“WHEN THANKSGIVING IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH”
EPHESIANS 1:15-23
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord
Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason
16 I do not cease to give thanks for
you as I remember you in my prayers.
17 I pray that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,
18 so that, with the eyes of your
heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance
among the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness
of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
20 God put this power to work in Christ
when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
22 And he has put all things under
his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness
of him who fills all in all.
The
way I see it, Thanksgiving can be hazardous to your health. Don’t get me
wrong now. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time
of the year, but it can be hazardous to your physical wellbeing and your spiritual wellbeing. The physical hazard comes from
eating all of that turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and potatoes and squash and corn and rolls and eggnog and deviled
eggs and stuffed olives and shrimp and cookies and candy and pumpkin pie and apple pie and blissful banana pie. By the way, that’s what we eat every year when the family gathers at my house for Thanksgiving. All of those gobbled up goodies can make a serious impression on your waistline.
When
it comes to Thanksgiving the temptation is always there to think the same way a little boy did while attending a birthday
party. When the time came to cut the cake, the little boy hollered, “I
want the biggest piece!” His mother was horrified. “Excuse me,” she said sternly, “but it’s not polite to ask for the biggest piece.” That brought a puzzled look to the little boy’s face. “Okay then,”
he asked, “how do you get it?”
All
of those cholesterol laden calories can make Thanksgiving hazardous to your physical wellbeing. By the way, did you know that
the average person gains 6 lbs. every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day? Thanksgiving can also be dangerous
to your spiritual wellbeing. That’s because when you start counting all
of your blessings the tendency is always there to focus on the material things in your life.
You give thanks for the roof over your head, the food on your table and the job that makes it possible for you to enjoy
the finer things in life. Those are all wonderful blessings of course, but what
about the people in your life? How often do you take the time to give thanks
for the people in your life?
The Apostle Paul felt it was important to do that. He felt it was important to let people know that you appreciate them. He felt it was
important to let people hear a few words of affirmation from time to time. That’s why he began his letter to the Ephesians
the way he did.
Now it’s true that Paul begins his letter by focusing
on some heavy duty theological issues. He talks about the resurrection and the
ascension. He talks about justification and sanctification. There’s even a little ecclesiology in there as well. In
the midst of all that theological talk though, Paul also takes the time to give the Ephesians a big pat on the back.
Paul
wrote, “I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not
cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”
Guess
what? There’s no doubt about it. Paul really liked the Ephesians. He was
proud of them. So, he made sure he told them that in his letter. Unfortunately, that kind of affirmation probably doesn’t happen as much as it should these days. There are lots of reasons why. Some people
find it hard to express those warm fuzzy kind of feelings. They’re like
the husband who took his wife to see a therapist because she was feeling really depressed.
After talking to the couple for a while the therapist said he had an idea. “I
think I know what your problem is,” he said. With that he walked over to
the wife, gathered her up into his arms and gave her a big kiss. The effect was
immediate. The wife began to smile and there was even a little twinkle in her
eye. “You see,” the therapist said to the husband. “That’s all it takes to put a little life back into her.”
The husband was thrilled. “Doc,” he said, “that’s
fantastic. If it’s alright with you then I’ll bring her in to see
you every Tuesday and Thursday.”
The
Apostle Paul didn’t have a problem letting the Ephesians know how he felt about them.
He told them that he was thankful for their faith and love and always remembered them in his prayers. How about you? When was the last time you told someone how much he or she meant to you? Some people don’t do that because they find it hard to express those warm fuzzy kind of feelings. Others don’t do it because they’re just too busy. They’re always
on the go because of the errands that need to be run and the deadlines that need to be met at work. There’s too much to do and too little time to get it done which means less and less quality time
with family and friends. It wasn’t supposed to be that way you know.
Back
in the 1960 a Senate subcommittee held a hearing on the future of technology. Several experts told the Senators how technology
was going to radically change the way people lived their lives in the future. The experts predicted that because of all the
advances in technology people would soon be cutting back on the number of hours they worked each week and retiring earlier. The biggest challenge for people in the future they said would be to figure out what
to do with all their free time. So, tell me. How are you enjoying all of your
free time?
I know. What free time? People today are
busier than ever and because of that they’re getting lost in all of the duties and demands and deadlines and decisions
that have to be made. It means the focus these days is on the things that have
to get done instead of the people who make life worth living.
All
of those duties, demands, deadlines and decisions also have a lot of people on edge. That means more grumbling and grousing
and less affirmation and appreciation. That’s the message a minister got one day for a woman in his congregation. After the service she said to him, “That was a good sermon.” The
minister humbly replied, “Don’t thank me. Thank the Lord.” “On I can’t do that,” the woman said. “It wasn’t that
good.”
It’s
sad, but there’s a plethora of criticism these days and a paucity of compliments.
Politicians are quick to point the finger of blame instead of working together to get things done. People turn their televisions on every week just to hear Donald Trump gleefully say, “You’re
fired.” Even Christians aren’t immune from the stone throwing negativity. Just ask the residents of Dover, Pennsylvania
who were told recently by the Rev. Pat Robertson that God was out to get them. He
told them not to be surprised if God hurls a natural disaster at them for voting intelligent design out of their schools.
All
of this is why it’s so important to do what the Apostle Paul did in his letter to the Ephesians. Do the people in your life know how important they are to you? When
was the last time you told them that you love them? If you can’t remember
then it may be time to pick up the phone or write a note or sit down and have a heart to heart talk. That’s the message
in a poem called “Around The Corner I Have A Friend.” It goes like
this:
Around the corner I have a friend…In this great city that has no end.
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on…And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face…For life is a swift and terrible race.
He knows I like him just as well…As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine, we were younger then…And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game. Tired of trying
to make a name.
“Tomorrow,” I say “I will call on Jim”…“Just to show that
I'm thinking of him.”
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes…And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner - yet miles away…“Here's a telegram sir. Jim died today.”
And that's what we get and deserve in the end…Around the corner, a vanished friend.
The
Apostle Paul will tell you of course that it doesn’t have to be that way. All
you have to do is put people before projects and let them know what they mean to you.
By the way, since it’s always important to practice what you preach, I just want you to know that I give thanks
to God for all of you. Amen.
Rev.
Dr. Richard A. Hughes
November
20, 2005
