Thanksgiving Day

 

Luke 17:11-19
How you can be made well

You and I – we are all lepers. And Jesus has redeemed us. He has healed us. He has made us whole. When we believe in Jesus for everlasting life, He give I to us and our live and never the same.

From the Catechism we read, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.”[1]

On the way to Jerusalem, on the road that would ultimately lead to His death, Jesus encountered ten pitiable men. He had mercy on them, and, foreshadowing the restoration of all creation at the Last Day, healed them of their dread disease. Only one returned to Jesus to give thanks—a foreigner, the Samaritan.

Christ came into the world to save all people, regardless of ethnicity, skin color, or other outward characteristics.

We ought to fall at Jesus’ feet and give thanks for having rescued us from the far more dread disease of sin and its consequences of eternal, and not just temporal, death.

Jesus – whom Himself was a descendant of a foreign, Moabite woman (Ruth) has made us clean.

He Himself is the High Priest who declares us clean to His Father, and gives us a place in His kingdom.

There was no love lost between Jews and Samaritans. Had they been healthy, the nine Jewish lepers would have had had nothing to do with this person whom they considered a half-breed, little better than a heathen.

But leprosy had made them all outcasts from society, depending on the kindness of strangers in for daily sustenance.

The faith of the Samaritan had grown – for he not only believed in the power of Jesus to heal but he saw Jesus as the only one through whom the Father was working. It was his faith which made him whole. Our text answers a basic question of faith – how you can be made well.

1. What are you are saved from – ingratitude.

A. In a word we call this selfishness.

We live in a world where everything seems to be centered on self. We’ve been trained by our culture to believe in ourselves. Not only do we want to be wealthy and famous, we’ve been oriented to feel we deserve it. 

This focus on self leads some to become self-serving and spoiled. Thinking they should get whatever they want, they will torment anyone who doesn’t give into their demands. Thus, a man all wrapped up in himself becomes quite a small package.

B. Taking things for granted.

Possibly we’re so focused on self because we’ve never had it so good. What is there that is lacking in our lives? Do we not live in the lap of luxury? We’re comfortable. And yet there are persons living in misery - feeling unfulfilled, frustrated, disgruntled, angry.

We don’t know how good we’ve had it until it is taken away from us. We do not know how these men lived before leprosy became their lot. But we do know what they had become –exiles, untouchable, shipwrecked.

C. Negativism.

Blessings are not a guarantee. No one is immune. Do we count our blessings or our problems?  Have we grown to expect them? 

Negativism can possibly be a result of being spoiled. “A selfish man is a thief.”[2] He will steal your heart, your money and your livelihood if you let them.

Transition: We have been saved from ingratitude – yet as we count our blessings we return thanks to the Savior.

2. What we are saved for – gratitude.

A. Counting you blessings. “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praise God in a loud voice.” Vs. 15 The lepers left for the temple and to the priest because Jesus had commandment them to do so. The Samaritan returned. To give thanks to Jesus. He did this because of His faith. Faith always responds with gratitude. That is how you respond. With gratitude and thanks, and a grateful heart.

God has blessed us in so many ways. Look around you. Everything is a gift. Consider the open hand of your Merciful Master.  “Forgiveness, life, salvation.” These three come from your heavenly Father.

How do you respond? “For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.” 

His mercies cannot be counted. Says the Psalmist: “You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.” Psalm 40:5 

B. Recognizing God as the healer. The lepers cried, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Vs. 12 Which moved the hymn writer to inscribe these words, “Other refuge have I none; hangs my helpless soul on thee; leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. All my trust on thee is stayed, all my help from thee I bring; cover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.”[3]

Lepers had to follow a specific prescription – after being quarantined they had to report to the priest.

Before they even arrived at the temple behold they were cleansed. The priest’s inspection would verify they were whole.

God still works through means. The doctor might hand us the bill but it is the Savior who heals. Christ not only died for all. He died for each. 

C.Praising God for His goodness “he came back, praising God in a loud voice.” Vs. 15b Says the Psalmist in Psalm 107:8-9, "Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” 

He heals our diseases. When Jesus says, “Go!” That’s a complete sentence. It is one thing to feel grateful; it is another thing to express it. The louder you called for help, all the louder you should praise God. The Greek word used to describe his giving thanks εὐχαριστῶ is the word that is translated as Eucharist. The Eucharist is public thanks!

Jesus is the true healer. Live your lives in perpetual thanksgiving and praise. At His table. And in your life.

