“Skipping Christmas?”

Philippians 4:4-7

November 21, 2004

St. Paul United Methodist Church

Rev. John Fleming

It started a whole lot earlier than I thought that it would this year. Usually I can ward off Christmas until Thanksgiving night. But not this year. The other morning Annie Grace and I took our usual route to the church from the parsonage. We crossed Cantrell, merged on to “T” street, came down Dickson Road and turned right on Ridge Road. We were nearing Pine Valley Road, getting ready to turn right on that road on our way to the Church when Annie Grace saw it. Leaves were falling from the trees, like a light snow shower. She called to me from the back seat. “Daddy, it’s Fall right?” I was so proud of my three year old, knowing her seasons and all. Said to her, “Yes, Annie, it’s Fall.” I thought that that was it, but then she said. “That means that it is time to put up our Christmas tree, right?” Christmas tree? We were at the intersection of Ridge and Pine Valley Roads.

There is a stop sign there so I stopped. I turned around and looked back at her. Then I said, “No, baby, we have to have Thanksgiving first.” Thanksgiving, by the way, is my favorite holiday. Generally it does not involve buying presents. For me personally, it does not involve cooking. Cleaning, yes, cooking, no. What could be better than a holiday where you sit around with your family, watch a football game or two, eat, and then take a nap? I wanted Annie Grace to know that Thanksgiving is important. I wondered why she skipped right to Christmas. That is when I turned around and saw the house in front of me, on Pine Valley Road (the one next to the Burnside’s house). I was donned and decorated for Christmas. Frosty, Santa, reindeer, a sleigh, and candy canes fill the yard. Through the blinds you can see that their Christmas tree is up. I hope that it is an artificial one. No wonder Annie Grace was confused.

Before we worship again, Thanksgiving will have come and gone. The biggest shopping day of the year will have happened. Some of you will get up early, at the crack of dawn to get the best deals. Crowded malls, out of control parties, Christmas trees that might fall over. Stretched to the limit credit cards. These are the signs of the season that is almost here. Has the thought crossed your mind? Have you thought about skipping it all? Have you thought about disappearing after the Thanksgiving meal and showing back up on the first day of January? If you have, you are not the only one. The idea crossed John Grisham, the great author’s, mind long enough for him to write a book about it. The book’s title is Skipping Christmas. Like a lot of his books, this one has made it into a movie starring Tim Allen, perhaps the greatest Christmas actor of our time.

In the movie, Tim Allen plays the part of Luther Krank. Luther is furious because he and his family spent six thousand dollars the previous Christmas and now have nothing to show for it. With his daughter away serving in the Peace Corps, Luther convinces his wife that they should skip the holiday and put their money towards a Carribean cruise that leaves on Christmas morning. Apparently Christmas is like Mother’s Day. You ignore it at great consequences. Luther and his wife skip the parties, the lights, and their participation in their neighborhood’s decorating contest. In that contest, each participant places an identical Frosty the Snowman on top of his house. The plot of the book and I assume the movie is developed around the reaction of the Krank’s neighbors who get downright nasty. I have not seen the movie, but I probably will. It opens, of course, on the day before Thanksgiving. There was a sneak peak of he movie last night. The book was worth its quick read. I will not give away the surprise ending, but I will tell you that everything changes when the Kranks’ daughter decides to come home after all.

So today is my chance. We are still a few days out before the Christmas season officially begins. I can still tell you that there is another option besides skipping the season all together. The truth is that what I want to say to you is much bigger than Christmas. It is timeless and it is a message that we need to hear at least once a year. Here is the option besides skipping the season, not being anxious about it. Before I say anything else, I will admit that I am not the best one to preach about anxiety. I may be the least qualified to do it. In fact, I was anxious when I was writing our sermon. When we looked at this lesson as a staff, at our bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday afternoon, the ones who know me best almost said in unison, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

The truth is that I cannot imagine a better scripture lesson for the subject than this one from the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippian Church. I would remind you that Paul is very fond of the Philippian congregation. His words to them have a special quality of tenderness and concern. In the first part of his letter, he writes this, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” It is evident that Paul has a special connection with this church. I is a mutual connection. I think that you should also know that the church is experiencing a hard time. In the first chapter, Paul counsels the Philippians not to be intimidated by their opponents. In the first part of the fourth chapter, Paul urges two women in the church to be of the same mind. Obviously they are not of the same mind. So there is a problem inside the church. Paul himself had problems. When he writes this letter, he is in jail. His greatest desire is to get out of jail, to continue traveling, to keep on preaching the gospel to new people. He won’t be able to do that. He is near the end of his life. Now all he can do is to encourage the already converted.

