Philippians 4:11-12
“Enough: Cultivating Contentment”
Preached Sunday, October 2, 2025
We are moving into our second week of three of our sermon series, “Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity.” Last week at the start of my sermon I asked, in a time of economic uncertainty and anxiety - how can we talk about “enough”? I asserted it’s more important than ever - every day we are being bombarded with temptations to seek for the answers for our lives, our happiness, our contentment in things - material goods - and things that are not Jesus. Upwards of 10,000 ads a day tell us - happiness is just a purchase away. This is not just a practical problem that plagues the ability to care for ourselves, our families, and our communities - it is also a spiritual problem that separates us from God and leaves us worse than it found us. We said there are spiritual and practical steps to take to get off the treadmill of always seeking more - including giving to God first, developing a budget, and praying for a change of heart for all that we have to support our life purpose. United Methodist Pastor Adam Hamilton asserts this as our the purpose of our lives:
“We were created to care for God’s creation. We were created to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We were created to care for our families and those in need. We were created to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy...if this is our life purpose, then our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling. We are to use our resources to help care for our families and others - to serve Christ and the world through the church, missions, and every day opportunities.”
And so this week, I’d like to continue to look at the ways our society keeps us from cultivating contentment in the endless drive for more. We said we are over-run with the illness of Affluenza and Credit-itis. We are also sick with Restless Heart Syndrome - RHS. Perhaps you’ve heard of restless leg syndrome where your leg is always contracting or twitching…I have a good friend who has this and it definitely impacts his ability to rest and to sleep. Restless Heart Syndrome, however, is a spiritual problem. Our hearts, our souls, our very being - are always on the move, looking for contentment in all the wrong places…
James Mackintosh, a Scottish philosopher, said “it is right to be contended with what we have, but never with what we are.” Hamilton explains this quote as thus, “It is a positive motivator to be discontent with our moral character, our spiritual life, our pursuit of holiness, our desire for justice, and our ability to love. These are areas in which we should continue to grow and improve, for. We are meant to become more than we are today. We are meant to yearn to know God more, to cultivate a deeper prayer life, to pursue justice and holiness with increasing fervor, to love others more, and to grow in grace and character and wisdom with each passing day. The problem is that we tend to be content with our involvement in pursuing justice in the world. We tend to be content with our level of righteousness- sometimes being self-righteous. We tend to be content with how much we love others. We tend to be content with our relationship with God. We tend to be content with how often we read the Bible and pray. Generally, we are satisfied with those things that deserve more of our time and attention.” And on the other hand, we are often discontent with the things we have - and this can be material goods and even our relationships.
The new car smell has worn off the new car and we start dreaming of the one we will buy next…
Our dream home has a few more outdated features than we realized so we’re planning the next improvement…
The phone that works perfectly well is lagging just a little and there are two newer models right now so we check for when our contract is available for an upgrade…
That new church community we were so excited to be a part of has a few things we don’t like…so maybe we’ll start church shopping again
The job we were so excited to get is getting ho-drum so we’re browning linked in again…
Or even we think thoughts like…
“Why can’t my child be more like….that other person’s child (or even another one of your children)”
“Why can’t my spouse be more like…”
“Why can’t my parents be more like…”
We should be constantly working on ourselves to continue to be sanctified by and through the Holy Spirit - to every day seek to better love God and better love neighbor as self…
And, we also need to put aside the discontent in what we have - both material goods and even relationships, even in the flaws, to cultivate gratitude. For we will never find contentment otherwise.
Our Gospel reading this morning tells of a man who thinks he has finally reached contentment. Whenever I read this Gospel lesson, I like to emphasize the I’s and My’s - to hear how really self-centered this guy is. Let’s hear it again:
“The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
For starters, this rich man is not using his resources to fulfill his life’s purpose to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy. He is thinking only of himself as is evident from the emphasized words. And he is summarizing all of his life in the abundance of possessions - something Jesus is warning against.
And yet, we also have to ask himself - would his SOUL really find rest in his grain and his goods? Would his bigger barns filled with grain and his life filled with eating and drinking and being merry - would that really cure his Restless Heart Syndrome? Or, before long, would he be out there thinking he needed a new, bigger barn and if only had this much more than he could finally have his soul, his heart be at rest…
Given our shared human nature - I definitely don’t think so. Because we simply cannot find contentment solely in possessions.
In our reading from Phillipians, Paul says he has the secret to being content…”Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.” He is writing this from a jail set that was basically a pit, waiting to find out if he would be executed…and yet even then…Paul is content. Because he knows all he needs is Jesus.
And so let’s turn to some practical and spiritual steps, concrete steps, we can take to cultivate contentment:
1. Look for the silver line:
In all situations, it is helpful to remind ourselves that “things could be worse.” Although, sometimes I wonder about that - if I never see the words “Breaking News” again - I would be happy. And yet…in all situations, and in all circumstances, we can give thanks to God. Look for the silver lining. Look for who God is still at work in the world and in your life. Look for, as Fred Rogers would say, “the helpers.” This can also go back to something I preached about a couple of weeks ago…look for opportunities to turn grumbling into joy.
2. Ask yourself, “How long will this make me happy?” and “Do I really need it?”
This is a simple question to ask and definitely one to ask before any purchases. So often we buy something to find that the happiness of having it doesn't last much longer than taking it out of the box.
3. Find ways to simplify your life.
Simplicity and contentment go hand in hand. Our society has us on the hamster wheel of endless consumption and it is wearing not just our bank accounts but our souls ragged. Set goals of reducing consumption and living below your means. Use something up before you buy something new to replace it. Look for concrete ways to simplify your life.
