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Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I
just read Alexander McCall Smith's new book, "The Lost Art
of Gratitude" in which the heroine, Isabel Dalhousie, is
thanked for clarifying a misunderstanding and setting the
record straight. After reconciling the difference of
opinion, her companion Professor Lettuce, says, "I've been
rather foolish." She replies, "You've been human - that's
all. We all make mistakes." He looked at her in gratitude.
"Thank you." He thanks her both for what she did, and how
she did it.
We've
been having some conversations lately about saying thank you
to people at church. In general, it was agreed that we say
thank you far too infrequently. It's not because we aren't
grateful for the work of volunteers, or because they haven't
done a great job. It's not even because we don't think of
it, we often do think, Wow, that was terrific, or she did a
great job as usual! But we don't always take the next step
to tell that person themselves.
There's
something churchy in there that keeps us from gushing our
praise. Some folks feel that we should serve the church for
its own sake, for the joy of serving the church, or we
should serve the Lord for the sake of serving the Lord. Some
folks feel that volunteers do so for the joy of
volunteering, sometimes called the volunteer's high. Some
folks feel we serve the people with whom we work most
directly, and those are the ones who should say thank you.
All of these are right, to a degree.
But
it never hurts to add a thank you. In fact, it means more
than you think. It means we are not taking things, or
people, for granted. It means we appreciate what they do and
who they are. It means that we are paying attention, and we
noticed things are better because of each person.
We
once did a children's time in which I asked the children to
say what they were thankful for, and then to imagine that
everything they had not named with thanks had just
disappeared. If we were to do that with people around the
church, we would express our gratitude for volunteers more
often!
Here
is Jesus' take on the subject. This is from Eugene
Peterson's new translation of the Bible called The Message.
The passage is so familiar, and this new way of saying it
really made it fresh for me. You will probably recognize the
verses just like I did.
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"Here
is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask
yourself what you want people to do for you; then
grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only
love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back?
Run of the mill sinners do that. If you only help
those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden
variety sinners do that. If you only give for what
you hope to get out of it, do you think that's
charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. I
tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without
expecting a return. You'll never - I promise -
regret it. Live out this God-created identity the
way our Father lives toward us, generously and
graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our
Father is kind; you be kind."
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So
extend your thanks as a way of being kind and appreciative
of those around you. We should not be above saying thank
you, nor should we all be completely selfless with our
giving. It is good for everyone to express thanks and
appreciation. As Alexander McCall Smith commented after
Isabel had been thanked surprisingly, "She had not expected
him to thank her; indeed she rarely expected anybody to
thank her for anything. Gratitude was a lost art, she felt.
People accepted things, took them as their right, and had
forgotten how to give proper thanks. Professor Lettuce, for
all his faults, had at least said thank you and she, in
turn, was grateful for that."
I am
grateful for each one of you, and your gifts to the church
of Jesus Christ. Thank you for blessing me with this
community.
Sincerely,
Rev.
Julie Harper
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