Rockin’ Around the Thanksgiving Tree
Nathan Hall
Midland SDA Church
December 10, 2022
Acts 20:35
I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.
I am so happy to be worshipping with you all today. Before we begin, I would like to have another prayer. There is a pastor friend of ours that always begins his sermons by saying that he hopes to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. My hope is that today my sermon will do just that.
As I was preparing for my sermon today, I was planning to put together a short Christmas program featuring the children of our church and school. As you can see that didn’t exactly work out. However, I do like a good Christmas sermon. So, I forged ahead with thinking of a topic that would fit the season and hopefully speak to your hearts.
And I believe that the topic that God brought to my mind is very fitting for today. You see, today is December 10, 2022. We’re right in between two very important holidays. It has been 16 days since Thanksgiving and it is only 15 days until Christmas. So, let me be the first to wish you a Merry Thanksgiving! Now this may sound a little odd to some of you or it may leave some of you feeling confused, but I hope as we continue with our message today that things will become clearer.
In the late 1800s, Richard Sears joined up with Alvah Roebuck and Julius Rosenwald to send out general mail-order catalogs that were packed full of everything from clothing to toys to household appliances. Early Sears catalogs billed themselves as the “Cheapest Supply House on Earth” or “The Book of Bargains” and featured a mind-boggling array of products such as medical supplies, musical instruments, firearms, bicycles, sewing machines, baby buggies and at one point, even houses. In 1894, the catalog page count was 322 pages. Sears issued its first Christmas catalog in 1933 featuring such items as a Mickey Mouse watch, a Lionel electric train set, a Miss Pigtails doll and live singing canaries. By 1968, the Christmas catalog was officially renamed the “Wish Book”. The catalog boasted 225 pages of toys and 380 pages of gifts for adults, for a grand total of 605 pages. Around the 1960s, serious competitors arrived and by 1991, Sears lost its crown as the nation’s top-selling retailer to Walmart. By 1993, Sears announced it was closing its catalog division bringing an end to a storied era of mail-order bargain-hunting and wish fulfillment that had begun nearly a century earlier.
https://www.history.com/news/sears-catalog-houses-hubcaps
Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, I have many fond memories of pouring through Sears and JCPenney catalogs that would mysteriously arrive in our mailbox. My brother and I would take turns circling things we wanted for Christmas, never forgetting to “dog-ear” pages so those treasures could be easily found again. Now, even though we knew that we didn’t’ have a chance to get everything we wanted, it didn’t stop us from wishing we would. And as we flipped through the hundreds of pages in these catalogs, I’m sure it brought back memories for my parents of when they were kids and did the very same thing. As well as many of you may be thinking similar thoughts right now.
You see, Sears was the Amazon.com of its day. And now Amazon and other retailers are implementing their own versions of this ingenious marketing tool. Admittedly, my wife and I have passed along this tradition to our girls. And it’s amazing how quickly Evelyn and Hazel have picked up on the concept of circling things they want, which is about everything in the book. Last year, Hazel even circled some of the people in the catalog! I’m sure she just thought she’d like to be their friend or she liked the dress they were wearing.
https://www.today.com/video/holiday-store-catalogs-are-returning-reviving-a-classic-tradition-127345733612
Yes, kids of all ages seem to be able to find things that they want. Whether you’re a kid pouring through a catalog or an adult doing some online shopping on your phone, we all have things that we want.
Since the dawn of online shopping, retailers have tapped into this “desire for more” that we all have. They wouldn’t be running successful businesses if they didn’t consider every possible way to make a sale. That is why when you see something you like, you have the option to add it to your cart or add it to your wishlist. The whole idea behind the wishlist is pretty simple and it harkens back to the days of kids laying on the floor with crayons in hand. Some retailers even have a function to share your wishlist with others as they realize that is another way to generate revenue and reduce the number of unwanted gifts that are returned for a refund. And just like when you were a kid, you may have things on your wishlist that you know you can’t afford or that are completely unreasonable to expect someone else to buy for you, but it doesn’t keep you from wanting it.
https://www.shipstation.com/blog/5-reasons-add-wishlist-ecommerce-site/
So, where does this desire for more come from? Well, let’s start by asking, how do you know that you want something? If you already have something, are you going to want it? Even the kid in the Christmas song knows the answer to that one. The only reason why he wanted two front teeth for Christmas, was because they were mithing, I mean missing! There is no want for something that you already have. So, our desire for more is actually a natural response to our perception of lack.
