing, but I don’t think we take the time to actually thank God for everything he has provided us throughout the year.
And I am not talking about saying Grace. And not for one day alone. I am talking about being thankful for everything in life.
In case you think what you have wasn’t given by God, consider how you got here. Were you born here? Then you are lucky your parents weren’t living in some place like Angola, or East Timor. You had nothing to do with the place you landed in.
Or did you arrive, as I did, with the huddled masses? As they say. Then you are lucky that you came from a place that was an approved place of origin.
I came and was treated very differently from those people who are trying to get here from the Middle East, or any other out of favor place. And did I do anything to merit that treatment? Not a thing. I was white and reasonably healthy, and reasonably employable. But I had done nothing outstanding- nothing to earn that privilege.
But we are all doing alright, aren’t we? Thank you very much.
We just buckled down and got an education and a job and did it all ourselves.
I remember the hours I worked during the day and the hours I studied at night. I worked hard for what I received.
I remember sending off dozens of resumes, and getting a job, and working my way up in the company. I was quite creative and full of good ideas on how to increase net profit. I was rewarded for that.
I worked hard for what I had. I did it myself.
“When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and your silver and gold has multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God. Do not say to yourself, ‘ My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me wealth’ but remember the Lord your God. “
We remember Him when we are down. When we have nothing. When we are in danger.
Quick to remember, and quicker still to forget.
A platoon of soldiers was making its way across a field in newly liberated, but still dangerous territory. Since they hadn’t seen the enemy for a long time, they were getting a bit careless. They weren’t being cautious. They were talking loudly, laughing, smoking, sauntering along, relaxed, when suddenly, shots rang out.
In the middle of that field, they were in an exposed position, with no natural defenses. All they could do was to throw themselves down and hug the ground.
This they did. In fact they almost burrowed into the ground, so scared were they.
When your face is in the dirt and bullets are whizzing all around, and above you, you have no idea what is happening. All you can do is lie there.
And pray.
Each man prayed, as fighting men pray, “Oh God what has happened.” Or “God, get us out of this.” Or “Holy Mother of God, save me.”
And so on.
The barrage of gunfire became more fierce, and each man prayed even more fervently for God’s help.
“For Pete’s sake God, where are you God ?” Some dragged out prayers they hadn’t remembered since childhood, “Gentle Jesus meek and mild, pity me a little child………..” “Oh God, I want to see my kids again. Help me!”
And it seemed like an eternity. An eternity of hell.
The radio man was almost gibbering into the radio for help from HQ.
Then they became aware of a louder noise over the sound of gunfire. Helicopter gunships had arrived, and those machines of destruction roared over them and rained down a storm of fire upon the hidden enemy, those who had pinned down the platoon, killing some and driving off others. Soon, the helicopters had done their deadly work and sped off.
Silence reigned.
Somewhere a bird resumed its call. The everyday noises of the countryside were heard.
One by one, the men raised themselves cautiously from the ground, ready to dive down into the earth again. But there was no gunfire. They then began checking themselves for wounds. Then they looked to see who, if anyone, had been hurt.
Miraculously, no-one had been hit.
At a shouted command from the platoon sergeant, the men gathered up their equipment and began to move off.
All but one man.
They looked back, and saw this man kneeling, his eyes shut, his hands clasped together. his lips moving in prayer.
“Thank you Father, for delivering us this day,” he was saying.” Thank you Father for saving us.”
The others laughed, winked at each other and walked on.
Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? And the other nine, where are they? Was none found to return and give praise to God?”
Then he said to him, “ Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
The soldier stood up, crossed himself, and followed his friends.
This Thanksgiving Day, when you look around your house, at the things God has given to make you comfortable, and you see your children, and their children, and you smell the turkey roasting in the oven, and you sit down and eat your fill:
Please ask yourself two things.
One, “ Have I really acknowledged the way that God my Father has loved and provided for me and for mine?”
And, “ Have I really given back to God in the proportion he has blessed me?”
And then eat and be merry, confident in the knowledge that your Father in Heaven has given you much and asks only in return that you give, as He has given you.
“For God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in his good work.
“The one who gives sparingly will also receive sparingly. The one who gives bountifully, will also receive bountifully.”
Amen.