PHILIPPIANS 4:4-20

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 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.

9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

14 Yet it was kind of you to share [1] my trouble.

15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.

16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.

17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. [2]

18 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.

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Do not be anxious about anything.  That’s the message that the Apostle Paul had for the Philippians.  It’s good advice but it isn’t always easy to follow.  It’s like the parent who tucks the child into bed at night and then tells the child not to be afraid of the dark.   I’m sorry but it doesn’t work that way.  When the light goes out and the parent leaves the room the child is still going to be afraid of the dark.  The same thing is true when it comes to anxiety.  Simply telling someone not to be anxious isn’t going to make the person any less anxious.

Consider if you will the woman who was constantly hearing noises in the middle of the night and was convinced there was a burglar in the house. Her husband kept telling her that it was just her imagination and that there was no reason to worry.  Well, one night the woman heard a noise.  So, she woke her husband up and made him go downstairs to investigate.  When he got there he did in fact find a burglar sneaking around from room to room.  Much to the burglar’s surprise though the husband just smiled and said, “Boy am glad to see you.”  He then invited the burglar to go upstairs with him.  “I want to introduce you to my wife,” he said. “She’s been waiting 10 years to meet you.” 

Just telling someone not to be anxious isn’t going to make the person any less anxious and anxiety is a big problem these days. And the list of things to worry about these days is very real and very long.  Is the stock market going to crash again?  Are my children going to be safe at school?  Will I have enough money when it’s time to retire?  What’s going to happen to me as I get older? Will I have to go to a nursing home? 

Or how about the two mothers who were chatting over coffee one morning.  The first mother said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.  My teenage daughter doesn’t tell me anything and I’m a nervous wreck.”  The other mother just shook her head and said, “What are you complaining about?  My teenage daughter tells me everything and I’m a nervous wreck.”

All of this is the reason Americans now spend $307 billion each year on prescriptions, painkillers and pills.  Did you know that last year doctors wrote 11 million prescriptions for sedatives?  Psychology Today (October 12, 2012)

That’s the bad news but there is also some good news. There is a better way of dealing with anxiety and it’s waiting for you in the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.   It’s simple and it’s something to think about as you prepare for your great feast of Thanksgiving.  You see a lot of the anxiety that you experience in life will simply disappear if instead of just counting you blessings you make your blessings count. That’s because when you just count your blessings the focus is on the things that you have and the things that you want.  And if you’re not careful you could end up like the guy who couldn’t get to sleep Thanksgiving night.  After everyone went home he still wanted more.  His dilemma is described in a poem that goes like this:

I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

But as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t sleep.

The leftovers beckoned-- the dark meat and white,
I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and squash, more stuffing and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all---pass the gravy, please.

When you just count your blessings the focus is on the things that you have and the things that you want.  The focus is on things that wear out and things that get broken and things that can get lost like the $3,000 hearing aide that I lost a few years ago. Now you can’t tell me that all of those material things in your life don’t bring more anxiety into your life.  Material things and anxiety go together.

Now anxiety wasn’t a problem for the Apostle Paul. He wasn’t the least bit anxious when he wrote that letter to the Philippians even though he wrote that letter while he was sitting in prison.  Paul wasn’t anxious because he and the Philippians didn’t just count their blessings.  They also made their blessings count. They made their blessings count by sharing them with each other and the result was a caring and close relationship that was full of hope and joy. 

The Apostle Paul made his blessings count by sharing his faith with the Philippians.  He worked hard and made lots of sacrifices so that they could know the Good News and be blessed by the peace that passes all understanding.  The Philippians, on the other hand, made their blessings count by sharing them with Paul.  We know that because in his letter Paul thanks them for their gift and says, “I am well supplied having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” It should also be pointed out that this wasn’t the first time the Philippians made their blessings count.  We know that because Paul also says that when he left Macedonia “no other church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.”  

When you make your blessings count it takes the focus off the things in your life and puts the focus on the people in your life. So, it brings you closer to the people around you and the God who created you. 

Instead of being like the man who wanted more of the Thanksgiving leftovers you’ll be more like the man who was described in an article that appeared many years ago in the magazine Christianity Today.  In the magazine Mark Tidd, of Webster, New York tells this story from his college days:

"An old man showed up at the back door of the house we were renting. Opening the door a few cautious inches, we saw his eyes were glassy and his furrowed face glistened with silver stubble. He clutched a wicker basket holding a few unappealing vegetables. He bid us good morning and offered his produce for sale. We were uneasy enough that we made a quick purchase to alleviate both our pity and our fear.  To our chagrin, he returned the next week, introducing himself as Mr. Roth, the man who lived in the shack down the road. As our fears subsided, we got close enough to realize it wasn't alcohol but cataracts that marbleized his eyes. On subsequent visits, he would shuffle in, wearing two mismatched right shoes, and pull out a harmonica. With glazed eyes set on a future glory, he'd puff out old gospel tunes between conversations about vegetables and religion. On one visit, he exclaimed, 'The Lord is so good! I came out of my shack this morning and found a bag full of shoes and clothing on my porch.'   'That's wonderful, Mr. Roth!' we said. 'We're happy for you.' You know what's even more wonderful?' he asked. 'Just yesterday I met some people that could use them.' "

Thanksgiving is when you count your blessings.  Thanksliving is when you make your blessings count.  When you count your blessings it leads to more anxiety.  When you make your blessings count it leads to peace of mind and gladness of heart.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes                           November 24, 2013 – Thanksgiving Sunday