Praise as Participation in Philanthropy

Psalm 66, Luke 17:11-19

“One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.”

The story that we just heard from Luke gives to us a vision of what it means to show gratitude to God for something that is done. Whilst it is unclear what aspect of his faith has made him well there are two things that stand out for us from this story. One is to say that the person who returned was a foreigner, not a part of the Jewish people. And the other is to say that all ten were healed but only the one came back to give thanks.

The importance of gratitude as an aspect of our faith is something that links well with the Psalm that we used at the beginning of our service.

“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.” (Psalm 66:1)

There is a universal claim made in the first verse of Psalm 66 that points to the whole creation participating in the praise of God. This universal claim is also paralleled by the entirely person claim made in the last verse of the Psalm.

"Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.” (Psalm 66:20)

There is an overlap between gratitude and praise found in the two Bible readings, however there are subtle and important differences. 

I have given the sermon the title Praise as Participation in Philanthropy to offer a signal to the direction I am heading with this reflection. But to get there I want to unpack the notion of gratitude a little bit more, including offering a critique about our approach to being grateful. I will then move us into the notion of praise and how it connects then to philanthropy.

The importance of gratitude within our culture and its positive effect on us is something that I learned as a teacher over 35 years ago and also reflected on as a chaplain within a school over the last decade. When I first began teaching, I was given responsibility for running what was called Human Relationship Education which has a clear understanding of the importance of people having a positive self-image and the place of gratitude for self and others. 

I can remember a particular activity where we practised gratitude by inviting a student to the front to classroom and each other member of the class was invited to share something positive about that person. The person’s response were simply the words “Thank you”. It is an activity that maybe carried a little bit too much vulnerability and it did not always work well but it highlighted the need to help people develop a capacity to express positive regard for another person and for people to accept praise with gratitude in a reasonable way. 

This morning, we began the service with a similar activity of expressing gratitude to God for our spiritual journey, the creation, our community, and our growth and learning. In pushing you to think of giving thanks for different aspects of our journey in life we were drawn into contemplating what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thess 5:16-19

The constant invitation to gratitude within the scriptures links to not simply living faithfully in the world but to our flourishing and wellbeing as human beings.  

The work that has been done in developing Positive Psychology and the contemporary interest and focus on wellbeing affirm how important expressing gratitude is as part of our human existence. 

For example, in the model of wellbeing developed by Martin Seligman which is known by the acronym PERMA the P stands for “Positive Emotion”. In its definition of this concept the Positive Psychology Centre says:

“Within limits, we can increase our positive emotion about the past (e.g., by cultivating gratitude and forgiveness), our positive emotion about the present (e.g., by savouring physical pleasures and mindfulness) and our positive emotion about the future (e.g., by building hope and optimism).” (link)

Here is a deep and abiding connection between contemporary understandings within psychology and the church as a place that has at its core cultivating gratitude and forgiveness!

In addition to this, research in neuroscience has affirmed the directions of positive psychology and wellbeing and the emphasis that they give to practicing gratitude. In the online article “The Neuroscience of Gratitude & Its Effects on the Brain” Melissa Madeson shares some of her research. I will mention just a few insights:

“As researchers explore the neurological underpinnings of gratitude, they’re discovering that this simple practice can lead to profound positive changes in mood, resilience, and overall wellbeing.” (Russell & Fosha, 2008).

“Thanking others, thanking ourselves, Mother Nature, or a divine power — gratitude in any form can enlighten the mind and make us feel happier. It has a healing effect on us.” (Russell & Fosha, 2008).

“Research examining specific areas of the brain found that individuals who experience higher levels of gratitude had increased grey matter volume.” (Zahn et al., 2014). 

“Gratitude can change neural structures in the brain, making individuals feel happier and more content.” (Zahn et al., 2008).

Gratitude is good for us, the invitation and command in scripture is affirmed by contemporary research and scholarship. If we are to love our neighbour as ourselves, we do actually need to love ourselves as well!

