"The Day the Sun Didn't Shine"
In 1883, It is said that in New England the Sun didn't rise! The people awoke to an eerie darkness. They went outside to do their chores in stony silence. No rooster crowed, no birds chirping, none of the usual sounds of a new day. At the very start, people began to gather in small groups to question what was happening, to wonder and discuss what was taking place. Slowly, people began to make their way to the Churches. They say that by twelve noon every Church in New England was filled to overflowing with people on their knees crying out to God. There were cries for mercy, people begging for forgiveness and others confessing their sins. They say that there were few people who didn't pray the day the sun didn't rise. The Churches were full late into the night.
As the next morning neared, great crowds began to gather on the hilltops and the high places near their homes and churches. People were staring toward the eastern horizon. Every eye was fixed on that point where the sky touched the land. Every eye watching, hoping to catch a glimmer of the first rays of the Sun. As the sun began to come up over the horizon, people began to shout and yell praise to God, they clapped, danced and rejoiced because the Sun shined on the land again. As if in one voice, they began to praise the Lord for the sunlight, the warmth and the joy of God's new day.
They had no idea that on the Island nation of Indonesia, the sleeping giant of a volcano, Krakatoa, had come to life. They had no idea that this great mountain had exploded sending a huge cloud of dust and ash into the upper atmosphere. This black cloud would be carried around the world by the jet stream. It was said to cover whole regions, covering the sky from horizon to horizon. Few people had any idea that a volcano, half way around the world, could create such a cloud that could block out the Sun. Yet for most of those people that the very first time they ever thanked God for the warmth and wonder of the Sun.
So as we look at situations like this, how do we go on? What is the point of continuing from here? Even here in this congregation, there are people that are hurting with their own losses. It may be the loss of a family member or friend, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, etc. But there is something that we have, right here in this room, that makes the difference.
Let’s pray.
I want you to open your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 1. Now before we get started looking at today’s passage let us spend just a few minutes to set the stage for the book. This is one of the books written by the Apostle Paul but there are some striking differences. Unlike most of Paul’s other books there is no usual greeting found in the beginning of the book. Also there is the absence of any news information or problems discussed in this book like Paul’s other writings. We do know that Paul spent a significant amount of time in Ephesus, approximately 3 years, as he worked in the area to convert many to the gospel message and establish the church.
Ephesus whose name means “desirable” was a hub of activity located on the west coast of Asia Minor. It was a very cosmopolitan place, a major stop on the trade routes, and it is in this setting that Paul delivers a very stirring message on unity in Christ and thankfulness for GOD’s goodness. And it is also in the setting of a prison that Paul writes to the church at Ephesus. That’s right, a prison. Do you remember he ended up in prison in Rome when he as a Roman citizen exercised his right and appealed to Caesar. What did Paul have to be thankful for while sitting in a prison?
Now, let’s get to our text, Ephesians 1:15-23 15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Here we see that Paul is giving thanks, giving thanks for the good news that he has heard of the church in Ephesus. Remember this is a very diverse and multicultural church, not unlike most of our churches today. Today, like at the time of the church in Ephesus, people come from all parts of the world and are brought together by the common thread of their belief in GOD, sharing a common bond as fellow believers in Christ. We see also that Paul is praying that the believers will receive wisdom that comes in a deeper knowledge of Christ. Wisdom and real growth that comes through time and a deepening experience of the believers with GOD, the kind of growth that we today need in the church. A growth that would lift us from the pit that we often find ourselves stuck in with no sign of an end in sight. But Paul prays that the faithful may see more clearly, not with their eyes, but with their hearts. That they may more fully understand the riches that await them in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Paul’s readers still did not seem to comprehend the full meaning of their calling, and he was anxious that they should see that the Christian’s hope is based on the facts of redemption. They had the forgiveness of sins, they were children of God, but still their eyes were clouded. He wanted them to have the hope that would suggest to them more than they had dreamed. You see hope is a mixture of faith and assurance, but it looks to the future for its completion. The believer may know that if God through the Spirit calls him, his whole life will become infused with the blessed hope. That is what we all live for today, the blessed hope. The idea that this is not our home, we are here but for a short time.
Psalm 103:1-22 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. 6 The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. 17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, 18 To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them. 19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. 20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. 22 Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!
We have a work to do in preparing the way for the Lord’s soon return.
