Colossians 1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15-17; 4:2

There are a number of historical figures that I would like to have met: great leaders, great examples of wise and heroic and compassionate humanity. I’d like to sit down with them for a couple of hours and hear them tell their stories, share their feelings, express their personal views on life and leadership. From the nineteenth century, I would love to have met Charles Simeon, William Gladstone and Abraham Lincoln. My twentieth century list would include Dag Hammarskjöld, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.

Gratitude as a gift

All except Mandela are now dead. But three years before she died, Mother Teresa, the Albanian-born nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity, who worked for many years in Calcutta and who died in 1997, told this story in an address to the US National Prayer Breakfast in 1994:

“One evening we went out, and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told the sisters, ‘You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worst.’ So I did for her all that my love could do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand as she said two words only: ‘Thank you.’ Then she died.

“I could not help but examine my conscience before her. And I asked: What would I say if I were in her place? And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said, “I am hungry, I am dying, I am in pain,” or something. But she gave me much more, she gave me her grateful love, and died with a smile on her face. Gratitude brings a smile and becomes a gift.”

What are some things for which you and I can express gratitude? That God loves us; healthy children; our beautiful partners; good meals; fine fellowship; employment; safe communities; spiritual gifts; eternal life.

In almost every letter he wrote, recorded in the New Testament, Paul expresses thanks. His heart seems to overflow with gratitude. And, as we shall see, especially in Colossians he encourages his readers to be thankful.

Grateful to God

Paul starts by giving us an example (1:3). He prays regularly for these Colossian Christians, and as he prays he expresses thanks to God. Why? Paul is deeply impressed by their love and faith and passion for the gospel, and how has the power to change their lives and community (vv 4, 7-8).

Paul goes on throughout the letter to emphasise this. Colossians is not only a doctrinal letter but a pastoral and practical letter. In 1:9-14, in a richly theological passage, Paul reveals that he has not stopped praying for them since the first day he heard of them, and he reminds them that they have a lot for which to be thankful. So do we.

In verse 10 Paul offers a high challenge. He prays for his readers “in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” That’s a tall order! Each of us fails God, and falls short of his reasonable expectations. We are human. We don’t consistently live a life worthy of the Lord; we don’t continually please him in every way.

We need regularly to come back to God and confess, “I have messed it up, Lord. I’m not the person I want to be. I don’t love and serve you as I desire to when I’m at my best. But through your power, I can be better, and do your will. So please help me.”

When we do this, we are not asking God to forgive fresh sins that are unforgiven. All our sins are already forgiven. When Jesus died on the cross, and when through faith we accepted his death for us, God declared, “OK. I have taken away all your sins. You are no longer condemned!” The penalty for your sins is removed. Right now, the power of sin in your life is annulled. It is when you let go of that reality that things start to go wrong. And on into the endless future, the presence of sin is eliminated.

These are colossal issues, but Paul gives good reasons for our confidence in God’s salvation (vv 11-12). As followers of Jesus, here and now as well as in the distant future in heaven, you and I possess this beautiful inheritance because we belong to him. This generates joy and gratitude: we find ourselves among those remarkable few who are “joyfully giving thanks to the Father” (vv 11b-12a).

There are seven references to thanksgiving in Colossians. Some are like 1:3, where Paul says, “We are thankful for you.” But there are others, such as 1:12 and 2:7, where he says, “You need to be thankful for this!”

Sometimes you and I can feel thankful. But that is not what Paul means here. He is not speaking about a heart attitude but about a volitional awareness that there is something to express thanks for, an awareness that expresses itself in action. We give thanks to God, or to Jesus, or to our fellow Christians – with our hearts attuned to grace, but expressing it in concrete, practical ways.

For example, you can be thankful to Ian and Edyth Wilkin for what they have given to the church in these past years, and you can demonstrate that gratitude by going and helping with the painting of their house on Saturday, or cleaning the rollers (and the carpet!), or providing meals and snacks for the workers. It’s not just a feeling; it results in action.