However, when gratitude is just expressed to achieve personal wellbeing or gratitude expressed when it comes at the expense of another then we might question its communal benefit. Gratitude needs to be accompanied by a wider understanding of life in the world.

Taking us back to Psalm 66 there are a few difficult phrases for us to examine here in terms of why the Psalmist is expressing praise and gratitude to God.

“Because of your great power, 

your enemies cringe before you.”

“He turned the sea into dry land;

they passed through the river on foot.”

The first of these phrases implies that God has enemies, whilst the second of these phrases about the sea being into dry land might have two connections. Scholars do not seem to agree whether the Psalmist is referring to the flight of the Israelite people through the Red Sea from exile in Egypt or whether it may connect to the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites when the entered the promised land. Both stories portray the violence of God against another people. Something that as followers of Jesus we should find disturbing.

In her commentary of this passage the Old Testament scholar Casey Thornburgh Sigmon is cautious about the promotion of any notion of what is called exceptionalism which is “the belief that a nation, group, or ideology is an exception to a usual rule or trend or is exceptional in relation to others of the same kind.” Sigmon is wary of any interpretation of the Christian faith that is associated with the idea of a Christian nation and it is helpful to be reminded that the concept of modern nation-state only developed after the treaty of Westphalia in 1648.

In contrast the cosmic action of God in Christ serves as a corrective to the violence of God which is portrayed in the Old Testament. Jesus commands his followers to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28). The response of Jesus’ life to the violence of humanity is not to take up arms but to yield to the violence perpetrated on him by human beings at the cross. 

Giving thanks is good for us, we know this psychologically and spiritually, but our giving of thanks should be weighed up in the broader context of understanding God’s love for all things and all people –my wellbeing should not come at the cost of someone else’s wellbeing or at the most extreme their life.

This brings me to explore the difference between gratitude and praise and whilst there are overlaps there are differences. 

Put simply, praise, unlike gratitude, focuses not on what we have received but on who God is, God’s character and attributes. Whilst praise may include acknowledging what God has done God’s worthiness of being praised transcends our personal experience of God.

We praise God because God is worthy to be praised not because I got what I wanted from God or what I think God owed me. The universality of the praise of the creation is something that we are all drawn into simply because we exist. As Jesus reminds his disciples, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!” The praise of God is present in all things and all peoples, and it is present in each of us.  “Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”  

When we understand that our praise of God is not simply the articulation of our praise and blessing of God in the context of worship but has this universal scope, we are called to consider how we live a life of praise. 

Looking back to the establishment of the Festival of First Fruits in the book of Deuteronomy the people are instructed to offer the first fruits of their harvest and called to recite these words “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor” as reminder of their time as refugees who had no permanent home, who wandered the land. The first fruits of the harvest are then distributed in a very specific way 

“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they may eat their fill within your towns.”

The praise of God in this liturgy and ritual involves “giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows.” When Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) The abundance is to be shared with all peoples. 

As an aside the Old Testament reading which was also set down for today came from the time of the Babylonian exile where the people were encouraged with these words. “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29: 7) Yet another echo of God’s concern for the welfare of all peoples.

This draws us to consider again the title of the sermon “Praise as Participation in Philanthropy”. The word philanthropy comes from two Greek words Philo’s (love) + anthropos (human) → “love of humanity.” When we express praise of God, I believe we are expressing our love for God. This love is expressed because we understand that God first loved us and this love of God that we have encountered and respond to by loving our neighbour. Our primary task according to Jesus, as he quotes from the Old Testament, is to love God and love our neighbour. To do both involve praise and showing gratitude.

Increase our faith

Luke 17:5–10 

“Increase our faith” is the cry of the apostles. Part of me wonders whether when Jesus heard it, it sounded a bit like kids in the backseat asking the question, “Are we there yet?” “Increase our faith” “Are we there yet?”

Our congregation vision is “Growing lifelong disciples of Christ” so the answer to are we there yet is “no, not yet” and the cry of disciples to “increase our faith” has a place on our own lips.

