Thank, Think, and Practice These Things
Today I have three words for you. They are three words that are easy for you to remember for this day: Thank, think, practice. These are three things that you can do to celebrate tomorrow’s Day of Thanksgiving. We find all three of these ideas present in the Epistle lesson for today, from Philippians 4:6-9.
Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen
in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ!
The Day of Thanksgiving is certainly an
appropriate time to reflect on all the things for which you have reason to be
thankful. Remember all the great things God has done for you, all the blessings
He has bestowed upon you, starting with the blessings of this life.
God the Creator made you. He gave you your body
and mind, eyes, ears, and all your members, your reason and all your senses,
and still takes care of them. In his Explanation of the First Article of the
Creed, Luther says of God the Father, “He richly and daily provides me with all
that I need to support this body and life.” And then he goes on to list a
number of specific examples of all that God provides: “clothing and shoes, food
and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all that I
have.”
Likewise, under the Fourth Petition of the
Lord’s Prayer, Luther explains what is meant by “daily bread”: food, drink,
clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or
wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good
government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends,
faithful neighbors, and the like.”
Now, why these long lists of specific items?
Just to make it harder for kids to do their catechism memory work? No, I think
Luther lists all these things precisely to make a point: that we begin to reflect
on all the blessings that God provides so freely on a daily basis, which we
might take for granted. By listing specific examples and counting them off, we
begin to see how countless God’s blessings really are. And so, our hearts and
minds are moved to thankfulness.
Tomorrow specifically is the Day of National
Thanksgiving. The purpose of this day is to take time to thank God for how
He has blessed this nation of ours. God has given us a land rich in resources:
great rivers and lakes and oceans, fertile farmlands, vast mineral deposits,
magnificent hills and mountains, forests and trees for timber and beauty. Truly
God has brought us Americans into a land so bountiful and beautiful, much like
His description of the Promised Land in our Old Testament reading from
Deuteronomy. Our God has truly blessed us!
But think about what is even greater: This same
Lord, the God of Creation, is also the God of our Redemption! He sent His Son
into the world to redeem us, to set us free, to be our Savior! Jesus Christ was
crucified, died, and was buried to redeem us from all sins, from death, and
from the power of the devil. Not with gold or silver but with His holy,
precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. Christ then rose from
the dead and ascended into heaven, where He lives and reigns over all creation
for the sake of His Church. One day He will return to raise all the living and
dead, and we will live with Him forever in everlasting righteousness,
innocence, and blessedness. Our God has truly blessed us!
And then there is the work of the Holy Spirit,
who brings us to faith in Christ and keeps us growing strong in this faith
through the Gospel, within the one holy Christian Church. The Holy Spirit had
brought you to this place where you can hear God’s Word taught in its truth and
purity and where the Sacraments are administered according to Christ’s
institution. This is no small thing, either!
There are so many blessings for which we might and
should thank God. Don’t just think about them; express your thoughts in words,
words of thanksgiving addressed to God. Give thanks to God in prayer and
praise. In our Epistle reading from Philipppians, St. Paul says to go to God in
prayer “with thanksgiving.” So, when you gather today, or tomorrow, or any other
day, at the dinner table, say out loud a prayer of thanksgiving or ask the host
to do so. Such a prayer may include many things, or it could be as simple a saying,
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.”
And tonight, here in church, we are doing just
that. We are thanking God out loud with our lips. We’re joining together in
songs of praise and thanksgiving, and it is fitting that we do so. As the
psalmist says, “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to
the rock of our salvation. Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving, let
us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise.”
Too often we Christians are dragged down by the
world around us. We focus on the negative things. But Paul urges a different
course: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if
there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about
these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in
me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians
4:8-9).
Christians thankful for all God’s undeserved
blessings, should endeavor to cultivate a wholesome thought-life. Our thoughts
should center on all those virtues that are pleasing to God, and we should
strive to put them into practice in our lives. The kind of thought-life we
cultivate will be reflected in the kind of words and actions we produce. So, we
must fill our mind daily with things that are truthful and not vain or
deceptive. We should think about things that are respectable and befitting
Christian dignity, things that agree with God’s Law, things that are moral and
pure, things that build up and not tear down, things that breathe and evoke the
spirit of Christian love, things that are excellent and worthy of praise before
both God and man.