He does that well, though, especially in our lesson for this morning. In the midst of his troubles, Paul tells the Philippians to rejoice and to let their gentleness be known to everyone. With struggles inside and out, Paul hopes that the Philippians will deal with any issues with joy and gentleness. Joy and gentleness is not the only thing that he wants to say. Framed between the idea of the return of Christ being soon and the peace of God guarding their hearts, Paul says three more things. With what is left of our sermon time this morning, let’s look at these three things.

First, Paul says, do not worry about anything. That is good counsel for me and the worriers in the room because I worry about many things. I know the clichés. I have heard them many times. I read this one again this week, “Worry is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.” I know that other people look at us worriers in a different way. The great poet Robert Frost could have been talking about worriers when he wrote, “The people I am most scared of are the people who are scared.” I know the statistics. I know that the average person spends forty percent of their time worrying about things that will not happen. Thirty percent of people worry about things that have already happened (that is the one that I am guilty of). Twelve percent of people worry about things that are not true. Ten percent of people worry about health issues (and worry is a cause of health problems). Only eight percent of people worry about real problems. Still I worry. Most of us do. To be anxious, it seems to me, suggests that we do not trust God the way that we should. A father stays up a little later than usual. His daughter is out with some friends. Her curfew is nearing. She walks through the back door seconds before being late. She looks at her dad and says, “What’s wrong, dad, don’t you trust me?” With a smile on her face, she makes her way to her bedroom. I have a confession to make this morning. Most of the things that I worry about, I do not spend a significant amount of time praying about. I need to do more praying about my worries. I need to do more trusting of my God.

So, first Paul says that we need to worry about nothing. Second, he says, we need to pray about everything. These are the apostles’ words, “...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Bryan Gray pointed to a different version of this scripture. The version is from Today’s Living Bible. It is a paraphrase, and puts our verse this way, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done.” Pray about everything. We need to understand that there are no insignificant prayers. Every prayer matters. If things matter to us, they matter to God. Sometimes our prayers seem childish. Sometimes we feel like the two boys who in early September went to their favorite hill dressed in their winter clothes. There were stockings on their heads, mittens on their hands, and scarves around their faces. They were carrying a sled and when they got to the top of the hill, they sat on their sled, looked heavenward, and said, “Okay, God, let er rip!” Most of the time, our prayers are more significant than that. With huge concerns on our hearts, we go to God and ask for healing and wholeness. We go to God sometimes, as the Bible tells us, “with sighs too deep for words.” We pray, “Help her, Lord.” “Heal me, Lord.” “Hear me, Jesus.” Prayer helps us. I cannot tell you with strong enough words how much God wants to have a relationship with you and how much God wants to hear your voice calling out to His.

Then Paul says this, “...be thankful in everything.” A classic Dennis the Menace comic strip has Dennis’ arch enemy, Margaret, saying, “Dennis Mitchell, I’m not speaking to you!” In the next frame, Dennis, falls to his knees, looks heavenward, and says, “Thank you, Lord!” More than any other day, Thanksgiving Day reminds us that there is something beyond food and football games. It reminds us to thank God for the people in our lives. It reminds us to thank God for the good times in our lives. It reminds us even to thank God for the situations in our lives that at first seemed horrible but now not so bad. Being thankful does not mean putting on a cheery face or an act, but it does mean believing that the guarding and guiding hand of God is always with you.

Now before we go home this morning, on such a great day for our church, with the Christmas season before you and the thought of skipping it all in front of you, lay hold to the promises of this passage. One more thing. Paul says that God will guard their hearts. He was finishing up this letter, trying to come up with the perfect illustration. He must have looked over at the one guarding him, complete with his armor and his helmet. Seeing him helped Paul to write the words, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You can trust that. Let us pray.