"THE GIFT OF GRATITUDE"

So this new monk arrived and immediately dedicated himself to the vow of silence. He didn't speak a single word for one whole year. At the end of that first year, they brought him into the Abbot's office to speak his two words. The two words he chose to speak were, "Food bad!" He then got up from his chair and left.

At the end of the second year, he returned to speak two more words to the Abbot. This time he said, "Room small!"

At the end of the third year of silence, he came back to the Abbot again, and this time he said, "Bed uncomfortable!"

At last, after four years of silence, he said to the Abbot, "Want out!"

"Well, I'm not surprised," said the Abbot. "All you've done since you've been here is complain!"

We all know people like that, don't we? Constant complainers. Sometimes we are people like that, aren't we? And there certainly is plenty going on in our world to complain about – even to worry about – if that's what we choose to do.

But St. Paul told us to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks for everything. Verse 6 of the reading we heard today says, "Dismiss all anxiety from your minds; instead, present your needs to God through prayer and petition, giving thanks in all circumstances."

Notice, Paul does not say, "Give thanks for all circumstances." No! He says, "Give thanks in all circumstances." There's a big difference between those two words. Obviously, we don't give thanks for cancer or heart attacks or unemployment or tragedy or costly and painful accidents, or violence or war; but in all those things -- in everything -- we can give thanks.

You know why, don't you? Because God is with us! God is always with us, in every circumstance. And if we will open our hearts to God and hold on to God in faith and hope and love, God will see us through the circumstances of the moment.

Someone expressed it beautifully: "Rich is not what we have; it's who we have beside us." It's not material things, nice as they may be, but God's presence with us -- and our acknowledgment of God's watchful care in our lives -- that are the real source of thanksgiving.

On another occasion, Paul put it like this: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." In other words, "Bring it on! I'm ready because, in Jesus Christ, God is with me!"

Rich is not what we have; it's who we have beside us! When we have God beside us and within us, we can indeed give thanks in all circumstances. When we have God beside us and within us, gratitude becomes the theme, the motif, the watchword, the overriding spirit of our lives. And that's what the world desperately needs to see by our example: a faith that allows us to give thanks in all things!

I once saw a cartoon that showed a tough-looking dog running angrily toward a small cat. When the little cat saw this huge dog approaching, obviously looking for a fight, the cat began to bark -- not meow but bark -- and snarl ferociously. The cat's barking and snarling so startled and frightened the dog that it tucked its tail between its legs and ran away. Then the cat turned and said, "Sometimes it sure helps to know a second language!"

Gratitude should be like a well-learned second language to us as Christians...something we can call upon and use at a moment's notice. We should give thanks continually, not because God needs our flattery, but because we need to be thankful people...for our sake's -- and for the world's.

I once read about a woman who does an interesting thing as a spiritual discipline. As she pays her bills, she writes, "Thank you" in the lower left-hand corner of every check. When she pays the electricity bill, she expresses gratitude for electricity. When she pays the telephone bill, she expresses gratitude for the miracle of communication. When she pays the mortgage, she expresses gratitude that she has a roof over her head and a comfortable place to live. That woman's constant expression of gratitude reminds us that we cannot be truly grateful for the blessings that come our way without being grateful to God. Every sincere "Thank you" is an implied "Thank you, God!"

Let me ask you to try something. Think back over your life and remember the great men and women you may have known, the ones who have touched you and moved you and influenced you for the good. My guess is that all of them possessed the same great quality -- not arrogance, puffed-up pride, or boastfulness, but a deep spirit of thanksgiving and an ability to express the language of gratitude. Gratitude is a language we all need to know -- and use -- well.

The world needs, though, to do more than hear words of gratitude from us. Gratitude should be a sense we give people...an air about us...a fragrance, if you will, that we give off to those around us. Back in the early days of the church, a rather strong-smelling incense was burned in the worship services, and the aroma of that incense would saturate the clothing of all those present. When the people left the church, they literally smelled like incense. Wherever they went, people could tell by their fragrance that they had been to church...that they had been in the presence of God. For us today, the "fragrance" of our faith should be our gratitude...unconditional gratitude in all circumstances.

It's fascinating to note that so many of the greatest expressions of thanks-giving in history came from people who didn't have a lot of material blessings to count: Jesus, who had no place of his own to lay his head; Martin Luther, in hiding for his life; Francis of Assisi, who was voluntarily poor; Helen Keller, blind and deaf; Mother Teresa, who lived her life in a leper colony.

Unconditional gratitude -- gratitude with no strings attached -- was the fragrance of their lives, because they knew that God was with them. Life was hard and times were tough, but God was with them, and that's all that mattered. Gratitude is the language and the fragrance...indeed, it is the essence of a Christian. That's what the world needs to see.

I stand here now, in my last few hours as pastor of this great church. And I want to tell you, I have much to be thankful for and I am grateful to God for all that I have experienced, gotten and given over these past four years. I'm grateful for our shared experiences of growth, both numerically and spiritually. I'm grateful for all of the talented, committed leaders who have emerged and who use their abilities to serve God in this faith community. I'm grateful for every ministry team member who does his or her part -- whether it's high profile or completely "behind the scenes" -- to ensure that this is a church of quality and substance and love.

I'm grateful for the strong and influential reputation this church now has in the larger community. I'm grateful for people who have passed through my life here and for people who have come into my life to stay. I'm grateful for the lessons I've learned – some hard and painful, some comforting and joyful. I'm grateful that I have been able to grow -- as a pastor and, more so, as a person – in my years with you all.

I'm grateful for all of you, and I appreciate the gratitude you've shown to me along the way. And I am especially grateful, in advance, for the exciting and surprising future that awaits this church. I encourage you to, "Dismiss all anxiety from your minds; instead, present your needs to God through prayer and petition, giving thanks in all circumstances."

The greatest gift I can give to you and that you can give to me on this day...the greatest gift we together can give to the world on any given day...and the gift we need to give to God, throughout the course of every day...is the gift of gratitude. Amen.

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