But as we think about the reading, I wonder what the apostles were actually asking for and why. And, what does increasing our faith look like for us now. 

When we dig into the Greek word for faith, pistis, we are looking at a verb not a noun. A verb which means hearing and obedience. Faith has an element of our intellectual and emotional assent to some kind of concept of who God is, but it primarily involves these actions of hearing and obedience.

In terms of hearing, the Aboriginal concept of dadirri, or deep listening, that comes to us from the Northern Territory provides an insight for us. We listen for God with our whole being – the inner voice, the silence after the storm, the words of wisdom within the scripture, and our learning and listening from those who carry wisdom in the world around us. 

There is a connection in this concept of dadirri to the theological methodology known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral for developing understanding which involves deep listening to the scriptures, to the tradition of the church, to reason, and to our experience.

This listening element of faith has both a contemplative and active element, but it also leads us into obedience which is to act. Faith is faithfulness, it is about what we say and do as we live in the world. But faith does not sit alone as we seek its increase.

I went to Newington College in Sydney for my first two years of High School which had the motto. In fide scientiam ‘To your faith, add knowledge’. This motto was based on the words of 2 Peter 1:5–8 (NIV).

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  2 Peter 1:5–8 NIV

Increasing faith means considering the layers of meaning that are connected to the word. 

At the time of the Reformation the slogan sola fide or by faith alone developed. Paradoxically by faith alone was one of five solas or “alones”.

Sola scriptura – by scripture (God’s Word) alone

Solus Christus – By Christ alone

Sola fide – by faith alone

Sola gratia – by grace alone

Sola Deo Gloria – to God’s glory alone

The cry to “increase our faith” is a cry that reverberates into all aspects of our journey with God. 

Tomáš Halík in his book The Afternoon of Christianity reminds us of this meaning of faith as journey when he writes, “Faith in Christ is a journey of trust and courage, of love and faithfulness; it is a movement toward the future that Christ inaugurated and to which he extends an invitation.” Tomáš Halík 3

We are invited into Christ’s future as we follow him in the present that we find ourselves no matter how young or old we are. And getting older is a gift which brings with it great possibilities in our faith. A key theme in this service is the recognition older persons.

In his book Halik references the work of the founder of analytical psychology Carl Jung, who compared the span of a human life to the hours of a single day.

The morning of our life is our childhood and transition into adulthood. It is “the time when people are developing the basic features of their personality … They create an image of themselves - an idea they want others to have of them, a mask … that is their ‘outer face’.”

According to Jung this morning is followed by “the noonday crisis. It is a time of fatigue, of sleepiness; people cease to enjoy all the things that used that used to satisfy them … It is a loss of energy and zest for life, a spiritual malaise, a dullness … A crisis can affect our health, our careers, a marital and family relationships, our faith and spiritual life.” Halik 28

Halik points out that “it is only when one has passed the test of the noonday crisis - for example, when one is able to accept and integrate what one did not want to know about oneself and did not want to admit it to oneself - that one is ready to embark on the journey of the afternoon life.” In acknowledging this possibility of moving on Jung also notes that some people fall back into the quest of the morning seeking identity in creating other masks after their noonday crisis. There is a difference between getting older and become wiser.

Moving beyond the self-centredness of the morning the afternoon of life provides new opportunities. Halik summarises it this way: “The afternoon life - mature age and old age - has a different and more important task than the morning life - a spiritual journey, a descent into the depths. The afternoon of life is Kairos, a time appropriate for the development of spiritual life, an opportunity to complete the lifelong process of maturing.” It is a time of crying “increase our faith Lord” with a new zest and new desire.

Halik reminds us that “God comes to us not only as an answer but also as a question. God comes in the desire to understand, a desire that transcends every partial answer and constantly revisits it with new questions, instigating a fresh search; God imparts a Pilgrim character to our existence.” Halik 28

But in response to the cry of the apostles Jesus’ answer is uncomfortable for we who live in the 21st century to hear and contemplate. So, we need to bring some wisdom of the afternoon of our faith to our considerations of what this means for us.

