Thankful in Everything?
Philippians 4: 4-9
Roger Lynn
November 22, 2020
Thanksgiving Sunday

I don’t know how many times I have read the passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we heard read a few moments ago, but it’s a lot. Part of it is even a camp song (and now, if you know it, it will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day)! I’ve preached on this text at Thanksgiving time on several occasions, but never before have I done so in the middle of a global pandemic when the infections and the deaths keep climbing. Never have I done so in the days leading up to a Thanksgiving when millions of people will be making alternative plans which will not include getting together with family and friends. And so I find myself pondering one particular phrase in the midst of this passage, and wondering if it even makes sense under these circumstances. “...in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) How can Paul possibly believe that it is possible (to say nothing of desirable) to be thankful in all circumstances? But there it is, right in the middle of what we Christians call “the Bible.” “In everything,” Paul writes. And it’s not like Paul was some naïve, sheltered, never-had-to-face-any-hard-stuff sort of guy. This is the man who was beaten, and arrested, and thrown in jail, and shipwrecked, and run out of town on more than one occasion. It’s that man who writes, “...in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Thus I find myself pondering what Paul might have had in mind when he wrote those words.

And then I notice a small, seemingly insignificant word that might help me to understand. “In” everything! Paul doesn’t say “for” everything. He says “in” everything. I don’t believe he is advocating a Pollyanna-ish, rose-colored-glasses approach to life. He’s not telling the folks in the church at Philippi to just smile and pretend that everything is wonderful. What he is suggesting is something honest, and hard, and potentially life-changing. It requires that we gain a wider, deeper, fuller, richer perspective of life beyond just whatever circumstances we are facing in any given moment. Those circumstances are real, and they may very well be challenging and painful. We are not being asked to deny that reality. I believe what Paul is asking us is to remember is that in the midst of whatever is happening around us there is more. There is a larger picture into which our current circumstances fit. That perspective can be difficult to see at times. In one of Carrie Newcomer’s songs she talks about walking through life with a small flashlight. Often we can only see what’s right in front of us. It can be challenging, but it’s not impossible.

Paul reminds the Philippians that God is near. He reminds them that in whatever circumstances they find themselves they are not alone. He invites them to pay attention to the good that is around them. In the midst of whatever they are facing gratitude is possible – not necessarily gratitude for the circumstances themselves, but for the gifts which can be found even in challenging times.

During the dark days when Veronica was in the hospital, and then after she died, I experienced so much grief and pain there were times when I could barely function. But what I came to realize later was that the gift of gratitude had also been present, helping to guide me out of the darkness and back into the light. I was not grateful for the loss, but somehow, through a gift of pure grace, I managed to learn how to notice the things I could be grateful for. I was surrounded by love and support. I was not alone. My needs were met. There were lessons learned. My heart was not just broken – it was also broken open in profound new ways. The gratitude I learned to experience didn’t change the circumstances. Veronica was still dead and I was still devastated. But it transformed how I experienced those circumstances. Gratitude made it possible for me to survive and even learn to thrive.

Paul invites the Philippians, and through them he invites us, to be thankful “in” everything. Because no matter what is happening in our lives, “everything” always includes more than we can see in any given moment. God is always present – even when we are in so much pain we can’t remember to notice. We are cared for – even when it feels like we are alone. When we engage in the practice of gratitude, and it most certainly is something we have to practice, we open ourselves to the possibility of becoming aware of the larger picture. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, Paul tells the Philippians, and eventually you will arrive at the place where you’ve always been – right in the very heart of God’s peace and presence and care.

So this Thanksgiving, when so much about our lives and our world seems to be filled with such chaos and upheaval, I invite you to spend some time practicing gratitude. Not to deny the present circumstances, but to remember that there is more to life than just these present circumstances. There is always more. And remembering can make all the difference. Thanks be to God. Amen.