God's Gifts Are Free: Enjoy!
Sermon
A Word That Sets Free
First Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Last Third) Cycle C
Thanksgiving: How do we say thanks authentically and not lapse into the platitudes so often associated with this holiday? There are several dangers associated with the holiday. Ever since it was instituted as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln, and even before when various state governors instituted it in their states, Thanksgiving has not been a strictly Christian holiday. There has been a lot of nationalism and self-congratulations associated with this day. What is the distinctively Christian way to give thanks to God for all the good things that we have? I want to start with the Old Testament because our Christian way of giving thanks is deeply rooted in Jewish precedents.
Our assigned Old Testament Lesson from Deuteronomy, though framed as part of one of Moses' long speeches to the people of Israel, is really a liturgy (an order of worship) of thanksgiving for the presentation of the first fruits of the harvest in the temple sanctuary. Included in this liturgy is a confession of faith.
What are these first fruits that Deuteronomy directs the people of God to give, and what does this directive have to do with us? We may have a church sanctuary, but that is not the same thing as the Hebrew temple. Besides, "first fruits" seem a little extreme. Ten percent maybe, but the very best? What about providing for our families?
Sixteenth-century reformer Martin Luther had a profound insight about these matters, and I want to borrow from his insights. Luther's point is that the "first fruits" refer to the very best things we have produced by our deeds: the good and beautiful things that we have made; the acts of kindness and love that we have done.1 You might say, then, that the first fruits are works of Law, the righteousness that we think we have earned by keeping the Commandments of God. The first fruits are our very best deeds; they are the sort of things you do because you believe that God, society, and common decency require you to do them. We are proud of these good deeds. I am. Are you?
Luther makes a penetrating observation about all these good works that we have done and feel so good about. In one of his lectures on the book of Deuteronomy he wrote these words about such works of the Law:
For the Law first forces to works and when taken in the fleshly sense produces brilliant hypocrites, who imagine themselves to be the first of all, and to whom everything is due. This righteousness Christ killed by His passing-through (Hebrews 10:20), that is, his death, by which he taught that before God no flesh is justified by the works of the Law (Romans 3:20, 28) ... Therefore to offer up the firstborn and the firstlings is to confess that the righteousness of faith is accepted by his grace, not wrought by our powers.2
Do you get the point? Thanksgiving is all about sacrificing your good works and good deeds before God. It involves recognizing that all your accomplishments are not your own. Give them up! Then you are truly prepared to give thanks for all that you have.
Something happens to you when you give up your good deeds in this way. When you stop trying to take credit for all the good things that you have done in your life, it becomes possible to give God the credit that he deserves for the good he gives through you. An awareness like that will not only make you thankful; God will use it to set you free. You see, the more you realize how God gives his gifts freely, without regard for your worthiness, the freer you will become.
Of course you and I cannot come to this awareness, achieve a spirit of thanksgiving, by our own powers. (When we try to make ourselves thankful, it is just more bondage, one more obligation hung around our necks.) I agree with Martin Luther at this point, when he says that we cannot really give thanks unless we are justified by grace through faith.3
When you have heard the gospel of justification by grace, then good works follow spontaneously. How can you not love one who loves you? God's saving love has a way of begetting good works. Faith becomes active in love, Paul says (Galatians 5:6). But the good works that this love produces that come from faith are not like the works most people do. I am talking about works of love that you do not have to do. These are works of which you take no ownership and in which you take no pride, because they are not your own. This is how you really say, "Thank You," to God and give him thanks.
We heard Martin Luther say this earlier. He claimed that the offering up of the first fruits to which our First Lesson from Deuteronomy refers (v. 2a) are the good things of love given to us by grace. The first fruits you give to God in thanksgiving are the service you and I render to God and our neighbors.4
You can understand now why Christians do not just give ten percent to God. Essentially when we are living the Christian life we are giving God everything. How about providing for myself and my family? If you ask that question, you have not gotten the point. Christians, every good thing that you and I have belongs to God. He has given them to you to use responsibly and to enjoy. But since they are not yours give them all back to God by thanking him for them and by sharing all these goods with those in need.
