"Uncommon Gratitude" - Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Uncommon Gratitude
Easter 6 – Narrative Lectionary 4
May 6, 2018
Grace, Mankato, MN
Philippians 1.1-18a

Some lessons are learned the hard way. Quite often, these are the most important ones.

Herbert gave me a lesson in gratitude, though I didn’t realize it and it didn’t seem so at the time I learned it. Herbert was a crusty farmer in one of my former congregations and didn’t often seem grateful. One Sunday during worship I was teasing the “back row denizens” who were sitting under the poorly lit balcony. When I joked about the “beady little eyes” looking at me, Herbert called out, “At least we are here.” Yikes! It was a hard lesson for me to learn, but it was an important one, to be grateful for those who show up for worship, typically week after week.

You can tell from our reading today in Philippians that the Apostle Paul’s heart is full of gratitude. This is a typically formatted first century letter standard greeting followed by a standard thanksgiving, only with a twist. The thanksgiving section is much longer than usual. You can tell that the Philippians hold a special place in Paul’s heart, which is a bit unusual for a church he didn’t found. What’s even more incredible is that Paul manages to be grateful in the midst of imprisonment. There are two reasons for his gratitude: the gospel is still being proclaimed albeit in unusual ways; and the Philippians are helping.

We’ve seen through our brief foray in our study of the early church, first in Acts and now in Philippians, that Paul the persecutor has become the persecuted. Not only does he have to deal with angry crowds, but Paul is often beaten and put into prison. It’s important to know that prisons in the first century were not like those of today. Prisoners had to depend upon family and friends for everything, including food and other necessities. Yet, the Philippians, who had problems and struggles of their own, give generously to Paul. Also, in the midst of this hardship, Paul is able to share the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ with the most unlikely people. Palace guards, prisoners and others come to faith and others who are with Paul are emboldened to proclaim the gospel as well.

Paul learned gratitude in the most difficult circumstances and I’ve learned it from others that way as well. Sadie was almost virtually blind yet still in her own home, largely due to help from a neighbor. Even so, she told me she had decided a long time ago that she wasn’t going to be crabby because people don’t like to be around crabs. Sadie was grateful in her situation. Erma also taught me gratitude as I ache for a daughter who is not working directly in her desired career. But, as Erma reminded me, she is nonetheless impacting the lives of young children in such a positive way. I am grateful for her presence in their lives and the holy work she is doing.

I’ve been reading a book by Sr. Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun and prolific author; it is co-written by Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. The book, Uncommon Gratitude: Alleluia for All That Is, talks about gratitude in the most unlikely places. In the chapter called “Darkness,” she describes how Alzheimer’s took her mother before the disease had a name. It was a devastating time to Sister Joan because she and her mother were very close. But she talks about how that dark time forced her to reevaluate her own self and draw on her own resources, “knowing that you are enough for you.” She ends the chapter by saying, “Darkness deserves gratitude. It is the alleluia point at which we learn to understand that growth does not take place in the sunlight. Then we come to understand the God is at work in our lives even when we believe the nothing whatsoever is going on.” Sister Joan learned uncommon gratitude.

Where have you learned “uncommon gratitude,” perhaps in the midst of difficult circumstances? Where have you seen God bring you growth in the dark, even when you weren’t sure God was there? If you are in that dark place right now, please know that God is with you even if you can’t tell it now. If you’ve been in that dark place and have come out the other side, may you experience uncommon gratitude. For Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, continues to work in, with and through our lives, bringing us uncommon gratitude in the midst of the darkest places in our lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.