Are we concerned enough about the kind of
thought-life we are cultivating as Christians? Are the things with which we
regularly fill our minds really things the things that are true and noble,
right and pure, lovely and admirable, excellent and praiseworthy? Or are we in
the habit of filling our minds with the moral garbage on which our ungodly
society gorges itself? Do the books we read, the television programs we watch,
the movies and videos we see, even the things we have trained our minds and
eyes to catch as we go about our daily routine in life, contribute to a
wholesome thought-life? Or are we allowing our thought-lives to become
greenhouses in which the devil’s plants are grown? What we sow in our
thought-lives, we reap in our words and actions.
An ancient philosopher wisely observed, “Your
mind will be like its habitual thoughts … dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
Paul recognizes in this verse that what occupies the mind of a Christian shapes
his or her character and conduct. He urges us all therefore to get into the
habit of concentrating on what is truthful honest, honorable, right, pure,
lovely, and praiseworthy. Conversely, we must close our minds to thoughts that
are unkind, unlovely, impure, dishonest, and ugly.
This involves much more than practicing the
power of positive thinking. When we take upon ourselves the mind of Christ
Himself (Philippians 2:5), we learn to occupy our minds with and radiate the
kind of virtues listed in God’s Word. In his Large Catechism, Luther urges that
[we] must
always have God’s Word in [our] heart, upon [our] lips, and in [our] ears. [For]
where the heart is idle and the Word does not make a sound, the devil breaks in
and has done the damage before we are aware [Matthew 13:24–30]. On the other
hand, the Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated,
heard, and used, it is bound never to be without fruit [Isaiah 55:11; Mark
4:20]. It always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness and
produces a pure heart and pure thoughts [Philippians 4:8].”[i]
Continually thinking of these virtuous things,
we then practice these things in thought, word, and deed. Too often we
Christians are dragged down by the world around us. We talk only about negative
things. We complain and criticize. Maybe we’re not used to speaking positively.
But today I suggest that we do that sort of speaking. Talk to people as you gather
about the things you’re thankful for. Tell them what Thanksgiving means to you.
And maybe ask them what they’re thankful for. You might be surprised how
refreshing it is to have that kind of a conversation for a change, where God is
spoken of as the giver of good gifts.
For example, talk about the people that God has
blessed you with. And if you have a chance, tell those persons directly how God
has blessed you through them. That’s what Paul does in his epistle. He tells
the Philippians: “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have
revived your concern for me. . .. I have received full payment, and more. I am
well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant
offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” You see, the Philippians
were helping to support Paul with their gifts, and Paul tells them how grateful
he is for their generosity.
And so, I as your pastor thank God for you, the
members of Three Strands Lutheran Parish. You are a channel of God’s blessing
for me. I have the privilege of preaching the Gospel to you, and you respond by
supporting this ministry in your midst. Blessings flowing both ways! It all
comes from God, of course—He gets all the glory—but He uses people to be the
instruments of His blessing. And so, I encourage you to tell some people today
how God is blessing you through them: mothers, fathers, children, friends,
whomever God is using to bless you.
Thank. Think. Practice. Those are the words for
Thanksgiving today. Three good words. First, thank. Thank God for all the many
ways He has blessed you, His blessings of Creation, Redemption, and
Sanctification. Thank God for how He has blessed you this past year, personally
and as a citizen of this nation. Thank the Lord, out loud, here at church and
then at home. Thank him with psalms, hymns, prayers, and praise.
Then second, think. Think about those things
that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable; if there is any
excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things. And third, practice
these things. Let God’s Word bear fruit in your life. Talk to others about how
God has blessed you. Tell them how God has blessed you through them. Speak of
the wonders of God and His creation. Love and serve your neighbor with joy. And
the God of peace will be with you. Amen
Unless
otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English
Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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