Gratitude as a lifestyle

The second thanksgiving passage is 2:6-7. It is important that we know the truth, and live in its light, and persevere. As we do, our lives will overflow with thankfulness.

I suspect that thankfulness is a natural response to the experience of grace in our lives. Those of us who find it impossible to be thankful, or who become burdened by duties or responsibilities that sap the grace out of our lives, find gratitude a harrowing discipline. It is a danger any one of us can fall into. Don’t believe that you are exempt or immune.

There are other barriers to grace and gratitude as well. Your work, your career, your personal battle of which no one else knows – depression, or sexual temptation, or child abuse: each of these can impoverish your spirit, and sap the grace from your life, and prevent you from being a person who follows Jesus authentically and whose life overflows with thankfulness.

English novelist and poet G.K. Chesterton provides another perspective:

You say grace before meals. All right.

But I say grace before the play and the opera,

And grace before the concert and the pantomime,

And grace before I open a book,

And grace before sketching and painting,

Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing,

And grace before I dip pen in the ink.

Chesterton was so grateful! He overflowed with thankfulness to God!

The third reference to thanksgiving is in 3:15-17. In chapter 3 Paul issues some strong challenges to pursue holy living. In verses 1-4 he outlines what we look forward to as followers of Jesus.

Then in verse 5 he says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature,” and lists the sort of values and lifestyle he has in mind. Then, in verses 12-13, Paul lists a number of positive attitudes and behaviours we would expect to characterise followers of Jesus.

Then, says Paul, over these excellent virtues, like an umbrella, unfurl this powerful and unmistakeable value of Christian love, the love of God in Christ, the kind of selfless love that Jesus demonstrated in going to and enduring the cross. It is like an outer garment, and when people observe your life they will see the love of God shining through your words and actions, your aspirations and achievements. And as you live by love, it binds all the other virtues together in perfect unity.

Then Paul continues (vv 15-17). The whole passage is very instructive and deeply challenging. We can only succeed in what Paul exhorts is to be and to do through the power of God and the grace of Christ within us.

Every day Thanksgiving Day

Finally, note 4:2, where Paul returns to the theme with which he started in 1:3. He says, “Do what I do. Devote yourself to many excellent Christian practices – but ensure that prayer is one of these. And as you are praying, be watchful and thankful.”

By “watchful” I think he means watch the world around you, and keenly anticipate the Lord’s return. We should live in such a way that, if Jesus returns today, as he may do, we will be ready to welcome him. Some of us are probably not living that way. And should Jesus come back today, what do you think he would feel and think about you?

As well as being watchful, Paul challenges us to be thankful. Each of us is called to be thankful: not only possessing a feeling of gratitude, or carrying out an obligation to be thankful, but a passion for extravagant, practical, everyday expressions of grace in the lives of those we touch. Is that you?

Charles Gerkin tells two stories to illustrate the variety of experiences among aging people. First, while travelling on a New York bus, an old man hobbled off the bus with a walking cane in one hand and his other hand on the shoulder of a younger man. Looking straight into Gerkin’s eyes, he said bitterly, “Getting old is nothing but hell!”

Second, many years before, Gerkin had worked as a chaplain alongside a psychologist named Leita at a technical school in Kansas. Now in his mid-seventies, Gerkin visited Leita, aged 86. She gave him a treasured book, explaining that she was placing her possessions with people she knew would care for them. Then she placed her hands on Gerkin’s shoulders, smiled, and said, “Charles, every day is Thanksgiving Day!”

And it is.

——————–

E143 Copyright (c) 2003 Rod Benson. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: New International Version (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980). To talk with Rod about this message, email or write to P.O. Box 1790, MACQUARIE CENTRE 2113 AUSTRALIA. To subscribe, email with “subscribe-river” in the subject. To unsubscribe, type “unsubscribe-river” in the subject.