Jesus’ answer speaks of faith the size of mustard seeds enabling the apostles to tell mulberry trees to throw themselves in the ocean. In other words, the tiniest of faiths can make the hugest of differences. But then Jesus goes on to speak about slaves and their task. The slave does what they have to do not for any reward but because it is their role in life.

We should be careful of imposing first world societal understandings on our society or seeing these words of Jesus affirming slavery. However, Jesus’s listeners lived in a world of slaves, and many had slaves, and the slave knew their place. The shock for Jesus’s listeners of this story, and us comes at the end of the reading that we heard. 

“So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Jesus puts his apostles and anyone else listening into the role of slaves and basically says there is no reward and affirmation for simply living as you should. This is a stark contrast to the oft-quoted verse from Matthew 25, “Well done good and faithful servant”. No instead, “We are worthless slaves!” 

As I struggled with this passage, I was led to read Bill Loader’s comments about it. Loader emphasizes the idea that at the heart of what Jesus is saying is that it is not our actions, not our faith, that is determinative in our relationship with God. No, it is God’s love for us.

He says, “We are valued because of who we are. The more we become convinced of that, the less we need to play the other game and the less it will matter. Then, the less we are preoccupied with making ourselves deserving, the more value we can give to others, the more energy and time we have for others.” Bill Loader

“The less we are preoccupied with making ourselves deserving, the more value we can give to others.”  I wonder what this could mean for us as lifelong disciples of Christ on older person’s Sunday. How does this idea of increasing our faith as we bring it together with the wisdom of the afternoon of our lives?

The first thing is to say that we have already arrived at the fullness of faith and life with God in and through Christ. We will remember and celebrate this as we share in bread and wine today. But being set free from the need to justify ourselves we are set free to grow.

Before the service we asked to collect your age as you walked in. I did that deliberately because I wanted to find out this statistic. In this room are close to 6777 years of Christian experience. What do we do to share that experience and grow that experience?

At the end of each sermon, I invite you to contemplate what Is the one thing that is standing out for you from the sermon. However, I have also asked you to consider who you will share your insight with. The way that we grow in our faith is that we act up on in conversation and in good works. We listen deeply to each other with humility expecting the possibility that there is more for us to learn and know.

Just before I went away on my leave you were invited to consider the concept of belonging and how you connected to this congregation. By engaging in that process, I have been approached by at least two people in the congregation who wish to explore confirming their membership. 

These are some internal opportunities that we have. But I'm interested also in the people that lie just beyond these windows around us in the suburb of The Gap. Did you know that at the last census 732 people in just this suburb identified as being Uniting Church? If just one third of these people came to church, there would nearly 220 people here today. What might we need to learn from them about their faith and why they may be going to a different suburb for church or more than likely not at all? How can the 6777 years or Christian life in this room connect with these people?

This may be a challenge because the average age of the 82 people in church this morning our average age is 83! This means we are not reflective of the suburb around us. At the last census the median age for residents of The Gap was 42, with nearly 65% of households identifying as being a couple, or single parent, with children at home. I wonder how many of these families identify with the Uniting Church.

Beyond that, of the approximately 17 000 people who live in the suburb more than 50% do not identify with any religion. Every second person you walk past at the shop could be an opportunity to bring to bear the wisdom and fullness of life that you have from knowing Jesus and share with them why you come here as you listen and are curious about who they are and what they believe.

“Increase our faith”. October 1st was the International Day for the recognition of older persons. António Guterres, the Secretary-General UN in his reflection on this year’s theme said that “older persons are powerful agents of change”. 

As a community committed to Growing Lifelong disciples of Christ we are not there yet. We are committed to increasing our faith we are seeking constant renewal. We have a prayer group led by Glenda who is committed to just that purpose that you are welcome to join. If we take seriously the afternoon stage of our lives as an opportunity to grow spiritually then change is inevitable.