“And Moses built an altar and called it, ‘The LORD is my banner.’” —Exodus 17:15
“May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.” —Psalm 20:5
Pastor Tom Johnson, November 17, 2019
Months ago, it was suggested we use David Rogner’s thanksgiving hymn for our emphasis on stewardship. Two phrases emerged: “God is ever giving” and “Let gratitude your banner be.” God is the great giver...always and forevermore. In response to his generosity, we raise our voices of thanksgiving and praise. You will notice that we took these words quite literally. We have raised a banner on the Altar with large letters that spell out the word gratitude. Churches around the world have inscribed in stone and wood the words “Give thanks” on their Altars because of Jesus’ words of thanksgiving as he invites us to the Lord’s Supper. He gave thanks and gave the bread as his Body. After he had given thanks, he gave the cup, the New Testament in his Blood for the forgiveness of sins. That is why many call Communion the Eucharist. It is the meal of thanksgiving.
Scripture tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess 5:18) ... “to give thanks always and for everything” (Eph 5:20) ... to “rejoice in the Lord always...in everything with thanksgiving” (Phil 4:4-6). “Let gratitude your banner be.” This is a poetic call—for us to draw attention to what is important. We raise our flags to identify ourselves as one people with shared values and a shared experience. We pledge allegiance to stand together as a nation, team, and family.
When God’s people were gathered to receive their inheritance in the Promised Land, they were told to gather by their families, clans, and tribes and to raise a banner with their names sewn into the fabric of the flags (Num 2). Among the thousands of people gathered, they could be identified by these banners. When God delivered the people of Israel from destruction, he tells Moses to raise up his staff above his head. The people of God help him raise the standard. And whenever Moses raises God’s staff high, God’s people prevail in their battle. It was a standard with no flag—just a pole raised up by God’s command. At the end of the war, as they celebrate their victory, Moses raises up an Altar and calls it, “The Lord Is My Banner.” What could not be seen with human eyes was the source of their strength, identity, and victory—the Lord of Hosts (Exod 17). As God’s people, we should be identified by our love for one another. As Jesus said, “They will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another” (Jn 13:35). We should also be known as grateful people—people who are thankful for all of God’s gifts—the Lord who is our strength and “ever giving.”
My brother recommended a book to me last year called “The Happiness Curve.” It is about the science of happiness. It’s based on research from many different countries with all our economic, cultural, and generational diversity. One thing they found is that money cannot buy happiness. Sure, there is an increase of happiness when a person escapes extreme poverty. But more stuff does not result in more happiness. What was surprising to me is the conclusion of all this research—that happy people are a grateful people and a generous people. As people get older, we generally become happier. Because “with maturity gratitude becomes easier, and ‘giving it away’ becomes a source of joy rather than a life sentence of ‘letting go.’” We are more aware of the struggles of others down the street and across the world. We and our friends and family experience hardship, battle disease, and suffer loss. We realize the good things we enjoy are all a gift.
Many of you know of the loss of my children’s grandmother and my mother a few weeks ago. The truth of today’s Scripture has strengthened me. We have so much to be grateful for to have had her in our lives. Her life and her life in Christ are a gift. My gratitude for this faith community has grown. My awareness of God’s call for me to be a gift and a blessing to others has also grown. This is what stewardship is really all about: we get to grow in our gratitude and our generosity. Our hymn celebrates many of these things—health, home, peaceful days, work, rest, food, family gatherings, creativity, family, friends, good neighbors, even through difficulty. Most especially we celebrate the gift of God’s Son—forgiveness and eternal life that we have through him who died and rose for our salvation.
Later in the service—just before we receive communion—the prayer says, “that we should at all times and in all places give things to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God.” We raise the banner of gratitude in worship and our daily lives. We are called to give thanks always and in every circumstance because there is no end to all the things we should be grateful for. God is ever-giving. We recognize more and more how many ways he has so generously blessed us and all creation. We realize that life races by and we should cherish and live in each moment.
We grow in our awareness than we do not possess anything. We are stewards not owners. It is all on loan to us from God. We take care of these precious gifts for a time. It is why grateful people are generous people. We know the day is soon coming when what we have will be someone else’s—what has blessed us today may bless another tomorrow. And that brings us joy—to participate in bringing God’s goodness to others just as it has been brought to us. It brings God joy to give us good gifts and the greatest gift of his Son. Our gratitude and generosity are ways we get to share in that joy—to “let gratitude our banner be” “for God is ever giving.”
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