PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

December 1, 2024

AC-CUNT-TUKU-ATE THE POSITIVE

Thanksgiving 2024

                On our way home from men’s and women’s Purdue basketball games Diane and I will listen to 50’s Gold on 72 Sirius.  The music takes me back to Cortland, Ohio, where I grew up.  Thanksgiving always reminds me of the year that it started snowing on Thanksgiving and did not stop until Sunday when there was four feet of snow on the ground.  Cortland was isolated from the outside world for a week.  The Boyd relatives who had come to celebrate the holiday fortunately made it home.

A song that came out in 1944 and was still popular in the early 50’s was Ac-Cent-Tuhu-Ate The Positive by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer.  Mercer said he got the inspiration for the song from a sermon by Father Divine in which Divine said “accentuate the positive and eliminate the positive.”  Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers released the original recording of the song October of 1944.  Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters released their version of the song December of 1944.

Mercer wrote the song in the form of a sermon.  In his introduction to the song Johnny writes: “Gather ‘round me, everybody.  Gather ‘round me while I preach some.  Feel a sermon coming on here.  The topic will be sin and that’s what I’m agin.  If you wanna hear my story.  Then settle back and just sit tight while I start reviewing the attitude of doing right.” The chorus contains the essence of his message: “You gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive, e-lim-i-nate the negative, and latch onto the affirmate, don’t mess with Mr. In-Between. You got to spread joy up to the maximum, bring gloom down to the minimum, have faith, or pandemonium liable to walk upon the scene.”

To make his point Mercer turns to the scriptures. “To illustrate my last remark, Jonah in the wale, Noah in the ark.  What did they do, just when everything looked so dark?  Many they said, we better Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive E-lim-i-nate the negative and latch on to the affirmative, don’t mess with Mr. In-Between.”

                Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate would make a wonderful theme for a community Thanksgiving service sermon.  Mercer provides two Biblical illustrations: Jonah in the whale and Noah and his family on the ark.  The congregation is to spread more joy and less gloom.  Everyone should have faith to prevent chaos.  Thanksgiving is a time to accentuate the positive aspects of life.  What a great message!!!

A text that the preacher might use for our community Thanksgiving service is Philippians 4:8—9). “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”

As you gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving season may you ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive and e-lim-i-nate the negative.  May your gathering be filled with the joy of thanksgiving and the hope of God’s eternal presence.

(Comments may be sent to davidh15503@embarqmail.com.)