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November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving Festival Worship
Philippians 4:10-20
Pastor Ben Berger

I Rejoice Greatly in the Lord

Later on today many of you will celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends and a table full of food. One tradition that many families follow at the Thanksgiving meal is to go around the table and have everyone verbally give thanks for some blessing. How many of you do that? Last Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving with the ESL class for the second year and gave everyone a chance to give thanks for some blessing. That’s what the apostle Paul did at the end of his letter to the Philippians. He took his turn thanking God for the blessings he had received from the Philippian Christians. And I’d like to take my turn too, thanking God for the blessings I have received from the Mount Olive Christians. With Paul I proclaim, I Rejoice Greatly in the Lord 1) for your concern and 2) for your sharing.

First, notice that Paul REJOICED…IN THE LORD. Paul had received an offering from the Philippians. Paul wanted to thank them for their gift, but this wasn’t just a quick thank you note. You’ve probably received a thank you note. If you send a gift to FVL or the Synod, you’ll receive a thank you note and receipt for tax purposes. Paul wanted to express so much more. In fact, he didn’t specifically say thank you; he said “I rejoice.” Paul wanted the Philippians to know that his thanks continued in ongoing joy. He rejoiced greatly and in the Lord. Paul’s joy was spiritual. He knew that their offering was more than a gift; it was their thanksgiving for salvation. He knew that their gift was evidence of their concern for the gospel.

That’s exactly what Paul said. He didn’t say, “I thank you for the gift.” He said, “I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it” (10).

Paul rejoiced for the Philippians’ renewed concern. Paul doesn’t even mention the gift. He doesn’t say, “Thanks for the $100” or “Thanks for the $1000.” The gift is not what’s important to Paul; it’s the attitude behind the gift. And Paul wasn’t looking for more gifts. Very often those thank you notes come with another envelope looking for another gift. Nothing wrong with that, but that wasn’t Paul’s purpose either. He even states in verse eleven, “I am not saying this because I am in need” and again in verse seventeen, “Not that I am looking for a gift.” No, Paul was simply rejoicing in the Philippians’ concern.

From the first time the Philippians heard the gospel they had concern. They were concerned for Paul. They knew that he had dedicated himself to spreading the gospel throughout the world. They knew that he needed money to fund his travel and work. They knew that he often faced rejection and persecution. The Philippians were also concerned for the gospel. They wanted others to know about Jesus and the forgiveness he offered them. At first, the Philippians were unable to show their concern; they had problems too. And they were a poor group. But as soon as they were able, they took an offering and sent it to Paul. Paul rejoiced greatly in the Lord for their concern, before and after the offering.

I too rejoice greatly in the Lord for the concern of you, the Mount Olive Christians. It’s easy to be selfish, isn’t it? Nobody has to teach us selfishness. From birth we naturally think that the world centers around us. It’s like we have a little globe attached to our heads that makes it’s daily orbit around us. We want everyone else to pay attention to our needs and to satisfy our desires. My concern is typically about me – especially when it comes to money. It’s my money; I earned it. I deserve a few nice things for my hard work. I just can’t afford to think of others.

But the gospel has changed your hearts. You know how concerned God was for you. You know how concerned Jesus was for you. You know how concerned the Holy Spirit is for you. God was so concerned that he sent his only Son, his most treasured possession, for you. Jesus was so concerned that he lived, died and rose from the dead for you. The Holy Spirit is so concerned that he takes every opportunity to strengthen your faith and fill you with blessings through word and sacrament.

God’s concern for you has created concern in you for others. I see that you are concerned for the pastors and teachers who serve you. You know that they have dedicated their lives to spreading the gospel. You regularly say thank you and offer complement and encouragement. You make sure they have sufficient means to care for the needs of their families. You supply and maintain generous homes for your pastors. At the holidays many of you even offer special gifts of thanks to pastors and teachers alike.

And you show your concern with trust. You trust that when we talk about money, we’re not just looking for the dollars. I know that we’ve been talking about money a lot lately. It’s budget, then building, then FVL, then WELS, and that doesn’t even count all of the extra appeals that come to your house by mail. But you know that we’re more interested in your heart than your dollar. God doesn’t need our dollars. He can and will accomplish his will without us. It’s not about the gift; it’s about the attitude behind the gift. I rejoice greatly for your concern. We continue to present you with opportunities to spread the gospel because we know you have concern for the gospel. Before, after and regardless of the gift, we thank God for your concern.

Your concern often turns quickly into sharing. Not only do I rejoice greatly in the Lord for your concern, but I also rejoice greatly in the Lord for your sharing.

By sharing I mean your fellowship, your relationship, your partnership in and with the gospel. Paul said it this way, “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only” (14-16). Not only did the Philippians have concern for Paul and the gospel, they showed their concern by sharing.

The Philippians shared for the same reason you share – they were themselves thankful for what they had received. They and we are thankful that every single day Jesus again forgives our sins. It doesn’t matter if we’ve committed the same sin for the thousandth time or if we’ve committed the biggest sin ever; he forgives us. It doesn’t matter if we’ve been naughty or nice, he forgives us. It doesn’t matter if we’re made of sugar or spice, he forgives us. They and we are thankful that we no longer fear death or hell. We know that when our last hour comes, we’re leaving this world of sin for a perfect heaven. We know that when Jesus returns, he will raise us from the dead and restore our bodies and take us forever to live with him. And as a result of forgiveness and salvation, they and we are thankful for the opportunity to serve God and others by sharing the gospel, by helping others learn of their forgiveness and their salvation in Jesus.

Having heard about the Philippians’ partnership with Paul, let me remind you of Mount Olive’s partnership with the gospel. For every year that I’ve been at Mount Olive, you have supported the ministry here with more than $1 million per year. Wow! On top of that, you have supported a building project for the last three years, giving about another $1/2 million extra per year. Are you kidding me? That’s a 50% increase. On top of that, you have continued to support our high school, committing to raising that support by 1% per year until we reach 10%. On top of that you have committed to supporting our synod’s missions, ministerial training schools and other work with the same 1% per year increase until we reach 10%. In addition, you have given an over and above Walking Together offering for the past few years. In addition, you have partnered with a mission giving over $10,000 per year the last for years. Your generous, generous giving is indeed a partnership in the gospel. I rejoice greatly in the Lord for your sharing.

And, as Paul acknowledged about the Philippians, your sharing is a fruit of faith. Paul said, “I am looking for what may be credited to your account…I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (17-18). Not only do I rejoice in your sharing, but so does God. God is pleased with your partnership in the gospel.

And God promises to bless you. Paul said, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (19). God will do more than just meet your basic needs. He will continue to bless you with his glorious riches in Christ. God is more than happy to bless you that you might share those blessings for the sake of the gospel.

When you’re eating your Thanksgiving meal and going around the table giving thanks for your blessings, remember to join Paul and me as we rejoice greatly in the Lord. Give thanks for the concern and sharing of your fellow Christians at Mount Olive. Give thanks for Jesus and forgiveness and salvation and all God has given us. Give thanks for the privilege to share the gospel with others. God’s richest blessings to you this Thanksgiving through Jesus Christ. Amen.