CORINTH

-Sermon Notes-

November 17, 2024

 

“The Gift of Gratitude” (Deuteronomy 8:7-18, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Luke 17:11-19)

     During a recent “person on the street” interview I conducted around Orono, I asked people to answer this question: “What do you appreciate most about Thanksgiving?”  Not surprisingly, people mentioned food, family and memories for the most part.  But no one claimed they were thankful for the gift of gratitude. 

     In our Deuteronomy passage, the people Moses had been leading through thick and thin for decades were about to enter the Promised Land, where they will experience prosperity after being in poverty for so long. Moses’ message to them was to remember God’s faithfulness to them (people who become prosperous often forget about their need for God.)  Moses implored them to remain humble and thankful, and to continue in relationship with God through the commandments.  Moses indicated that this is how people will know you are followers of God, by being thankful and by following the commandments (and expressing gratitude.)

     The 2nd Corinthians passage features Paul’s instruction to the people to avoid sowing sparingly, an image which would connect readily with the people since many were farmers. When a planter is stingy with seeds, there will be a stingy harvest, so sow (offer your gifts and ministry) generously, which will result in a bountiful harvest. Paul suggests that this is how people will know you are followers of Jesus, by sowing gifts of love and ministry generously.

     Jesus addressed the subject of thankfulness in the passage from Luke. After healing 10 lepers, only one of them (a Samaritan) returned to offer praise to God and to thank Jesus.  How do we determine the character and priorities of the Samaritan? By witnessing what he said and did.

     Too often we believe that by expressing gratitude, we are offering a gift to the one we are expressing gratitude to.  However, as John Wesley reminds us, when we offer acts of grace (gratitude) to others, we not only pass along God’s grace to others, as providers of that ministry (expressing gratitude) we also increase God’s grace within us.  That is a gift!

     It is my prayer that we will heed the words of Moses; that when we find ourselves in times of prosperity, we won’t forget from whom it is that all blessings flow.  I hope we learn from Paul the importance of being generous sowers of ministry, love and care; to understand that to sow generously is to gain an abundant harvest.  And as was the case with the Samaritan, may we be identified as thankful followers of Jesus, praising God with words of thanksgiving while offering gratitude to each other.  Gratitude: a wonderful thanksgiving gift to others and ourselves!