So, how do we know that we lack something? Every day, we are bombarded with advertisements through internet, radio and television promising us an easier, happier life if we buy their product. So, what do we do? We rush out and buy the item that we’ve longed for and we do feel better, for a while. Unfortunately, that feeling is temporary and when it fades, we are back wanting more. For many, this becomes a lifelong pursuit of buying more and more, hoping to finally satisfy that desire in their life.
How can we go so quickly from a feeling of euphoria to feeling dissatisfied with what we have? Psychologist, Robert Rowland Smith, wrote about this feeling in the August 5, 2010 issue of Psychologies Magazine. He says, “The object of our desire is not the object, but the relief that comes from having acquired it and thus no longer having to desire. Wanting, in other words, wants not to want. Not wanting feels a whole lot better than wanting. The calmness that comes from having bought something can be bought at a much cheaper price: not allowing yourself to desire it in the first place.” Yes, it is true that, “Every man is rich until he sees something he wants something he doesn't have”. (Amish Proverb)
Many will go to great lengths to remove this feeling of want from their lives. Do you remember the good ol’ days of Black Friday? Before they started bringing these sales online, people would be up in the wee hours of the morning, waiting in line in the freezing cold just to ensure they were able to snag a big screen TV or other coveted item at bargain basement prices. Stores had to hire extra security and staff for that day as it was common place for fist fights, shoving matches or other craziness to occur. Yes, for many this day signaled the beginning of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” as they wanted to get good deals on things that were on their kids wishlists.
There was only one time that I participated in a Black Friday scramble. And it was when stores started opening up deals on Thursday night of Thanksgiving. At the time, I wasn’t interested in any big-ticket items. All I wanted was a couple of DVDs. So, I convinced Hilary and my brother to come with me to Walmart on Thanksgiving night to try to get them. By the time we got there, the Walmart parking lot was already full. We found shrink-wrapped display of DVDs and stood around for several minutes waiting to until finally, a Walmart employee made the announcement over the intercom they were going to count down from 10 and then we could start “shopping”. As if what was about to happen was going to resemble a normal experience at the store. I remember as soon as he got to zero, the people standing around me tore into the shrink wrap like they had claws on their finger-tips. I reluctantly joined in the madness, but since I was a Black Friday newbie, I didn’t get in their quick enough and was unable to snag even one copy of the DVD I was looking for. As I was walking out, I remember seeing someone with their cart literally full of DVDs. I later figured out that they were probably planning to sort through them and put back what they didn’t actually want to buy as I ended up getting the DVD at Walmart the next day for the same price. And no one fought me to get to it the next day.
With more and more people shopping online, retailers have made these same sales available to online shoppers which has helped to remove some of the madness. However, it hasn’t changed the fact that people will go to great lengths to acquire something they desire. Now, it manifests itself in the form of hours and hours of searching different websites to find the best deal or promo code. The details have changed but the heart of it is the same.
So, what am I getting at here? Is there anything wrong with buying things that you want for yourself? No! What about buying things off a wishlist for your family and friends? No! The answer lies in looking at the heart of the gifting process. First off, the concept of wishlists promotes selfishness. And when we are focused on self, there will be a void in our lives that cannot be filled by buying more stuff. We could buy everything on our wishlists and we will never fill that hole in our lives that can only be filled by having a passionate love for God and our fellow man. It reminds me of the text in Matthew 6:19-21.