When you have this attitude, something wonderful happens to you and your outlook on life. Verse 11 of our First Lesson says that when offering their thanksgiving all the Hebrews, their priests (Levites), and even the aliens among them shall "celebrate." John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, interpreted this verse to imply that: "... it is the will of God that we should be cheerful ... in the enjoyment of the gifts of his providence."5
Be cheerful in enjoying God's gifts. Christians can be joyful and cheerful, because the good that they have is not their own. You and I are not defined by the good things we have in life. We did not even earn them. They are a sheer gift. That implies that if we do not have certain good things, do not have all the things we would like to have like wealth, beauty, power, or influence, that is not a negative reflection on you and me. All those things belong to God. No one earns them, and so you have not really failed if you do not have them. Can you feel the relief that insight provides? Can you feel the joy?
There is nothing that makes children happier than a gift. Well, children of God, that is what our Lord has done for you. He has showered you with undeserved gifts. People who realize how their lives are full of gifts will be happy. You will be so happy that you will not even need to try to be happy. That is what God has planned for you, and why he is so generous with his gifts. God wants us to be cheerful and happy.6
Appreciating that God is the One who owns all the goods we have in life makes us even more thankful people. The good job one has, the fine home, the wonderful family, you and I have not earned them. In fact we do not deserve them. We do not even deserve to see that beautiful sunset or to smell those roses. All goods are given to us (freely) on loan. Since we are not paying any interest on all these good gifts, we have a lot of reasons to be thankful. (You might not be as thankful if you thought that some of the good things in your life you had earned.) To know that all the goods you have in life are free gifts of God owned by him makes every day a Thanksgiving.
Appreciating that God is the One who owns all the goods we have in life can have one more wonderful outcome. It can set you free to enjoy those gifts even more.
Owning property is one of God's good gifts; make no mistake about that. But when there are problems with what you own, be it the car, the house, the expensive machine, it is an anxiety-producing experience (unless you are very handy with repair work). I know that when I encounter problems with the property I own, I sometimes wax fondly about the days when my wife and I rented. Then when a problem developed, it was not our problem alone to solve. Ultimately it was the owner's problem.7
Have you ever felt that way? When you are traveling, staying in that motel or hotel, it is a lot better when the roof leaks there than when it leaks back home, right? When it is somebody else's problem, life is a little simpler, and it is easier to enjoy things. When you are only borrowing something, there is a sense in which you are freer.
That is the way life is for you and me, friends. All the good things that we have belong to God, so "chill out" when problems seem to develop. Good caretakers of other people's property are careful with what is entrusted to them. That is what is involved in being a good steward of God's gifts. But ultimately the problems are God's, and he will take care of them. Is that not a liberating Word?
We surely do have a lot for which to be thankful, do we not? How much? Everything good that you have is on loan from God. You and I have not earned that great family, job, home, intelligence, and stature in the community by our hard work. Keep that in mind, and this will be a distinctively Christian celebration of Thanksgiving. You will not get caught up in nationalism and self-congratulations as is typical of America's version of the holiday as long as you keep in mind that all you have is a gift from God. The sixteenth-century reformer, John Calvin, the spiritual father of Presbyterianism and the United Church of Christ, said it so well one time. Servants of God are strengthened by knowing that all is in God's hands, that all that is good is his. Calvin wrote: "Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience in adversity, and also incredible freedom from worry about the future all necessarily follow upon this knowledge."8
Knowing that all the good that we have is God's gives incredible freedom from worry. Incredible freedom. For if the good things that we have belong to God, even one's own life, then we can be confident that he will ensure a good and happy outcome of crises that concern his property. The good things that you have are not ultimately yours. Ultimately God will take care of them. Is that not a wonderful freedom? God's gifts really are free, friends. Enjoy! We can never get around to saying thank you enough for all these gifts.
____________
1. Luther, Lectures on Deuteronomy, in Luther's Works, Vol. 9, p. 141.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid., p. 255.
