Gratitude -sc.com

 GratitudeFundamental GratitudeBig Idea - Gratitude is a fundamental ingredient to a deep and meaningful life. Prayer - Lord let us live a grateful life, a meaningful life, and a life that breathes in and out the realities of your grace. Scripture - Genesis 8:15-20, Exodus 12:24-27INTROOur nation was doubly shocked this year by the tragic deaths of two profound, legendary men, The Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman and The NBA Great, Kobe Bryant. When we mourn the loss of someone who has achieved greatness in their own right and consider their achievements, we often follow it with a look inward to evaluate our life's significance as well. It's as if the grief, shock, anger, possibly denial, and at times, the deep sense of loss, has given us a pass to slow down and consider the significance of our own experience on this side of heaven.While we wrestle with life's significance, we ask ourselves questions like: What is most important in life?How do I fully live so that I am ready to die?Will I leave a legacy that benefits those who I leave behind?How will I build something in this life to carry into my eternal life?As humans we often desire a life of worth and significance. It’s part of our DNA. Although significance is in the eye of the beholder, if we believe our life carries a weight of goodness that benefits the world and those we love, we will desire to leave this world knowing it served a purpose.We want our lives to matter. Main TeachingSo, what makes our life significant? We know that work, play, community, our home, investments, and even our service can add value to our lives, but they do not define it. Therefore, if I want my life to be significant, what underlying values or practices should I be participating in so that it is significant now and hereafter?The Bible says that the practice of gratitude gives us a life here and after of significance. Through gratitude, we appreciate life's goodness, which compels us to pay it forward. Gratitude creates within us a deep sense of happiness and satisfaction, which in turn enriches our relationships, nurtures the formation of new friendships, and underlies the very foundation of human society. What is gratitude? So, what exactly is gratitude? Gratitude is the practice of actively remembering and expressing the grace (benefits we do not deserve) and goodness bestowed in our lives.We have an innate desire to show gratitude for the goodness and grace we receive.Noah: Early in the Bible, we witness one of the first acts of gratitude through the life of Noah. Read Genesis 8:15-20After being on the Ark for approximately a full year, Noah walks off the boat, and then (ESV) Noah builds an altar to the Lord. Noah's first recorded act upon leaving the Ark was an act of gratitude. When listening to or reading this story told, this act of worship is easy to read over. Without close reading, it appears to be a simple practice. But when we do a little more digging, we see it is an extraordinary act of thankfulness. First, consider the fact that Noah spent approximately 356 days on the Ark. As he walks off the plank, Noah makes a conscious decision that the very first thing he will do is say "thank you" to God. God did not direct him to do so.At this time in ancient Near Eastern civilization, God had not given commandments or statutes regarding worship. Organized religion and faith practices were still a thousand years away from formation (Exodus 20). Noah and his family had been the only followers of God amongst a society of evil heathens (Genesis 6:5-6). Therefore, this was a singular practice to God, not a communal practice of his people.Offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving was not a social-religious-economic habit of his day. In ancient Near Eastern pagan worship, when a sacrifice was made, it was offered to appease the gods and keep them happy so that the people would receive good fortune. Noah did not offer a sacrifice out of the need to have good fortune, a desire to keep God happy, or appease him. He offered his sacrifice out of a heart of gratitude. His natural inclination upon leaving the ginormous wooden box was to say, "thank you."Let's consider the many things Noah could have done upon leaving the Ark by taking a moment to imagine ourselves in this scenario:For a solid year, you’ve lived inside a dark ship. A ship drenched in the stench and mess of every animal on earth. During this time, you’re tossed around the world by tumultuous winds, rains, and waves. When the Ark finally banks itself on a mountain top, and you can walk out into the fresh air, what do you imagine your first act in this new world will be? Would it be to build an altar and say, "thank you?”How does God respond to this act of gratitude?God, knowing Noah's heart, understood that Noah leaving the ship and offering a sacrifice was more than sacrifice.Read Genesis 8:21-9:1As the aroma of Noah's sacrifice drifted up to the Lord, His heart was touched, and in turn, He said, I will never again curse the ground because of man's evil heart or kill every creature. And God blessed Noah.Blessing Noah was not a response to anything Noah had earned. His blessing was not because he was a stellar ship captain