Matthew 6:19-21
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Going along with this 1 John 3:17 says:
17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
So, while I may be saving my pennies to buy something frivolous like a Red Rider BB Gun, there is actual suffering all around me. Now, anyone can look around at the needs in their community or around the world and say to themselves, “that’s too bad”. But if they’re not moved to do something to change the situation, what they really mean is, “I’m glad that’s not me”. You see, it takes the love of God filling someone’s life to change that focus from self to a focus on the needs of others.
Secondly, and this point is mostly to do with Christmas, is that we should not make gift giving be the main point of Christmas. I mean, have you ever thought that Christmas was over as soon as you’re done opening presents? Think about your Christmas traditions and ask yourself if that moment is the climax of your Christmas experience.
If this describes you, I want to challenge you to incorporate some new traditions this year. The types of activities I’m thinking of focus on experiences with God and with others. How about finding a live nativity to go see. You could also go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood and bring a smile to someone’s face. Then as you fellowship with your family and friends, tell and re-tell stories not only of Christ’s birth, but also the continuing story of His perfect life and sacrifice on our behalf.
If Christmas is about Jesus, then let’s live how Jesus lived by showing love and compassion for those who are suffering. Let's silence the critics of Christianity by showing them what Christ-like love looks like. Christmas is an especially hard time to be alone, so let’s comfort those who will be alone by inviting them to join in our family dinners. Other things we can do this time of year include showing selflessness by letting someone else have the best parking spot at the mall or showing your willingness to serve by helping a neighbor shovel / snow blow their driveway.
There are many ways that we can show our care for others during this time of year. Another idea would be to prepare packages of food and small meaningful gifts for others that are less fortunate than you are. Then, leave the package at their door and sneak away without knocking so they don’t know it was you that left it for them. Although the sneaking away part is getting harder to pull off these days with the increasing use of doorbell cameras. If you’re afraid of being “caught in the act”, then you can mail a package to them anonymously.
The great part of all this is that you don’t actually have to break the bank to show how much you care for someone. In these types of situations, it truly is the thought that counts. Because when we let others know that they are cared for, they receive strength and encouragement to face their trials.
In addition to spreading Christmas cheer to those around us, let’s add in a healthy dose of Thanksgiving by passing along the tradition of contentment with the things God has already blessed us with. I have attempted to illustrate this point through the sermon title that I chose today. There were several other great contenders such as, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Thanksgiving”, “A Holly Jolly Thanksgiving” and “God Rest Ye Merry Pilgrims”.
If we are able to do this, it will be easier to focus less on what we want and more on how we can help others. Otherwise, I think it’s pretty easy to move past our attitudes of thankfulness into a season of selfishness. So, as you prepare for your family gatherings, I hope you will take the time to reflect on how good God has been to you this year. That’s one of the best ways to stop the madness of keeping up with the Joneses.
And if you’ve recognized that you have too much stuff in your house, then it’s time to declutter and downsize your possessions by donating gently used items such as a warm coat to our local Adventist Community Services center. Many of you already volunteer your time to keep this ministry running smoothly and you’re well aware of the benefit it provides to those who are struggling to make ends meet.
In addition to the satisfaction that comes from knowing you’re helping someone out, there are other benefits that come from cutting the excess out of your life. One of those that Hilary and I have discovered is that having too much stuff in your life can be stressful. One way to tell if you have too much is when you’re constantly trying to figure out how to keep things organized and where to store it all. That is why storage units are so popular. It’s because we as a nation are so blessed that we cannot even fit all of our stuff in our houses. This problem is magnified even more with three little ones who are constantly growing out of clothes and receiving birthday and Christmas presents every year. It just seems like a constant battle sometimes and we are always setting something aside to either donate or sell on Marketplace.
And even if you’re able to sell something on Marketplace, you’ll only get about a quarter of what you paid for it. It just seems like such a waste of money and time to get stuck in this cycle of acquiring and downsizing. That is why it is so important for us to learn to be content with the things we have and learn to focus on experiences rather than stuff. So, take this opportunity to cut down on your monthly storage bill and help someone who needs what you’re not using.
