Grateful and Content! Philippians 4:6–20

 

Grace, mercy, and peace …

 

Today we’re going to talk about how good it is to be grateful, an appropriate topic for Thanksgiving Day, with the added bonus or blessing of contentment, which comes from being grateful.

 

About being grateful, in our Gospel Reading, ten men were healed, but only one showed his gratitude. Our Gospel says that he, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him -- and he was a Samaritan.

 

Jesus told him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”  While all ten had the gift of a healed body, the one had the gift of a healed heart, because he believed.

 

It was faith that took him back to Jesus. At the feet of Jesus he could only say “thank you”. So at the altar of Jesus we can only say “thank you” to the One who gives us everything we have, in body and soul, now and forever.

 

Concerning gratitude in our Old Testament, God promised His people that after years of wandering and nearly starving in the desert, He was about to bring them into a land rich with resources, where you will lack nothing.  When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

 

Today, we praise God for this land of plenty that He’s given us to live in.

 

Concerning contentment, Paul says in our Epistle, I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

 

There was a survey done some years ago about what it takes to live the American Dream. And it’s interesting that most people said they needed to double their income to live out their dreams.

 

In contrast, Paul says in verse 12, I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
 

And then he shares that secret in verse 13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 

In Philippians 1:21 he says, For me, to live is Christ.

 

In Christ, we learn how to live having less, and we learn how to live having more, both in a way that honors God.  

 

Learning to live with less can seem like a bigger adjustment than learning to live with more, but both have their challenges.

 

When we find ourselves having less in life than used to have, we have no choice but to make do with what we’ve got. We need to trust that somehow God will provide. As we trust more, we worry less, and things tend to work out better.

 

On the other hand, when we find ourselves having more, we have to decide what we’ll do with that abundance, and how it might change our lives.

 

Is it more just for me? Is it more just to make my life easier? Or is it more for a higher purpose? Is it also more to share, and more to serve with.

 

Having more isn’t wrong. Having more can be a blessing, and having more can be a curse. It’s what we make of it.

 

It’s not whether we will have more tomorrow than we have today, or less tomorrow than we have today, the goal is to honor God with all we have, whether it’s a lot or a little. That’s what counts.

 

The Apostle Paul learned how to live with more at times, and how to live with less at times, but at all times, to live in a way that honored God.

 

He says in our Epistle, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Live in this way.

 

Sometimes things happen, and we lose some of the things we used to have, but we don’t have to lose living our lives in a way that’s honorable, just and praiseworthy.

 

Jesus left the splendor and glory of heaven to come to earth as a carpenter’s son.

He gave up more than we can imagine, but kept what mattered most; His divinity, His godliness, His honor, His grace, all the virtues that he lived by, most of all, His love for His Father, and for the world.

 

On the cross, that love was all he had, but it was all He needed. He lived poor and died even poorer. But what he died and rose with, He has forever: His Divine power and glory, His unconditional love, His amazing grace, and His compassion for all His children.

 

With a view of the cross and the empty tomb, we see all that matters most; we see what we can never lose if we believe; and we see how much we always have to be thankful for.

 

One of our Easter hymns is, I Am Content, My Jesus Ever Lives.

 

Since He lives, in Him, I will live. And with my life set in Him, I can be content. I will always have reason to be grateful, to have a thankful, happy heart.

 

For He has given me all that I need to sustain this body and life, as we say in the meaning of the First Article. But even more than that, as we say in the Catechism, He’s given us forgiveness, life, and salvation.   

   

With what matters most in our life taken care of by Christ, we’re now better equipped to deal with both the blessings and challenges of life, the needs and surpluses.

 

We can see God working good for us and through us, in all kinds of circumstances. We can be a blessing unto others, whether we have a little or a lot.

 

So instead of waiting until you double your income or possessions before you can realize your dream, or be content, why not be a happy soul now?

 

Why delay the gift of contentment and a peaceful heart until you have more? Don’t you have what you need to be God’s happy child today?

 

Can we only be grateful, and have that happiness that goes with being grateful, if we have more than most? More income, more possessions, more luxuries, more friends, more status, more education, more talent, more whatever?

 

The secret God knows, and shares with us in our Epistle, is that we can be content in all situations, when we live by grace; when Christ is our contentment, rather than trying to find it in the things of the world. The peace that passes understanding comes by grace alone.

 

From the word grace comes grateful. And from gratefulness or gratitude comes contentment. 

 

Be grateful for God’s blessings, and you’ll find more contentment in your life. And that’s the kind of thing to have more to have.

 

Be grateful for the lawn that needs mowing, the floors that need cleaning, and the appliances that need fixing, because it means you have a home to live in. Some don’t; just a street or alley to live in.

 

If you go Black Friday shopping tomorrow, and you end up parking at the far end of the parking lot, be grateful, because it means you have a car to drive there and park.

 

If, after a Thanksgiving feast today, your clothes fit you a bit snugly, be grateful because it means you have food to eat, and clothes to wear.

 

Be grateful for the children who frustrate you, or the parents who you think are unfair to you, or the brother or sister who gets on your nerves, because it means you have a family to be there for you no matter what.

 

Be grateful to forgive, and to reconcile with those who have wronged you, because it means you’re a forgiven child of God, reconciled with Him.

 

As God’s dear, baptized children, we always have much to be grateful for, and therefore we always have reason to be content.

 

In light of this, as our Epistle says, let us not be anxious about anything, (don’t worry), but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. He’ll take care of them.

 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.