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CHRIST REDEEMER EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Trumbull, Connecticut
Thanksgiving Day – November 27, 2008
Sermon by Pastor Paul M. Meier
“THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT”
10
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed,
you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this
because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know
what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in
want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
-- Philippians 4:10-13
In the name of Jesus, through whom we can do all good things, fellow thankful Christians:
Question: Who has greater contentment, a man with seven children or a man with seven
million dollars? Answer: The man with seven children, because he doesn’t want any more.1
That little joke sums up what contentment means for the Christian. Contentment is a
perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed.2 To be content is to be selfsufficient.
Now here’s the $64,000 question: How do we get to be content? Do we need to earn
$64,000 a year? Do we need to have seven children, or seven million dollars tied up in stocks,
bonds and annuities? What’s the secret to being content?
Due to the recent downturn in our nation’s economy, morning news programs now have
daily segments on how to be financially secure—how to invest wisely, how to protect your
401(k), how to manage your money in your retirement years, and so forth. And that’s all fine
and good. These so-called “experts” are willing to share with you what they think is the secret to
being self-sufficient. While it’s an educated guess, it is still only a guess! Everything could
work out, or it might just go from bad to worse—who knows?
The apostle Paul, a man who had experienced life’s extremes of poverty and plenty, didn’t
think he knew the secret to being content. He was absolutely, positively, 100% sure of how to be
content. Paul was inspired to share this secret to his fellow brothers and sisters in Philippi as
well as his fellow Christians of today. THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT is to get rid of the
“self” in self-sufficient and to have Christ accompany everything you think, say and do.
1
2
John Ortberg, “Passages that Pump Me Up,” Seeds Tape Ministry, M9523
Joseph Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
2
Through Christ we can be grateful for what we own
First of all, through Christ we can be grateful for what we own. Paul writes in our text: 11 I
have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and
every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
The apostle Paul had studied to be a Pharisee, and he would have been a good one, too,
except that the risen Lord Jesus called Paul to do mission work for Him instead. But young
Jewish men also learned a trade on the side. For Paul, it was tent making. So when Paul moved
to a new city to do mission work, if there were no believers able to provide for his welfare—such
as Lydia in Philippi (Acts 16:15)—Paul would ply his tent making trade. Whether as a travelling
missionary or an itinerant tradesman, neither would pad his pocketbook. Yet Paul was grateful
for what he had, and so was content in Christ.
My friends, what has God given you already? Physically God gave you your body and
soul, eyes, ears, and all your members, your mind and all your abilities…and so much more!
Spiritually “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11)…and so much more!
Can’t we be grateful for what we own and therefore be content?
The story is told of a farmer who had lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good
farm, but with the passing years, the farmer began to tire of it. He longed for a change—for
something “better.” Every day he found a new reason for criticizing some feature of the old
place. Finally he decided to sell, and listed the farm with the real estate broker who promptly
prepared a sales advertisement. As one might expect, it emphasized all the farm’s advantages:
ideal location, modern equipment, healthy stock, acres of fertile ground, etc. Before placing the
ad in the newspaper, the realtor called the farmer and read the copy to him for his approval.
When he had finished, the farmer cried out, “Hold everything! I’ve changed my mind. I am not
going to sell. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life.”3
Too often we overlook the blessings with which the Lord has already provided us—be they
many or be they few. Too often we fail to recognize that, however much or little we own, God
has blessed us with them for our own personal good. But when we remember the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, “that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you
through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9), we can be grateful for what we
own.
Through Christ we can be satisfied with what we make
Secondly, through Christ we can be satisfied with what we make. Paul states at the end of
our text: 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
3
James S. Hewett, ed. “Self-Inventory,” from Illustrations Unlimited (1988) p123.
3
At the time Paul wrote this letter to the Philippian congregation he was under house arrest
in Rome, waiting to stand trial before Caesar for some trumped-up charges filed by jealous Jews
in Jerusalem, where Paul could not get a fair trial. As Paul waited for about two years before his
case was heard, he could not leave the house he had to rent himself. Paul had to provide room
and board for the soldier stationed with him 24 hours a day. And obtaining legal counsel to aid
Paul in preparing his case wouldn’t come cheap, either. Such circumstances would be taxing on
anyone’s bank account, especially a man of meager means like Paul. Nevertheless, Paul trusted
that the Lord would provide, and so was content in Christ.
