GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
In the name + of Jesus.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) The reading does not say, “Give thanks, because it is Thanksgiving.” It does not implore you, “Give thanks, because you have such-and-such blessings.” It is not even the pessimistic plea: “Give thanks, because things could be worse.” It says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Then it gives the reason why: “This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) So, let's consider what circumstances we face, and then remember that it is God's will that we be thankful in all of them.
Give thanks for creation. Perhaps on Thanksgiving more than any other point in the year we remember God's First Article gifts, that is, gifts given by God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. We are grateful for all that God gives us to sustain us in body and life. Thanksgiving has traditionally been a harvest festival. Once the crops have been gathered in, we give thanks to God for supplying us for another year. While we do not participate in the agricultural harvest, we certainly do benefit from it.
Of course, thanks for God's creation goes beyond food, drink, clothing, and shoes. God is pleased to enhance our lives with emotional, mental, and psychological blessings. We enjoy bright sunny days, music, literature, camaraderie, card games, and laughter. We benefit from people with a panorama of interests and abilities. Through them, God provides everything from a clean water supply to museum curators to comic book illustrators. While we do nothing to deserve these and almost nothing to get them, we benefit from them all the same.
While God's generosity and grace are constant, our circumstances are constantly changing. In all circumstances, we give thanks. Give thanks in days of laughter and joy. It is easy to be grateful when you are happy. We not only confess with St. James, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” (James 1:17), we also respond accordingly. Who cannot help but praise God for bountiful harvests, the birth of children, or meaningful employment?
But we don't always have happy days. If we give thanks in all circumstances, then we also give thanks in sadness and pain. Sometimes the blessings are rather lean. Sometimes they are taken from us in shocking ways. A virus is not visible to the naked eye, but it can wreak havoc with your life. A moment of inattentive driving can result in a tragic accident. An unforeseen turn in the economy might mean unemployment. A routine trip to the doctor might result in a routine of treatments that puts your whole life on hold or in jeopardy. Yes, circumstances change, bringing sadness instead of laughter, and pain instead of pleasure. And still, St. Paul would urge you, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Physical or emotional trials often turn into spiritual trials. And they can become intense. When tragedy strikes you, you yearn to know why. Was it avoidable? Was it your fault? You can come up with all kinds of ways that it could have been. Then you compound tragedy with guilt. Did God do this to you? If so, does that mean God is angry with you? To think this is to compound tragedy with fear. Is it God's fault? If you believe God owes you better, or at least owe you answers, this compounds tragedy with anger and doubt. It could even lead to abandoning the faith for a more agreeable god.
And still St. Paul tells you, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Give thanks in sadness and pain. You don't have to pretend you are not suffering. Your pain and your loss are real. To have someone or something ripped from your life, it cannot help but leave a wound and a scar. There is nothing wrong with saying so. This is the reality of living in a sinful world. Your thanks may be muffled by tears, but it need not be muted. Even in the midst of such terrible circumstances, you have not lost your God. He never withholds his love or withdraws his promises.
Give thanks in weakness and struggles. All of us struggle against sin and temptations—either because Satan continually entices you to do what you know you should not, or because Satan mocks you over what you did. He preys on your weaknesses to crush you with guilt and shame. We struggle much more than we are strong. How can we be thankful when our circumstances are framed by the devil's constant tempting, by past regrets, or by present despair? Sure, we can fake a sunny mood on Thanksgiving. But darkness may already be back by Black Friday. Give thanks in weakness and struggles? How can we give thanks when we would rather sigh or cry or die?
Nevertheless, St. Paul would dare to urge you: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) The only thing constant about our circumstances is that they are always changing. So, if our thanks is to be constant in changing circumstances, then there must be something constant which would inspire constant thanks. God be praised, there is! We heard it in the Verse of the Day: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)
In all circumstances, you have a good and merciful Father in heaven who always loves you and is always invested in your eternal good. In all circumstances, you have a Savior whose blood purifies you from all unrighteousness. You are not defined by your past sins or your present struggles. God's favor is not proved by prosperity or popularity. In all circumstances, you are saints of God, cloaked in the righteousness of Jesus. In all circumstances, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you who intercedes for you with groans too deep for words. You are not abandoned in sadness or weakness; you are sustained by divine aid and strength. Circumstances change, but the mercy of the Lord endures forever. His love is steadfast. His word is firm. His salvation is constant.
Therefore, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Give thanks with confidence. In a world of uncertainty, you have the confidence that you are beloved children of God. That does not change, because God's covenant does not change. You who have been baptized into Christ, always bear his name, always have his favor, and are always heirs of his kingdom. Your own personal kingdom may suffer loss. Is that a hardship? Sure. But watching your 401k dwindle down to nothing will not render God powerless. If God has deemed it best for you to live on meager rations, he will still supply for your needs. And if God has deemed that to be best for you, then God be praised! He will help you live with less. If God deems it best that you won't be as agile in your old age as you were in your youth, then God be praised. Give thanks with confidence that God's mercy does not depend on your mobility. If God deems is good that you bid farewell to loved ones, then give thanks with confidence that God has joined you to a family of Christians who will console, encourage, support, and pray for you. Earthly losses do not affect the riches of God's kingdom. That is why you can give thanks with confidence.
Give thanks with comfort and assurance. Even if your circumstances in this world take a downward spiral, you know that both the spiral and the world will come to an end. For many, the worst fear that they have is that their life will end and their goods will be gone. But you have this comfort—your life will not end, and your goods are not necessary. Your greatest good and most precious treasure await you in the heavenly kingdom. Your life, which will end in this world of sorrow, will continue with our Lord in a Paradise of joy and will never end. That is why St. Paul reminds you, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
Who knows what your circumstances will be as 2020 turns into 2021. Better? Worse? Gain? Loss? Tears? Laughter? Probably all of it. But you will have one constant in all of it. His mercy endures forever. His love is steadfast. His salvation is certain. His covenant is firm. For the Lord your God does not change. He continually delights in you, and he faithfully works for your eternal good. This is why you can give thanks in all circumstances. It is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Since you are baptized into Christ Jesus, you can give thanks in tears and laughter, in weakness and struggles, with confidence and comfort. And since you are in Christ, you will give thanks without end.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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