Being Thankful Always

Being Thankful Always

Sunday, November 22, 2020

By Rev. James May

In this most extraordinary year of 2020 there are many who are living in fear almost as though they are under a death sentence if they get around other people who they are not associated with all of the time. This fear of what “could be” often leads to great depression and hopelessness as people are feeling more “cut off” from the outside world, and only feel safe in their own home.

And now that the virus is spreading again, that sense of doom is once again invading the land, and people are crying out for relief through a medical breakthrough and a vaccine that they hope will bring the answer.

Over the past 11 months families have suffered as they watched their loved ones leave this world and they could not even be by their side to say goodbye. Many are in the hospitals today and even their closest friends and family can’t go visit and bring encouragement. I was at the hospital just yesterday and the restrictions are so tight that only one visitor per day can visit any patient. The only good thing is that, at least at the place I went, Pastoral visits did not count as a visit that would keep someone else from going.

I want to address the instruction that the Apostle Paul gives to us in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I wonder how many of us this morning have had struggles with this teaching? Have their been times in your life when you faced troubles and problems and you wondered, “Just how am I supposed to act? How can I really be thankful in this situation?”

All of us, especially this year, have faced moments of apprehension concerning the Covid virus. Are we to be thankful that this virus has stricken our nation? How can we obey the Word of God and be thankful for it? Do we search for a purpose in it? Do we try to justify it by finding something that might be considered good out of it and try to proclaim that this is the will of God for Covid to be taking the lives of so many people? I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to justify the actions of God, who I know loves all men and would desire to see men saved and blessed and have a life of abundance, and then to say that God’s will is for men to suffer and die from Covid. How do you correlate, or make that fit together in your theology about God and his love for his people? Lord, help me to understand how I can be truly thankful for Covid, knowing all that it does in the lives of people?

Some of you have faced the loss of a loved one, or of a friend, or a brother or sister in Christ. Some have been related to Covid, but many have left this world for other reasons, because another word of God is in effect that says, “It is appointed to every man, once to die, and then to face the judgment.” No matter what may come that will bring the last stages and end of life, it is never a pleasant thing to see. Can you be thankful for the coming of death?

I know that in many instances, death is almost welcome because of the pain and suffering that is experienced, and it seems as though there is relief when the one who is suffering no longer suffers. It’s not as hard to accept death when a loved one has suffered a long time, and it sometimes seems like a huge burden has been lifted off of the shoulders of those who are left behind.

But not all have left this world after long periods of suffering and pain. Many are suddenly gone, having no prior suffering. That moment just comes quickly, perhaps by heart attacks, or even accidents. Those aren’t so easy to accept and the loss if magnified by the suddenness and not having a time to prepare for it. Again I ask you, “Is the power of death something that we should be thankful for?”

If we are to be thankful for it then why does the Bible tell us that death will eventually be forever destroyed and there will be no more death? Why should we be thankful for something so terrible that God has ordained that it should be no more? No matter whether it brings a release from a terrible burden that we must bear, how can we ever say that we are truly thankful for the loss of a loved one?