"Gratitude is More than Attitude" - Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Gratitude is More than Attitude
Easter 6 – Narrative Lectionary 4
Grace, Mankato, MN
May 25, 2014
Philippians 1.1-18a

Our daughters grew up watching Sesame Street, with its large, Muppet characters such as Big Bird and Cookie Monster. One of the beloved characters was Oscar, a green shaggy curmudgeonly sort who lives in a garbage can. Nicknamed “the Grouch,” he’s a perfect counterpoint to Big Bird’s chronic and naïve sweetness. Like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, who is more gloomy than grouchy, Oscar seems to be accepted by the community even though you and I would be driven round the bend by them. The fact is, no matter how cute at first, nobody really wants to be around and Oscar, Eeyore, or anyone else like that.

If anyone has a right to be an Oscar or Eeyore, it is Paul, the author of our text from Philippians today. This Paul, who as Saul, was the one who first persecuted Christians and then was struck blind by God and turned around to proclaim Christ. This is the Paul whose reward for bringing the gospel to gentiles has been beatings, floggings, stoning and imprisonments. He writes a letter of great affection to a church he founded, a church that clearly holds a dear spot in his heart. They have questions and concerns as they seek to live out God’s call on them and Paul seeks to answer them. But, Paul is not having an easy time, either. He’s in prison for proclaiming the faith and, adding insult to injury, he is beset by rival missionaries who delight at his affliction.

Yet, what comes through in the letter loudly and clearly is Paul’s overwhelming gratitude and joy. Make no mistake; Paul does not have his head in the sand; he is acutely aware of his situation. Being in a Roman prison is no light thing. Unlike prisons of today, prisoners had to provide their own food and necessities and relied on others to help them. However, Paul is also aware that God is working in, with, and through their circumstances, both his and the Philippians’. The good news of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed even while he is chained. His hands and feet are fettered, but his voice is not. Even more incredible, Paul is able to rejoice in the proclamation of the gospel by those who attack him personally, who disparage the way he “does church,” who rejoice in his suffering.

I think that the heart of Paul’s gratitude and joy springs from a certainty that they have a future. He is convinced that the same God who began the work in them is continuing that work and will continue to work until it is completed. I like how Stephanie Boardman describes it: joy is doing and being exactly what God desires for us at the moment; it is how well we are listening for God’s call on our lives, to see the Spirit’s leading in mission. Easter, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, means that God isn’t done and that God can and does work in the midst of death-dealing circumstances, even suffering, to bring new life.

There is a lot of anxiety in churchly circles about the future of the church. Much ink is being spilled in books and journals, and social media is full of criticism about the way church is being done. Hands are being wrung over the growing “nones,”—those who claim no religious affiliation—as well as “spiritual, but not religious” and lost generations of church goers. I have heard similar concerns at Grace: grief over what has been lost over the years and wistfulness about the success of other churches. These dynamics are important to note, but like Paul I am confident that we have a future at Grace, and that God is working in, with and through us in some incredible ways, even in our challenges. What gives me confidence is not so much the new initiatives we have implemented, though they do. Rather, it is seeing how God is working in each of you. Many of you are suffering, some mightily. Yet, I see how God is working in you, for which you express gratitude and joy. In the midst of our struggles, there are abundant signs of new life. Can you see them? God invites us to open our eyes and to join in the work set aside for us, to love our grouchy and gloomy world. I can think of no more important work and it brings me great gratitude and joy to join you in it. Amen.