4. Ibid., pp. 141, 255.
5. John Wesley, Commentary on the Bible (1765-1766).
6. For this insight I am indebted to Martin Luther, Table Talk (1531), in Weimar Ausgabe Tischreden, Vol. 1, No. 124.
7. I am also indebted for this analogy to Martin Luther, Commentary On the Sermon on the Mount (1532), in Luther's Works, Vol. 21, p. 13.
8. John Calvin, I.XVII.7.
Our assigned Old Testament Lesson from Deuteronomy, though framed as part of one of Moses' long speeches to the people of Israel, is really a liturgy (an order of worship) of thanksgiving for the presentation of the first fruits of the harvest in the temple sanctuary. Included in this liturgy is a confession of faith.
What are these first fruits that Deuteronomy directs the people of God to give, and what does this directive have to do with us? We may have a church sanctuary, but that is not the same thing as the Hebrew temple. Besides, "first fruits" seem a little extreme. Ten percent maybe, but the very best? What about providing for our families?
Sixteenth-century reformer Martin Luther had a profound insight about these matters, and I want to borrow from his insights. Luther's point is that the "first fruits" refer to the very best things we have produced by our deeds: the good and beautiful things that we have made; the acts of kindness and love that we have done.1 You might say, then, that the first fruits are works of Law, the righteousness that we think we have earned by keeping the Commandments of God. The first fruits are our very best deeds; they are the sort of things you do because you believe that God, society, and common decency require you to do them. We are proud of these good deeds. I am. Are you?
Luther makes a penetrating observation about all these good works that we have done and feel so good about. In one of his lectures on the book of Deuteronomy he wrote these words about such works of the Law:
For the Law first forces to works and when taken in the fleshly sense produces brilliant hypocrites, who imagine themselves to be the first of all, and to whom everything is due. This righteousness Christ killed by His passing-through (Hebrews 10:20), that is, his death, by which he taught that before God no flesh is justified by the works of the Law (Romans 3:20, 28) ... Therefore to offer up the firstborn and the firstlings is to confess that the righteousness of faith is accepted by his grace, not wrought by our powers.2
Do you get the point? Thanksgiving is all about sacrificing your good works and good deeds before God. It involves recognizing that all your accomplishments are not your own. Give them up! Then you are truly prepared to give thanks for all that you have.
Something happens to you when you give up your good deeds in this way. When you stop trying to take credit for all the good things that you have done in your life, it becomes possible to give God the credit that he deserves for the good he gives through you. An awareness like that will not only make you thankful; God will use it to set you free. You see, the more you realize how God gives his gifts freely, without regard for your worthiness, the freer you will become.
Of course you and I cannot come to this awareness, achieve a spirit of thanksgiving, by our own powers. (When we try to make ourselves thankful, it is just more bondage, one more obligation hung around our necks.) I agree with Martin Luther at this point, when he says that we cannot really give thanks unless we are justified by grace through faith.3
When you have heard the gospel of justification by grace, then good works follow spontaneously. How can you not love one who loves you? God's saving love has a way of begetting good works. Faith becomes active in love, Paul says (Galatians 5:6). But the good works that this love produces that come from faith are not like the works most people do. I am talking about works of love that you do not have to do. These are works of which you take no ownership and in which you take no pride, because they are not your own. This is how you really say, "Thank You," to God and give him thanks.
We heard Martin Luther say this earlier. He claimed that the offering up of the first fruits to which our First Lesson from Deuteronomy refers (v. 2a) are the good things of love given to us by grace. The first fruits you give to God in thanksgiving are the service you and I render to God and our neighbors.4
You can understand now why Christians do not just give ten percent to God. Essentially when we are living the Christian life we are giving God everything. How about providing for myself and my family? If you ask that question, you have not gotten the point. Christians, every good thing that you and I have belongs to God. He has given them to you to use responsibly and to enjoy. But since they are not yours give them all back to God by thanking him for them and by sharing all these goods with those in need.