My friends, what is God giving you right now? Physically God is preserving you right now
by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse and
children, land, cattle, and all you own, and all you need to keep your body and life. God is also
preserving you right now by defending you against all danger, guarding and protecting you from
all evil. Spiritually God is giving you the ability through Word and Sacrament to “grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Can’t we be satisfied for what
we can make right now and therefore be content?
The story is told of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily
beside his boat. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked. “Because I’ve caught enough
fish for today,” said the fisherman. But the rich man suggested, “Why don’t you catch more fish
than you need to earn more money and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more
fish. Then you could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon
you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me. Then you could sit down and enjoy life.” The
fisherman replied, “What do you think I’m doing now?”4
The good life exists only when we stop wanting a better one. The itch for things is a virus
draining the soul of contentment.5 But when we recall the apostle’s gospel argument from the
greater to the lesser—“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how
will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)—we can be
satisfied with what we make.
Through Christ we can be generous to those in need
Finally, through Christ we can be generous to those in need. At the beginning of our text,
Paul writes: 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for
me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
More than any other congregation, the Christians at Philippi had always shown a special,
personal interest in Paul’s welfare. As soon as they had learned about his imprisonment, they
wanted to do something to help him. But for a time they were unable to do so. We don’t know
4
Philip Parham, “Contentment,” from Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, edited by Edward K. Rowell
(1997) p31.
5
Charles R. Swindoll, “Contentment,” from The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501 Other Stories (1998) p119.
4
why they couldn’t at first. Perhaps they were in the midst of an economic downturn themselves
and didn’t have the funds to do so. But once that obstacle was removed, the Philippians were
able to send Paul a monetary gift to help him make ends meet.
My friends, how have you been generous? God has provided for you in the past and
preserves you right now because He is your good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because
you have earned or deserved it. For all this you ought to thank and praise, to serve and obey
Him. How does such thanksgiving for God’s generosity translate into our generosity towards
those in need to show we’re content?
The story is told of an old man in a college town who knocked on the back door of a
collegiate house, offering his produce for sale. His eyes were glassy and his furrowed face
glistened with silver stubble. The man’s appearance made the students uneasy, yet they made a
quick purchase to alleviate both their pity and their fear. Much to their chagrin, the man returned
the next week and introduced himself as Mr. Roth, the man who lived in the shack down the
road. As their fears subsided, upon closer observation the students realized it wasn’t alcohol but
cataracts that marbleized his eyes. On subsequent visits, he would shuffle in, wearing two
mismatched shoes, and pull out a harmonica. With glazed eyes set on a future glory, he’d puff
out old gospel tunes between conversations about vegetables and religion. On one visit, he
exclaimed, “The Lord is so good! I came out of my shack this morning and found a bag full of
shoes and clothing on my porch.” “That’s wonderful, Mr. Roth!” the students said. “We’re
happy for you.” “You know what’s even more wonderful?” he asked. “Just yesterday I met
some people that could really use them.”6
Generosity is natural when a thankful attitude prevails. When it comes to our time, our
talents and our treasures, the apostle encourages: “Each man should give what he has decided
in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having
all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7,8).
In King Henry VI, Part 3, Shakespeare puts this apt statement into the liege’s mouth: “My
crown is in my heart, not on my head… My crown is called content: a crown it is that seldom
kings enjoy” (III,i). Fortunately, my friends, we are not kings or queens. Instead, we are, as
Saint Peter calls us: “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy a nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness to His
wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). By bringing us to faith through the Gospel, Christ has entered
our hearts so that we do see the light—the light of eternal life. Having Christ in our hearts is the
ultimate secret to being content. For through Christ we can be grateful for what we own,
satisfied with what we make and generous to those in need. May this day of national
thanksgiving—and, indeed, every day—be filled with thanksliving, for we can do everything
through Christ who gives us strength! Amen.
6
Mark Tidd, “Thankfulness,” from Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching, edited by Craig Brian Larson (1993)
p262.