And if you still have the desire to go shopping, there are plenty of worthwhile wishlists out there. And rather than focusing on our lists, we can start helping others with their lists. Some awesome examples of these include:
· The ADRA gift catalog https://giftcatalog.adra.org/gift-catalog/
ADRA is the global humanitarian arm of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and for many years they have been delivering relief and development assistance in more than 118 countries. Some of the items on their gift catalog include:
o Chickens, which cost $44 and can help a family with food to eat and eggs to sell at the market
o Bees, which cost $190 can help a family start a profitable business. The cost includes a hive, bees, tools and a protective suit.
o Goats, which cost $80 can help provide milk and cheese that can be eaten and sold year-round.
o For $50, you can help a family start their very own vegetable garden.
o Other things on the list include building a latrine, which helps to protect people from disease, and digging a well, which helps to provide clean water to a community.
· Eyes For India (It Is Written) https://www.itiswritten.com/eyes-for-india/
This ministry is sponsored by It Is Written and is one that I am personally very interested in. You may have heard of this already as John Bradshaw promotes it regularly. According to their website, 15 million blind people live in India. For many of these people their sight could be restored with a very simple cataract surgery. The actual surgery time only takes 2-3 minutes. So, theoretically, up to 300 surgeries can occur in one day. The cost to provide this procedure to one person is $75. And to do more, you just multiply $75 by the number of people you’d like to help. Can you imagine being able to say that you helped someone to regain their sight?
· Maranatha Volunteers International https://maranatha.org/programs/one-day-program/
Many of you have probably heard of Maranatha as they organize mission trips to build churches, schools and other structures where needed. Some of you may have even participated in one of their many projects. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to be a part of one of these yet. However, there are other ways that we can participate. Several years ago, they started a program that called the One-Day Church, which provides sturdy steel-frame structures that can be constructed in as little as one day. Maranatha provides congregations, usually in remote areas, the roofing and the framework, which are the most difficult and expensive pieces of building a church. The walls and floor are then finished by members according to their availability of materials. Now an entire One-Day Church can cost $7,500 or more. But for those of us who don’t have the funds to donate an entire church, they have an entry-level program called the $10 Church. The premise behind this program is that you, the donor, would sign up to give $10 per month toward building churches. Your monthly donation gets pooled with others to build at least one church a month. So far, this program has helped to sponsor nearly 400 churches. https://maranatha.org/programs/10-church/
Now, these ministries I’ve highlighted are just a small selection of the hundreds of ministries that are affiliated with the Seventh-Day Adventist church.
Obviously, there are other organizations out there that are trying to make a positive impact on the world. Some of those include well-known ones such as the World Vision Sponsor a Child program https://www.worldvision.org/sponsor-a-child. The commitment is only $39 a month and can make a huge impact on the life of the child you choose to sponsor. World Vision also has a “gift catalog” similar to ADRA https://donate.worldvision.org/giftcatalog.
Another one that I believe is worth mentioning is called Operation Christmas Child https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/. Over the years, around 180 million children across 170 countries have received shoe boxes full of toys, school supplies, clothing and personal care items. For many kids this is their first gift ever. This is a fun one to involve kids in as they get to help go shopping for another child their same age. The shoeboxes are then packed and dropped off at a collection center to be shipped to a child in need.
And we could go on and on with the opportunities we have to donate our time and money to help others. The important thing is how we respond to God’s call in our hearts to ease suffering and help those who we can.
We are living in financially distressing times. But, no matter how much or how little money you have, you can do something for those around you. Spend time writing down things you can do with the resources you have. Those resources may come in the form of the time you have or talents God’s given you to help others. You may be able to change the oil in a car, or bake bread for someone. Or your talents may manifest themselves in hundreds of other ways. Ask God how He can use you and see what ideas He brings to your mind.