When you have this attitude, something wonderful happens to you and your outlook on life. Verse 11 of our First Lesson says that when offering their thanksgiving all the Hebrews, their priests (Levites), and even the aliens among them shall "celebrate." John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, interpreted this verse to imply that: "... it is the will of God that we should be cheerful ... in the enjoyment of the gifts of his providence."5
Be cheerful in enjoying God's gifts. Christians can be joyful and cheerful, because the good that they have is not their own. You and I are not defined by the good things we have in life. We did not even earn them. They are a sheer gift. That implies that if we do not have certain good things, do not have all the things we would like to have like wealth, beauty, power, or influence, that is not a negative reflection on you and me. All those things belong to God. No one earns them, and so you have not really failed if you do not have them. Can you feel the relief that insight provides? Can you feel the joy?
There is nothing that makes children happier than a gift. Well, children of God, that is what our Lord has done for you. He has showered you with undeserved gifts. People who realize how their lives are full of gifts will be happy. You will be so happy that you will not even need to try to be happy. That is what God has planned for you, and why he is so generous with his gifts. God wants us to be cheerful and happy.6
Appreciating that God is the One who owns all the goods we have in life makes us even more thankful people. The good job one has, the fine home, the wonderful family, you and I have not earned them. In fact we do not deserve them. We do not even deserve to see that beautiful sunset or to smell those roses. All goods are given to us (freely) on loan. Since we are not paying any interest on all these good gifts, we have a lot of reasons to be thankful. (You might not be as thankful if you thought that some of the good things in your life you had earned.) To know that all the goods you have in life are free gifts of God owned by him makes every day a Thanksgiving.
Appreciating that God is the One who owns all the goods we have in life can have one more wonderful outcome. It can set you free to enjoy those gifts even more.
Owning property is one of God's good gifts; make no mistake about that. But when there are problems with what you own, be it the car, the house, the expensive machine, it is an anxiety-producing experience (unless you are very handy with repair work). I know that when I encounter problems with the property I own, I sometimes wax fondly about the days when my wife and I rented. Then when a problem developed, it was not our problem alone to solve. Ultimately it was the owner's problem.7
Have you ever felt that way? When you are traveling, staying in that motel or hotel, it is a lot better when the roof leaks there than when it leaks back home, right? When it is somebody else's problem, life is a little simpler, and it is easier to enjoy things. When you are only borrowing something, there is a sense in which you are freer.
That is the way life is for you and me, friends. All the good things that we have belong to God, so "chill out" when problems seem to develop. Good caretakers of other people's property are careful with what is entrusted to them. That is what is involved in being a good steward of God's gifts. But ultimately the problems are God's, and he will take care of them. Is that not a liberating Word?
We surely do have a lot for which to be thankful, do we not? How much? Everything good that you have is on loan from God. You and I have not earned that great family, job, home, intelligence, and stature in the community by our hard work. Keep that in mind, and this will be a distinctively Christian celebration of Thanksgiving. You will not get caught up in nationalism and self-congratulations as is typical of America's version of the holiday as long as you keep in mind that all you have is a gift from God. The sixteenth-century reformer, John Calvin, the spiritual father of Presbyterianism and the United Church of Christ, said it so well one time. Servants of God are strengthened by knowing that all is in God's hands, that all that is good is his. Calvin wrote: "Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience in adversity, and also incredible freedom from worry about the future all necessarily follow upon this knowledge."8
Knowing that all the good that we have is God's gives incredible freedom from worry. Incredible freedom. For if the good things that we have belong to God, even one's own life, then we can be confident that he will ensure a good and happy outcome of crises that concern his property. The good things that you have are not ultimately yours. Ultimately God will take care of them. Is that not a wonderful freedom? God's gifts really are free, friends. Enjoy! We can never get around to saying thank you enough for all these gifts.
____________
1. Luther, Lectures on Deuteronomy, in Luther's Works, Vol. 9, p. 141.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid., p. 255.
4. Ibid., pp. 141, 255.
5. John Wesley, Commentary on the Bible (1765-1766).
6. For this insight I am indebted to Martin Luther, Table Talk (1531), in Weimar Ausgabe Tischreden, Vol. 1, No. 124.
7. I am also indebted for this analogy to Martin Luther, Commentary On the Sermon on the Mount (1532), in Luther's Works, Vol. 21, p. 13.
8. John Calvin, I.XVII.7.
