Giving Thanks

Luke 17:11-19

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

This story is well-known. Ten lepers, keeping their distance from Jesus as the law demanded, yet crying out to be healed. Jesus told them to go to the priests, who were the public health officials of the day. The priests had training regarding what to look for to determine if skin problems were leprosy or not. The priests were the ones who could give a certified statement that the lepers had been healed. Jesus was following the patterns of the law which would make it possible for the lepers to return to their families.

As the ten lepers went to get their certificate of health, one realized that he had been healed. The assumption is that the others were not only healed as well but also recognized their healing, but that they chose not to return to say “Thank you” to Jesus. The one who returned to Jesus praising God was a Samaritan – an outsider, not someone who was expected to care about God – but here he is praising God.

 Gratitude is good for the soul, gratitude is good for communities, gratitude is a practice that requires intentional development if it is going to be a habit in our lives.

 About 59% of new arrivals (immigrants and refugees) to Canada are Christians. Further, 41% of them describe themselves as very religious; only 26% of Christians born in Canada describe themselves as very religious. The future of the church in Canada is with people like the foreigner, the one leper who returned and said thank you to the one who saved him. We are invited to follow the example of our Christian siblings who coming other parts of the world, invited to join them in giving joyful thanks to God for his blessings in our lives, including the salvation we have received.

 PRAYER: 

God of all good gifts, teach us to be grateful people. Shape our lives into lives of thankfulness for the blessings you offer to us, including the salvation offered to us in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.