Sermons

Don’t Worry…Be Thankful

Thanksgiving Day, 2009 Sermon

“Don’t Worry….Be Thankful”

Julie Watson, Student Minister

First Congregational Church, Webster Groves, Missouri 

            Several weeks ago after I had agreed to preach on Thanksgiving Day, I asked Jane Porchey how long this service usually lasted. Her reply was “Well, it depends on how long your sermon lasts!” You may be happy to know that I kept that thought in mind as I was writing my message for this morning.

          The title of my sermon is “Don’t Worry….Be Thankful.”  However, I will be the first to admit it…..I am a worrier. Granted, I’ve gotten somewhat better over the years. I try not to sweat the small stuff. And with God’s help I try not to sweat some of the big stuff, too… But……….I come from a long line of worriers. I hail from New England and in researching my family history I learned that my Pilgrim ancestor Robert Watson landed at Plymouth Rock on the next boat AFTER the Mayflower. Plenty of possibilities could explain why Bob Watson was not on the first boat. Perhaps the ship’s sailing schedule didn’t agree with his. Perhaps Bob needed to save up more money for his passage. Any number of things might explain it. However, given my tendency to worry and that of my family’s tendency to do the same…..I wouldn’t be surprised if my great, great, great, great Uncle Bob……. was worried. He wanted to see if and how the folks on the Mayflower were going to make out. So as you can see I come by worrying naturally….. and I suspect I’m not the only worrier in this room.

          What exactly is worry and what did Jesus have to say about it? According to the Webster dictionary “worry is mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated.” In this morning’s reading from Matthew we hear Jesus saying “Do not worry about tomorrow….for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.”

He asks us “Who by worrying can add a single hour to his or her life?” These days we know that, in fact, worry and the physical stress that often follows can actually shorten a person’s life.

          Worry is a “kissing cousin” of fear. “Do not fear” is the most repeated command in Scripture. Why is it so important to God that we not fear or worry?………… I would submit to you that God does not want us to worry or fear because worry and fear are the antithesis, the opposites, of love. To frame it another way, loving God and others today is much more difficult when we are afraid or worried about tomorrow. Because when we are afraid or worried we are focused on ourselves and most importantly we are not trusting God.

          How do we develop a growing trust in God which helps us not to worry and fear? I would invite us to consider that one place we might start is to examine what we have to be thankful for. In this time of war, financial meltdowns and individual struggles to bear the hardships of life, discovering or rediscovering the blessings in our lives and claiming them as such might seem to be too much of a stretch. Yet that is exactly what we are being called to do. We are being called to recognize and be thankful for what we have and who we are. In some circles, this is known as having an “attitude of gratitude.” Whatever else we have to be thankful for, we can all be thankful for God’s love for us and all of creation. Indeed it is only through God that we live and move and have our being. Therefore, the apostle Paul writes that he is “content in whatever state he finds himself in.”

          How can we become more intentional about cultivating a thankful spirit? Years ago, a friend of mine suggested a simple practice that I have found helpful and I offer it to you. Before you go to sleep tonight, make a list of five things you are grateful for. Meditate on those things and thank God for them. Then the next morning, read your list and again think about these things and thank God for them. Repeat this practice each night and add a new item each time.

 Doing this has helped me keep a more positive spirit as I am reminded daily of God’s blessings in my life. Having this positive spirit leaves less room for worry. Thankfulness and worry are often mutually exclusive. I suspect that if Robert Watson had counted his blessings daily, he might have worried less and ended up being a passenger on the Mayflower rather than the next boat after the Mayflower.

          Today we set aside as being different from other days and call it Thanksgiving Day. People all over the country will gather to spend time with family and friends (new and old) and eat a special meal. Indeed, many of us here this morning will join together after the worship service to share a meal and each other’s company. This is as it should be.

However, in closing, I would encourage us to keep in mind that as Christians every day is a day of thanksgiving as we remember God’s love for us and for all the people of the world.

Amen.