who kept the morale of his crew in high spirits, nor for having completed the ark by God's building code, nor was it a reward for his exceptional care of God's last remaining creatures on earth. Noah's blessing was not a response to his obedience, although blessings do come from choosing obedience. In this story, we learn Noah received his blessing because he chose to worship, which pleased the Lord. Because his heart was thankful, and Noah's emotion overflowed into an act of gratitude – an offering. EucharistaThe English word gratitude stems from the Latin word gratia, which means to give thanks. The Bible takes this one-word definition further. In the Bible, gratitude is the word eucharista, which stems from the word charis, which means grace. Charis (grace) - a favor, an act of goodwill, and loving-kindness for which we do not deserve. Eucharista is an offering of thanks out of the abundance of grace shown to us. It is to give thanks to the Lord with pleasure and delight because we have received delight and pleasure from his grace (charis).Eucharista is not a horizontal practice. It is not a give and take, to and from. Grace does not travel one way and then come back again. Eucharista is reciprocal. It is a cycle of giving and receiving all at the same time. It is grace abounding. The Bible tells us that God does not desire sacrifice for sacrifice's sake, but that He delights in our expression - our declared praise and adoration, which is an outward expression of what is in our hearts (Psalm 51:15-17).By choosing to practice gratitude, we choose the grace that God has freely offered us and offer it freely back to him and others. It is important to note that the gratitude we are talking about is much more than a "thank you" utterance. Practicing eucharista flows out of a sentiment of thankfulness. The gratitude for God's grace is more than a mere recognition of God's grace, but a felt response which intrinsically demands that we express this response. Story: I recently read a news article about a police officer responding to a man threatening suicide by jumping off the top of a high building. When The Officer arrived at the scene, the man on the ledge uttered as he positioned himself perched to jump, "No one loves me. No one cares if I die. No one will miss me." The Officer said it was as if the man's despair was painfully evident as he repeated the sentiment over and over. As other officers tried to talk him off the ledge, The Officer realized the situation was getting worse, not better, and that the man on the ledge was going to jump.As The Officer witnessed this man's pain, he said all he could think at that moment was, "I love this man. I care for this man."So, this is what The Officer offered this man on the ledge – this intrinsic feeling of love that he had for him. As the man continued to vocalize his brokenness, the officer gently stated, "Don't jump. I love you. You are loved. You are not alone, and someone cares for you. I care for you. I love you." The Officer said this repeatedly, and if you find this story on the internet, you can find the audio of him speaking to the man on the ledge. The surrounding officers testified that these words brought the man out of his trance of despair. As The Officer continued to tell the stranger on the ledge that he loved him, the man climbed off the ledge and fell into The Officer's arm, sobbing. The Officer held him, embraced him, and continued to repeat that he loved him. When the reporters asked The Officer why he felt this way toward a man he did not even know, the officer replied something to this effect, "I just felt I loved him even though I didn't even know him. And it broke my heart to see him feel so unloved. Because I am loved, I knew I loved him."This is God's grace poured out in an expression of love. When we receive God's grace in our life, we naturally want to express it. We do not always know how it will come out, be used, or where it will go. But when this grace is received, it desires to be expressed.GraceIt’s easy to recognize God's grace in our life when life's greater needs are met. Or when we are the recipient of unmerited generosity. Children are a perfect example of this;As parents, one of our biggest tasks is to raise polite and emotionally aware children who say what? Thank you. At our child's birthday party, we continually remind our children, "Say, thank you." At the grocery store, when the baker gives our child a free cookie, without even thinking about it and before the cookie is hardly in our child's hand, we blurt out our go-to response, "What do you say?" Implying there is to be a response of gratitude for this free and undeserved gift. As parents, I would even venture to say that some of our most humiliating parenting moments arise from our child's ungrateful behavior – when words and actions are perceived as disrespect. For I have also said, and I have heard many parents mimic the same, "Be respectful. Say, thank you."(Pastor - This is a great moment to share a story of embarrassment by a child around an ungrateful, possibly even disrespectful moment.)Sample over … download the Gratitude Sermon Series Kit for the complete sermon ................
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