11.26.

14 Thanksgiving Sermon

The Holy Gospel, according to Luke, the 17th

chapter: Glory to you, O Lord:
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through
the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he
entered a village, ten lepers approached him.
Keeping their distance, they called out, saying,
Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! When he saw
them, he said to them, Go and show yourselves to
the priests. And as they went, they were made
clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was
healed, turned back, praising God with a loud
voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus feet and
thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus
asked, Were not ten made clean? But the other

nine, where are they? Was none of them found to

return and give praise to God except this
foreigner? Then he said to him, Get up and go on
your way; your faith has made you well. The
Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Please be seated.

Get up, and go on your way. Your faith has made

you well.
In this lesson today, we have an outcast, a person
of low social standing, who remembers to give
thanks to God. Ten people are healed by Jesus, but
only one comes back to give thanks. The other
nine wandered off in the sunset, failing to thank
God for their blessings. Here they had this horrible

disease, where their skin was sloughing off. They

were highly contagious, and they were wrapped in
rags. They sought Gods help, and Jesus performs
a miracle right in front of their very eyes. They are
made clean and whole again, with no more
disease. But only one guy turns back and gives
thanks. He praises God with a loud voice. Jesus
tells him that his faith has made him well.
It is wonderful that we have a national holiday
every year to give thanks. It is a time to pause and
remember all the many ways we have been
blessed in our lives. We live in a free country,
where all people can practice their religion without
fear of persecution. We have a vibrant economy,
which allows many to live lives of prosperity. We

live in relative calm and peace within our borders,

and we have the freedom to live our lives as we
see fit. But, we are not self-made, self-reliant
people. I recently read this quote from a pastor,
who says it very well: I did not make the air I
breathe, nor the sun that warms me. I did not
endow the muscles of hand and brain with the
strength to plow and plant and harvest. I know I
am not a self-made man. I know that I have
received benefits I could not have provided for
myself. I also know that I do not have to carry the
world upon my shoulders, or to struggle alone
through the trials of life. I know I can trust in one
who is greater than I to provide what is needed;
and I know that most days I am surrounded by so

much more than I could ask or imagine, such an

embarrassment of riches, that if I only notice I will
realize that my times are safe and well in Gods
great hand. I am not a self-made man.

So what is the difference between the nine cured

lepers and the one who turned back to give thanks.
When you stop to think about it, the big difference
can be found in this one word: Noticing.
The essence of gratitude is noticing. Noticing
what God has done for us. Seeing how God is at
work in our lives, transforming us as the holy
people of Jesus Christ. The whole key to a fulfilling
Christian life is noticing how God blesses us, and
then giving thanks. Gratitude is the key to a

functioning faith in Jesus Christ. This is what the

outcast, the Samaritan, did. He took notice of what
Jesus had done for him, and then he returned to
give thanks.
Do you ever walk into your house and fail to notice
an improvement your spouse has made in the
house? Perhaps your spouse worked hard and
cleaned the house, and you did not notice.
Perhaps your spouse cooked your favorite meal,
and you didnt take time to express your gratitude.
Perhaps your Mom or Dad did something special for
you, and you failed to say thank you. We are all
guilty of doing this at times. We get so caught up
in the daily rhythm of life, and then we fail to take
notice of the world around us. It is very easy to not

see all the good around us. And even if we do

notice, we fail to express our appreciation. So it is
also easy to forget our gratitude.
But as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have received
an indescribable gift from God. We have received
the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. This is not
to say that we will not have tough times in this life.
This is not to say that we will be able to understand
everything that happens in this life. But just as
Jesus told the Samaritan that his faith made him
well, the same holds true for us. Our faith in Jesus
makes us whole. We have not had the benefit of
seeing Jesus yet face to face. But we have Gods
assurance that the Holy Spirit is always with us,
and lives within us. And God makes us whole,

makes us well, and gives us eternal life through our

faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, I know what some of you may be thinking.
My prayers dont seem to be answered. I pray for
my illness to go away, and it hasnt. I pray for my
marriage to be restored, and it has not. I pray for
my broken relationship to be restored, and it
hasnt. Jesus healed these lepers on the spot, but I
havent seen any healing yet. Well, these are all
good questions that I dont have answers for.
These are all mysteries of this life. As Pastor Tim
has said before, we can put all these questions on
a long list when we all see God face to face. But
here is what I do know. Here is the good news for
us today. Paul tells us in Romans that nothing can

ever separate us from the love of God in Christ

Jesus. Nothing. Not illness, not brokenness, not
things we cannot understand. And then St. Paul
tells us this in First Thessalonians: Give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.
We know that everything will be just fine in the
end, even when we dont understand what is
happening in this life. We are resurrection people.
Jesus has died and risen for us. We have the
eternal promises of God through Christ Jesus.
In the meantime, our faith will make us whole and
give us the gift of salvation. Our job is to live a life
of gratitude and praise, noticing all the blessings
bestowed upon us. Noticing the abundance of

Gods love showered upon us in our lives. And

sharing our abundance with others, for God loves a
cheerful giver. When we share our bounty with
others, we let Christs light and love shine
brilliantly through us. And we know that when we
give ourselves away in service to others, we are
enriched by God with even more abundance.

May your Thanksgiving include the essence of

gratitude, which is noticing how God has richly
blessed us, so we can bless others. May your
Thanksgiving include gratitude for the gift of faith
in Jesus Christ, who we know makes all things
whole, and all things well, in his eternal kingdom.

And may we always live our lives in gratitude and

praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray:
God of abundance: We thank you for teaching us
through the story of the ten lepers, and the
gratitude expressed by the Samaritan. We thank
you for the abundant blessings of this life, and the
abundance promised to us in eternal life. We pray
that we will always take time to notice these
blessings with our grateful hearts. We pray that
others will know you, through us, as we share our
bountiful blessings. All this we offer to you, in the
holy name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and

reigns with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and foreverAmen.