I had the opportunity at the end of October two years ago to go and volunteer for the North American Division yearend meeting that was held at the Historic Adventist Village in Battle Creek. My job was to run the sound system for the talks being given by George Knight from the seminary at Andrews. As I sat through his talk I suddenly began to understand more fully his message that he was trying to get across to these conference leaders that were in attendance. You see his basic premise was this, when we as a denomination began in the mid 1800’s we built with wood since we knew that Christ was returning soon so why waste money on more permanent structures, save the money to further the work. As time went on we began to build with bricks and concrete, more permanent structures that would endure the elements and meet fire codes. Now he says we build with marble and stone and create permanent structures that will endure for ages to come. Somehow, we have lost the urgency to our message. We have trenched ourselves in for the long haul. We seem to have lost sight that heaven is our home and not this earth. However, there is something more to come, more glorious than any of us can imagine.
It is in this context that Paul answers by presenting Christ as the center and end of all things, working out His purposes through the church, “summing up all things in Christ”. Christ as the Head is the seat of all authority for the church. The analogy of the church and the human body is a very good one. While the body is one and the church is one, both are made up of various members, each having his or her own gifts and temperaments. Although there is a great amount of diversity of gifts, that does not mean there will not be harmonious association and operation. In fact, the members can perform their functions properly only when they work together.
So where does this leave us today then. We as part of the body of Christ, his bride the church, have a responsibility not only to him but also to our fellow believers. In the same way that Paul offers a prayer of thanksgiving for the believers in Ephesus, we too should offer a prayer of thanksgiving for those that sit around us. We may not all agree, we may have family squabbles at times, but when the rubber hits the road, we are family. When we come down to it, the price has been paid on the cross and it is our responsibility to carry forward the work.
We started out by saying that there was something right here that could make the difference for each of us. We have something in this very room that can make all the difference in the world today. Look around you, we have each other. As you look around this sanctuary today we can each be thankful for the people that sit around us. And in the same way that Paul raised prayers of thanks for the believers in Ephesus we can raise prayers of thanks and gratitude for each other.
At this time of year when we focus on the bountiful harvest, give thanks to GOD for his providing and watch care over us during the past year. We can and should thank him for the things that he has done for us and for the unseen things that he does for each of us. Thank him for the great sacrifice that he made in allowing his son to come to this earth to show us a better way. Thank him for the gift of eternal life that he provided through the sacrifice of his son on the cross of Calvary. Thank him for not giving up on us as sinners even though we did not deserve his attention. Here is the difficult one, thank him for the trials that we go through each day not knowing why, but he does. This point could not be illustrated better than to look at the following song in your hymnal as I read you this short story, Hymn #559. In 1636, amid the darkness of the Thirty Years’ War, a German pastor, Martin Rinkart, is said to have buried five thousand of his parishioners in one year, an average of fifteen a day. His parish was ravaged by war, death, and economic disaster. In the heart of that darkness, with the cries of fear outside his window, he sat down and wrote this table grace for his children:
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done
In whom His world rejoices.
Who, from our mother’s arms
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
Here was a man who knew thanksgiving comes from love of God, not from outward circumstances. Finally, each of us can thank GOD for the opportunity that we have in taking part in the furthering of his work to hasten his soon return.
Here is how Ellen White puts it: “The Father gave all honor to His Son, seating Him at His right hand, far above all principalities and power. He expressed His great joy and delight in receiving the Crucified One, and crowning Him with glory and honor. And all the favors He has shown to His Son in His acceptance of the great atonement are shown to His people. Those who have united their interests in love with Christ are accepted in the Beloved. They suffer with Christ, and His glorification is of great interest to them, because they are accepted in Him. God loves them as He loves His Son. Christ, Emmanuel, stands between God and the believer, revealing the glory of God to His chosen ones, and covering their defects and transgressions with the garments of His own spotless righteousness. The seal of heaven has been affixed to Christ's atonement. His sacrifice is in every way satisfactory. In Him mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. The Father embraced His Son, and in this included all who receive Him. "To them gave He power to become the sons of God." They are His chosen ones, joint-heirs with Christ in the great firm of heaven. They overcome as He overcame.” (ST, August 16, 1899 par. 13)
So what does thankfulness mean to you? Here is how one author puts it in this poem entitled “Be Thankful”:
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
Author unknown.
When you stop and think about it for a minute, and you are truly honest with yourself then there are many things in which to be thankful to the Lord for on a continual basis. Jesus Christ made the greatest sacrifice on your behalf; he gave up his life so that you may live forever. Are you willing to give thanks to he who is worthy of all our praise and adoration? Are you willing to turn your life over to him fully? If this is your prayer then I invite you to bow your head with me as we close in prayer today.
