“Giving Thanks for Life” sermon for October 7, 2018 Thanksgiving and World Communion Deuteronomy 8:10-19

Deuteronomy  When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise God for the good land given you. Be careful that you do not forget God, failing to observe the commands, laws and decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, when your herds and flocks grow large, your silver and gold increase. and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget God, who brought you out of Egypt, the land of slavery; led you through the vast wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. You had water out of hard rock; manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember it is God who gives your abilities to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

 If you ever forget God and follow other gods, worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

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A True Story

“I was checking into my hotel in Surrey this evening and I asked the man at the desk if he knew if there was a restaurant in the hotel. He told me that there wasn't but there were a lot of restaurants up on 152nd. I made a face and said I didn't really feel like getting into my truck and heading out to look for a place to eat. but I guess I'd have to. We finished up with the check in procedure and when he gave me my key card he said that his wife was bringing him some food for dinner and he could tell her to bring some extra if I wanted to join them. I was taken off guard completely. When was the last time a hotel worker offered to feed you? I felt awkward and stammered a bit and said that I didn't want to impose. He assured me that there would be plenty of food and I should meet them in the breakfast room at about 6:30 when his dinner break started.

I went up to my room and got settled in and then I headed down to the breakfast room for dinner. I walked in and the first thing that hit me was the delicious smell. Mohammed introduced me to his wife Aseel and we all sat down to eat. OH. MY. GOD! Falafel, kebabs, fattoush, shawarma and other amazing foods. I was treated and fed like a king. We chatted for a long time and they explained to me that they had fled Syria and came to Canada with 60,000 other refugees last year.

They spoke very little about how bad things were in Syria but they couldn't wait to tell me how happy they were to be living and working  in Canada. Mohammed is a pharmacist and upgrading at University and Aseel is a lawyer who has to pass the bar in Canada before she can work as a lawyer. They were so enthusiastic to be here that I couldn't help but share their enthusiasm as we spoke. At the end of the meal Aseel wrapped some food in tinfoil for my lunch tomorrow (Wendy's laughing I'm sure) and Mohammed said one last thing to me. "Don't take your country for granted" I of course got a lump in my throat and gave them a hug and thanked them profusely.

While I was walking up to my room it occurred to me that a Syrian Refugee family came all the way to Canada and fed ME! I got off the elevator and walked a little further and corrected myself. A CANADIAN family fed me.”

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The lectionary this week gives us the scripture which carries  the instruction to the wanderers in the desert to remember blessings, and that when the harvest comes in, the first fruits of the land should be offered before anything else is done.

The Feast of Shavuot in the Jewish calendar follows Passover, but comes before Pentecost. On the day after Passover, a sheaf of new wheat or corn is waved over the altar, as a sign of gratitude to God for bestowing blessings. At Pentecost two loaves of leavened bread made from the new wheat are waved over the altar. It is clear that all the first fruits are to be offered to God - the law commands: “You shall bring the first fruits of your land to the house of Hashem, your God.”

When we think of the Exodus story, we usually think of the high points, the ones which bookend the time in the wilderness:
- the crossing of the Sea of Reeds and the defeat of the Egyptian armies.
- the triumph of crossing the Jordan and shouting till the walls of Jericho fell.

We tend to forget that they were in that wilderness for 40 long years. We forget the death by snakebite; the monotony of desert life; we forget that it was so bad at times some wanted to return to slavery, since it was a known quantity, and it was seen as “better than this”. We forget that not all of those people who left Egypt would actually make it to the land of promise, but their children and grandchildren would be the ones to see it. We don’t know how many died along the way. We know Moses didn’t get there, but died with the promised land within his sight.

The people who left Egypt in the exodus were refugees. They wandered for an incredibly long time, from place to place, dependent on whoever was willing to help and feed them. Hospitality to the stranger was critical in lands which were often harsh; hospitality to the stranger, for the Israelites, was a scriptural imperative.

They came from slavery – not the kind of abject mind-numbing slavery with poor living quarters, poor clothing, heavy work and poor food. Quite the contrary – they were well treated, had good homes, clothes and good food. They had everything they needed to stay alive, and well, - but they were captives. And so they mourned and cried out.

When Moses took them out into the world – the world of freedom, of making their own decisions, and of course, being responsible for themselves, life was significantly different. God knew how the human heart and mind works – that after they reached the promised land, and settled and began to build and prosper, they would get caught up in thinking they had done everything themselves – and as generation passed into generation, there would be no memory of the events of slavery and exodus, only stories. And even those would fade. People would become arrogant.

To complement the story from Deuteronomy, I’ve offered you a true story, posted on Friday, from a gentleman in Vancouver who reflected on the immigrant experience. A man who finds himself too tired to go out to eat, being offered a meal by hotel staff.  A meal to feed royalty, but more important, hospitality extended. A story of refugees, coming to a new land – perhaps a promised land – making a new life; two highly skilled people working on making their skills compatible in Canada, and working at whatever they can – in this case the hospitality industry. People of generosity who have not forgotten what it means to be without, to run in fear, to find safety. Yet not dwelling on their past experience, but looking forward and creating a new life. Giving back, with thanks and with generosity.

When Tariq Hadhad and his family came to Canada, they settled in Antigonish in Nova Scotia. They were a family of chocolatiers from Damascus in Syria, and determined to rebuild their business here. They established a tiny company called Peace by Chocolate, in a shed. At their one year anniversary of arrival in Canada they were self-supporting. Then they opened a tiny shop and employed 10 people. And in 2017 they opened a fully functional factory – and now employ more than 20 people, and employing other refugees across Canada as distributors. Tariq is now a member of the board of Invest Nova Scotia.

Perhaps it’s good for us, on this Thanksgiving, to reflect on what we take for granted – because we do – and reflect on what Thanksgiving means for others. There is much we can learn about giving thanks, for life.