4. Develop a grateful heart.
I have preached on gratitude before and stressed that gratitude is not just an emotion - it is a practice and there are practical things we can do. Those who specifically write down or say what they are thankful for out loud - especially if they communicate with the person they are thankful for and say, “Hey! I give thanks to you.” express more gratitude and contentment. Likewise, it helps to be as specific as possible when cultivating the practice of gratitude. Not just saying, “I am thankful for my family.” But even listing out family members and what about them you love or specific instances that they sparked gratitude.
5. And lastly, ask yourself, “Where does my soul find true satisfaction?”
We said in our Call to Worship this morning, based on Psalm 63, that our souls find rest and contentment in God. This is a theme throughout Scripture - I’ve shared it before but Psalm 42 and the hymn “As the Deer” resonates with me - “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you. You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you.” Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” Our world tells us this longing of our souls can be filled up with material possessions and the endless drive for more - God tells us, “I am enough.”
For it is in Christ where we find our live’s meanings.
It is in Christ that there is overflowing grace and mercy.
It is in Christ where there is hope can always be found.
It is in Christ where we discover that we are loved unconditionally.
It is in Christ that we will find lasting satisfaction and contentment for our souls.
Hebrews 13:5-6 says it like this, “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’”
As I wrote this sermon, in addition to as the deer, there was another song going through my head, “Let That Be Enough” by the Christian band Switchfoot - admittedly, this song came out in 1999 so you wouldn’t hear it on the radio…it goes:
“And all I see
It could never make me happy
And all my sand castles spend their time collapsing
Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
Let that be enough.”
As you come forward to receive Holy Communion today, I would urge each of us for this to be our prayer: that we would know that Christ hears us, Christ touches us in our lives, that Christ loves us - and that all this, is enough.
For a while there in the Middle Ages, it was not entirely uncommon for the saints to subsist only on Communion - only on the bread and the cup. It is said that for the last seven years of her life St. Catherine of Sienna subsisted only off the Eucharist and water…for the record, this is not medical advice. We need to take care of and nourish our bodies…and - what if we truly saw this meal as all we needed? Because what is this meal but an encounter with our Risen Lord through the bread and the cup…
As you come forward today, pray that Christ alone would be enough, pray for contentment - for our restless hearts to find rest and joy in our God - living lives of joy and gratitude for all that we have. It is enough.
Amen.
In all situations, it is helpful to remind ourselves that “things could be worse.” Although, sometimes I wonder about that - if I never see the words “Breaking News” again - I would be happy. And yet…in all situations, and in all circumstances, we can give thanks to God. Look for the silver lining. Look for who God is still at work in the world and in your life. Look for, as Fred Rogers would say, “the helpers.” This can also go back to something I preached about a couple of weeks ago…look for opportunities to turn grumbling into joy.
2. Ask yourself, “How long will this make me happy?” and “Do I really need it?”
This is a simple question to ask and definitely one to ask before any purchases. So often we buy something to find that the happiness of having it doesn't last much longer than taking it out of the box.
3. Find ways to simplify your life.
Simplicity and contentment go hand in hand. Our society has us on the hamster wheel of endless consumption and it is wearing not just our bank accounts but our souls ragged. Set goals of reducing consumption and living below your means. Use something up before you buy something new to replace it. Look for concrete ways to simplify your life.
4. Develop a grateful heart.
I have preached on gratitude before and stressed that gratitude is not just an emotion - it is a practice and there are practical things we can do. Those who specifically write down or say what they are thankful for out loud - especially if they communicate with the person they are thankful for and say, “Hey! I give thanks to you.” express more gratitude and contentment. Likewise, it helps to be as specific as possible when cultivating the practice of gratitude. Not just saying, “I am thankful for my family.” But even listing out family members and what about them you love or specific instances that they sparked gratitude.
5. And lastly, ask yourself, “Where does my soul find true satisfaction?”
We said in our Call to Worship this morning, based on Psalm 63, that our souls find rest and contentment in God. This is a theme throughout Scripture - I’ve shared it before but Psalm 42 and the hymn “As the Deer” resonates with me - “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you. You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you.” Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” Our world tells us this longing of our souls can be filled up with material possessions and the endless drive for more - God tells us, “I am enough.”
For it is in Christ where we find our live’s meanings.
It is in Christ that there is overflowing grace and mercy.
It is in Christ where there is hope can always be found.
It is in Christ where we discover that we are loved unconditionally.
It is in Christ that we will find lasting satisfaction and contentment for our souls.
Hebrews 13:5-6 says it like this, “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’”
As I wrote this sermon, in addition to as the deer, there was another song going through my head, “Let That Be Enough” by the Christian band Switchfoot - admittedly, this song came out in 1999 so you wouldn’t hear it on the radio…it goes:
“And all I see
It could never make me happy
And all my sand castles spend their time collapsing
Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
Let that be enough.”
As you come forward to receive Holy Communion today, I would urge each of us for this to be our prayer: that we would know that Christ hears us, Christ touches us in our lives, that Christ loves us - and that all this, is enough.
For a while there in the Middle Ages, it was not entirely uncommon for the saints to subsist only on Communion - only on the bread and the cup. It is said that for the last seven years of her life St. Catherine of Sienna subsisted only off the Eucharist and water…for the record, this is not medical advice. We need to take care of and nourish our bodies…and - what if we truly saw this meal as all we needed? Because what is this meal but an encounter with our Risen Lord through the bread and the cup…
As you come forward today, pray that Christ alone would be enough, pray for contentment - for our restless hearts to find rest and joy in our God - living lives of joy and gratitude for all that we have. It is enough.
Amen.
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