About extreme thankfulness

Here is last Sunday's sermon. As it sometimes goes - and espcially when you feel very strongly about something - I spoke a bit more outside this draft and more from my heart. I am the first to admit that I haven't been very good at practising extreme thankfulness lately although I certainly should have. I am, however, absolutely convinced that it is the way to go and therefore will do my best to get back to it myself, too. One of the biggest miracles is that as you set out to thank, you will more often than not also be given a way to see your situation in a way that you didn't have before. I see it as the work of the Holy Spirit :).
Oh, one more thing. You may notice that "no matter what" comes up in this sermon. The original one and the original thoughs surrounding thankfulness are in fact the reason why I named this blog No matter what and the same in Finnish.

I came across one of my own favorites, when it comes to my sermons. I feel seriously silly to say so, since I’m told that to be seriously good as a writer- and presumably as a preacher - means that you are never happy with what you have written. In addition, of course, there is my Finnish nature which always takes offence with anything resembling self pride. However, truth be told it still is my favorite. And it is about extreme thankfulness.
I’m not about to read a whole sermon that many of you have already heard but I am going to take up what I thought was the main point and which relates closely to this Sunday's theme, thankfulness.
The interesting thing, when it comes today’s passage, is that last Sunday the passage was the Good Samaritan and today we meet a Samaritan again. This time it is not a question of a story by Jesus but an actual encounter. And here again a member of a despised group is the one who is able to distinguish between what is essential and what is not. In the story about the Good Samaritan he is the one who helps a man in need and here the Samaritan is the only one to praise God and thank Jesus for the fact that he was healed. All were healed and all I am sure stayed healed but only this man returns back.
The question which I would like to avoid is, since I do not have an answer, why? The only thing that I can comment on is that I see in this description of an encounter much of the same as in many of the encounters of Jesus’ life. It seems to me that much of the time the biggest issue was that people were so unable to distinguish between what is important and what is not. With the hundreds of regulations of their society they had they seemed to have gotten completely lost. Not unlike we as Christians are capable of doing, too. In our case we make up the rules and regulations all by ourselves.
Perhaps it is true what many say that people who are in the fringes of society are also those who are better able to distinguish between the truly important things in life and the not at all so important parts of it and that is why the Samaritan is the only one to really react.
Now, the thankfulness bit. The way I was gently thought to take responsibility of my life and in respect to that to distinguish between the truly important and the not so important is closely connected to thankfulness. You see, I was told to read a book about thankfulness. And what it talked about was learning to give thanks for each and every aspect of your life. This includes even the hard stuff. And the embarrassing stuff. And the stuff that causes you pain and suffering.
It is a huge thing to ask a person, which is one of the reasons I am never ever going to think or say that being a Christian is easy. It isn't and I don't recall God ever saying that it would be. It is worth the while but not easy. Because how do you thank, when you really want to sink inside your skin and just whimper? How do you say thanks, when it takes everything there is in you to just get up in the morning?
And yet, I do not see a better course of action either. Self pity and the rest of the choices available, such as anger, weeping or bitterness, will drain you. There is a time for crying and there is a time for anger yes, very much so, but after that time is over it is time to brace yourself, shut up and say thanks. My pain doesn't vanish but it can become at least a tiny bit more bearable. In thanking God for the cup of life He has put into my hands to drink I take charge of what is happening in me instead of letting my feelings run amok keeping me hostage in a state of despair and anger.
Christianity does not separate mind from body. Love is something you do, not something you feel. Faith is something you do, not something you think. In fact, the greater your doubt the more heroic your faith. And likewise thanking God is not about something you feel it is something you do. You just say thanks. No matter what. Some call it extreme thankfulness.

And so we say thanks:
Today, our merciful Father we say thanks for everything.
We thank you for our lives as they are. No matter what.
Amen.