Once again, we are celebrating a major holiday together here in church. What joy.
Last major holiday was Easter. Were you there as well?
You might reconsider how you just raised your hands if you did because my next question is: Do you remember what I talked about in my sermon?
Well, I thought I was pretty clever as I came up with an Easter edition of the beloved Christmas story of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
A lot of stories are written about Christmas, but not a lot about Easter. That was why I made my own version of the beloved story.
And the same goes with Thanksgiving. Not a lot of stories. Therefore – as I liked my Easter edition a lot – I decided for this sermon to do a rewriting once again. This time, a Thanksgiving rewriting.
Some of you might remember that I for my Easter rewriting chose two separate feelings to write the story upon. This I did because the original Christmas story is all about two different feelings: love and hatred.
The Grinch hates Christmas. But the hatred is turned to love as the story develops.
In my Easter story the feelings I chose were fear and joy as these are the feelings that describe the two Mary’s as they leave the empty tomb. Fear of death, joy of death being overwon by resurrection.
What separate feelings describe Thanksgiving: Well, the first feeling is easy: Thankfulness. But what would the opposite be.
It could be greed, but also it could be isolation, it could be indifference, but also arrogance. I went with the later as I figured I wanted the opposite feeling to be pride. A feeling that I chose as it funnily enough fits very well with today’s Gospel Reading.
Pride. In today’s Gospel Reading Jesus is eating in the house of a prominent Pharisee. At first, he heals a suffering man despite it being on a Sabbath. This part of the Gospel Reading is not about pride. Rather it is about exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
The later part of the Reading is about pride though as Jesus advises people not to exalt oneself, but to show humbleness.
The people he eats with all wants the seats of honour. But one should not aim for those, he argues. Because such seats only lead to humiliation as you eventually will be directed to a lower seat.
Of course, what Jesus has in minds is not where one sits around a table. Figuratively spoken Jesus’ wants us to admit that we all have flaws.
And instead of having these flaws exposed in front of others due to our pride neglecting these flaws, it is better to acknowledge ones flaws beforehand, humble oneself, and then risk being honoured due to something good one did despite of the flaws one always fights against.
Now then, with these feelings, pride and thankfulness, let us develop together a Thanksgiving edition of the “Grinch that stole Christmas”.
First, we have the Grinch. He would probably be one that did not like to give thanks. Or maybe he simply sees no need for it. He is perfect. Manages everything himself.
To him, giving thanks might only be something weak people do because they need help. Are weak.
This makes Thanksgiving to him the worst time of the year. Why would one celebrate weakness, he argues.
Before our Thanksgiving Grinch we have a village preparing for Thanksgiving. They even help each other prepare!
Those who are good cooks are in the kitchen. Those who are good decorators make ‘thank you’ cards and decorations. Those who have nothing to offer are invited anyway.
I am not sure if I want our Grinch in the Thanksgiving Edition to steal Thanksgiving, but if we went with the idea, what then would he steal?
It could be food from food banks, donated cloths, keys to shelters. Things and places where people gave leading others to giving thanks.
Either way. No matter what he steals, the goal for our Grinch must be to show people that they are self-sufficient as he, and if they are not, they are weak and should improve.
What then happens. Well somehow our Grinch needs to learn how he is not perfect. He is a person of flaws as well. Only God is perfect.
In line with the Gospel Reading for today, our Grinch might even have to get humiliated. But how?
I am not sure I can come up with a way for this to happen that is just as beautiful as the original – I cry every time I read the story.
He might just sit in his remote cabin eating all the food as people despite the lack of food, cloth, and shelter, still celebrate and give thanks.
In this way he would learn that asking for help and giving thanks for help is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is social. We help because we are all in this together. Arrogance and pride just lead to isolation.
We could also have a person offering some help with the stealing at a crucial point ending with the Grinch giving thanks.
This would expose a weakness in the Grinch. He could not steal thanksgiving alone. He needed help. Needed to give thanks.
Either end we chose, or if we can come up with an ending that mixes the two, our rewriting tells what Thanksgiving is all about:
To give thanks. Not as a sign of weakness, but because we need each other. Both as a protection against loneliness, but also because we do things better and more efficient together.
We all have flaws, but together – with each other and with Christ – these flaws do not matter. All that matters is to contribute and to give thanks.
Amen.