Many of you have already discovered the beauty of these truths for yourselves, that possessions really don’t do much for your happiness. Though the concepts can be appreciated by all ages, I believe that you really start to believe these things as you get older. I mean, have you ever asked your parents for their wishlist? I know growing up my parents would sometimes mention how it was difficult to pick out Christmas gifts for their parents, my grandparents, since they didn’t ever want much. You were always having to guess at something they needed just through the observing what their needs were.
As I’ve grown and have my own kids, I realize that my parents are pretty much the same way now. If you ask for idea for their birthday or Christmas, you get a very short list of either clothes or books. My Dad always includes in his idea list something similar to what he sent this year. So here is my Dad’s wishlist for this year.
1. Happiness and good health for all my family
2. That we all get to be in Heaven together
3. Dress shirts
4. Leather belt
5. Ties
Maybe that’s why they call that song the Grown Up Wishlist. Because it takes living through the selfishness of youth to make realize what is really important in life. The song was made popular by Amy Grant, but has since been re-recorded by dozens, if not hundreds of musical artists since.
Do
you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream
So
here's my lifelong wish
My grown up Christmas list
Not for myself but for a world in need
No
more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end, no
This is my grown-up Christmas list
As
children we believe
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree
But Heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul
Yes, packages and bows can never heal a hurting soul. When I was a kid I used to dream of being rich someday. I used to spend hours poring through magazines that glorified lifestyles of the super-rich. Whether it be wanting garages full or Lamborghini’s, Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, you name it, I was going to own it. I also wanted a gigantic house. I used to sit around and draw floor plans that included secret rooms and passage ways. I was sure that someday I would be able to afford all of these things.
My reality as kid was quite different. Being that my parents both worked for the church, there were many years where we didn’t have much in the way of worldly possessions. And I wish I could say that it never bothered me that we didn’t have much money. But it would be dishonest to claim that. You see as kids you don’t have the perspective your parents have. Perspective that is shaped by years of working hard and struggling to provide. Kids many times grow up thinking, I am going to be more successful than my parents were. So, they fail to appreciate everything they had as a kid.
Now that I am a parent, I can only imagine how much my parents had to sacrifice to provide the things that my brother and I did have. You see now that I am in their shoes, my wishlist has begun to change to more of a Grown-Up Christmas List. Although it would be nice to have a little more money, I try to always remind myself that I am blessed and I should appreciate the life God has given me. I have realized the truth that there is no amount of money that can replace good health and good relationships. For me, this means that the most important things in my life are my relationship with God and spending time with my wife and daughters. And as we raise our daughters, Hilary and I desire to pass along a tradition of contentment. Instead of focusing on things they receive, we want them to see the beauty of having Christ in their life. We hope for them that they would fall in love with Jesus and choose to follow Him all of their lives.
One of my favorite children’s books that we have in our collection is a book about three mice. And the message in the story really goes along well with our message today. The girls will probably tell you that I read it to them often. And when I read it, I always hope that they will begin to learn that true happiness is not tied to how much money we have. Now, I have thought about reading it to you, but since the illustrations have been done so well, I think it will help you to appreciate the story more if you listen to someone else read it.
Where Happiness Lives Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-9lKczmLKA
As I’m drawing to a close the thoughts that God has given me to share with you, I want to make sure that no one misunderstands the point of the message today. Do I expect you to stop buying gifts for family and friends? No, I don’t. Do I think it’s wrong to want nice things for yourself? No, I don’t. We all have lists of things we want, even if they only exist in our heads. Each of us will continue to be inundated with advertisements and commercials offering us the next big thing. And each of us gets to choose how we respond to those enticements.
I stand before you today, not as someone who has it all figured out, but as someone who has been convicted by the Lord of the truths that He’s laid on my heart. Ultimately, I hope that the Lord has spoken to you today and that you recognize the need, as I have, to fight against that urge to serve self vs serving others. Through giving thanks to God for His blessings and by giving to others, we will demonstrate to those around us what Christmas is supposed to be about.