Thanksgiving Sunday

The First Church in Belfast United Church of Christ

An Open and Affirming Congregation
Where God is Still Speaking.
Located in Belfast, Maine

Reign of Christ/Thanksgiving Sunday November 22, 2009

Joel 2:21-27; Matthew 6:25-33 Rev. Joel M.Krueger

“What to Wear”

Times of uncertainty often make us question the things that ground us, what we believe, the structures of society that have kept us secure, even the faith we have held. The prophet Joel speaks to a people who lived in a time of great uncertainty.

He depicts a plague of locusts which apparently have come upon the land in waves. First the cutting locust, then the swarming locust, then the hopping locust and finally the destroying locust. Each devouring what the previous one had left until there is nothing left. Trees are bare, even the bark stripped. Fields of grain completely annihilated. Grape vines, figs, pomegranate, palm and apple, fruit of all kinds, every plant destroyed. Cattle and sheep languish in the fields too because there is nothing to eat. The moans and groans of their starvation are heard from the countryside.

It is to this context, this time of uncertainty, of dismay and languishing spirit, this calamity, from which he says, “The fields are laid waste, the ground mourns . . . the herds of cattle are perplexed, . . . the flocks of sheep are dismayed.” The tragedy is beyond the human realm. It afflicts the whole natural environment and it is as if land and creatures and humans all share in this suffering together.

It is to this dreadful situation that the prophet speaks the words we heard earlier. “Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God.”

These words picture a time to come. They are not of the present. They look forward to a time of redemption, a time of renewal, a time of change, when the present crisis will seem only a bad dream, only a shadow. He speaks out of his faith, out of his knowledge of a God who never abandons the people or the land or the creatures, a God who loves the earth, the creation which God has made. He speaks words of hope and promise and sets before those suffering, those presently afflicted by this tragic event, an invitation to turn deep within themselves and find in their hearts, the strength and confidence, the hope and vision they will need to endure and to survive.

In our gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus also speaks to a people who lived in a time of uncertainty. Most likely speaking to peasant crowds who knew the toil of lives where much of their daily wages went to pay their landlords, and the Roman occupiers who taxed them heavily. They knew the uncertainty of whether there would be enough food on the table to feed their families, enough to drink, and clothing to wear. These were real concerns.

But here, in this section where Matthew lists a whole series of Jesus’ teachings, we have these words that at first glance, almost seem too flippant, too light, almost Polly-Annish: “Don’t worry or be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or about your body, what you shall wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Here is Jesus, speaking to people who have real needs, real problems, every single day of their lives, and he is telling them not to worry about it?! What is going on here? Is Jesus simply out of touch with the reality of the times? Is he just pouring out some philosophical garble, some quaint proverbs to quiet their fears? What is this stuff about the birds and the lilies, and how God cares for them and so God will care for us? It’s the kind of stuff that is easily said, but does it really have anything to do with the real life issues of the people?

I am always amazed at how understated Jesus’ words so often are. Okay, once in a while we have him just really laying it out, like when he rebukes the Pharisees and the scribes for their pride and their abuse and lack of care for the poor, the widows and orphans and the marginalized. But most of the time his words are so subtle, so enigmatic, so puzzling, but I guess that’s what you get when you speak in metaphor and story. But what he is saying here, he has said before, in different ways and indeed his words do apply directly to real life.

“Do not worry about your life, what you shall eat, . . ” Remember that he also said, “It is not what goes into a person that defiles them (not what they eat), but what comes out of them which defiles them.” (Matt. 15:11). And “what you shall drink, . . .” Remember when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well about the “living water” he could give her? She was concerned about her physical thirst, but he moved her to think in spiritual terms (John 4:7-15). And about “what you shall wear.” Recall how he warned the disciples about being like the scribes, “who like to wear long robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.” Appearances, he warned gain you nothing (Mark 12:38).

In all these references, Jesus seems to be telling the people, not to get caught up in the superficial elements of life. He is not saying that food and drink and clothing aren’t important but he is saying that our focus, the things we should really be concerned about, must draw us deeper. That if one’s inner, spiritual self is cared for, the rest will fall into place. So his invitation is to strive first for the kingdom of God.

Like those in Jesus’ day and those of the prophet Joel’s time, we live in times of uncertainty, and for some, times that have become calamitous. Jobs lost, mortgage payments too high, unexpected and unplanned for health care or other costs that have made life seem precarious and fear filled. For others of us, we may be experiencing personal loss or difficulties that seem to be turning our whole world upside down.

As the prophet Joel knew, times of uncertainty can destroy us or they can make us stronger. We can get caught up in the superficialities of it all, become overwhelmed at the magnitude of our troubles, or we can go deeper, we can seek first the kingdom or the place of God in our lives as Jesus invites us. We can take to heart the words of the prophet Joel, “fear not . . . be glad and rejoice!” We can go deeper, by sharing with one another, talking about the things that really matter to us, even just spending time with one another, helping to carry the burden of whatever pain exists there.

So, I have an invitation for you today. An invitation to look past the superficial concerns of your life. An invitation to go deeper.

This week as we begin the Wreath Project, I invite you to see this as a means of going deeper, a chance to engage in a tradition of this congregation, a ministry that not only brings us together as we work, but that brings a message of hope and love to those who receive these wreaths.

And I invite you, in this week when you gather with family and friends for Thanksgiving, to not be anxious about the food, the beverages and the clothes. But in each bite, each morsel you eat, let your heart give thanks to God. With each sip, remember the joy our faith provides. And when you look around and see those you are with, look beyond the outward appearances and look upon their hearts.

And finally, I invite you, as we begin the season of Advent next Sunday, to truly engage in this season of looking inward, of preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ.

I invite you to go deeper. Amen.