Christ forgives our many sins. And it is the message of the cross which tells us that God understands our sin and our suffering, for He took them upon himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. From the cross God declares, 'I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pain that you feel. But I love you.'

With that lone leaper we can say, for all our Your tender mercies Lord, we give You thanks and praise.

___________

Words – 1,220
Passive Sentences – 11%
Readability – 80.3%
Reading Level – 4.7

---

[1] Explanation to the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, Luther’s Small Catechism © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
[2]The famous Cuban poet Jose Marti 
[3] Jesus, lover of my soul stanza two copyright © 1942 The Lutheran Hymnal, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Thanksgiving 2020

 How can we be thankful, amidst this dark unknown?

For starters, we can remember that this is not the year to get everything you want but to appreciate everything you have.  

We can remember that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” -_{John 3:16}.

Jesus entered this world to live a perfect life for you. He bore your sin as His own all the way to the blessed cross to die in your place and then victoriously rise from the dead on the third day to give you His life. His resurrection brings hope of an eternal future for those who trust in Him.

Because of His work you are free – to help and serve your neighbor in love. We have a glorious future with the Savior!  Even as we face this microbial foe; remember that, “He who did not spare His Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him graciously give us all things.” -_{Romans 8:32}

We can remind ourselves that “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” _{-Psalm 91:2}

We can take comfort in knowing that, “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” -_{Psalm 139:9-10}

We can chide ourselves into wakefulness, asking, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” _{-Psalm 42:5}

We can follow the example of the Apostle Paul, who, in his time of trial, told the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” _{-Philippians 4:6-7}

Still the question lingers. How can we be thankful, in the midst of this pandemic?

We can be thankful in truly knowing and calling upon that same “peace of God” that Paul knew—the mysterious peace which comes through faith in the Father’s providence.

This is the same peace that Jesus left to His disciples. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. _-John.14:27; 

that Paul called a “fruit of the Spirit” _{-Galatians 5:22}; 

the peace that the Savior gives to those whose minds are fixed on God -_{Isaiah 26:3-4}; 

the peace of which Jesus spoke when He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” _{-Matthew 11:28-30}

Give Christ your fears and He will engulf you with His peace. Rest on His love and providence. In the midst of fear, recall the empty tomb and the words of Jesus to His disciples: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” _{-John 16:33 b}

Especially at this difficult hour - turn to Jesus. Throughout the most trying of times in human history-wars, famines, plagues, oppression and persecution-Christians have found solace in the Savior. They have discovered His strength when theirs failed. They found comfort in His presence and calming rest in His promises. They endured because of His example. They overcame because He guided them through.

And isn’t that the point with the healing of the ten lepers? They literally had nothing. No home. No income. No future. Nothing.

Ten lepers cry out to Jesus with one voice: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” All ten share in the same condition. They are all leprous. They are all outcasts. Cut off from society. All of them.  Yet they all had faith in Jesus to heal them. “Have mercy on us!”

"Ten" is a perfect number. All together they cry out for mercy but at a distance. They had nothing left to lose.

Lepers were like death-row inmates. They were as good as dead. - Dead men walking. For death itself, was in their flesh. Lesions, sores, and scabs, bore witness to their decay as living symbols of death. They were unclean.

As such, they were shunned from society. They were cast out of the community; barred access to home, market and synagogue.

Their leprosy made them dead to family and friends. Leprosy made them dead to religious practice. Only a cure for their leprosy could bring them life. But cures were rare. So rare, in fact, that the rabbis of the day considered the cure of a leper equal with raising a person from the dead. Lepers were the living dead.

The men in today’s Gospel reading didn’t call out to Jesus just to say “Hello.” They called out because they were sick. In fact, they were dying a very slow death.

And it is precisely those people whom our Lord came to rescue. Perhaps the greatest virtue of the Samaritan was his sense of self. The man knew precisely what he was. And what he needed. More to the point, he knew where to get it.[1]

So, above all, give thanks for Christ; for grace, for faith and for the Father’s everlasting love.

In the meantime, continue to love and serve others in response to the Savior's love for you. “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  _{-1 John 4:9-11}

Find safe ways to reach out to those who are struggling amid the economic uncertainties that are accompanying the pandemic. “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” _{-Mathew. 25:35-36}.

Recite the Lord's Prayer and/or the Twenty-third Psalm in those times of anxiety that will surely come. Hasten to the words of the Apostle Peter: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may life you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" _{-1 Peter 5:6-7}

And finally, "Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." _{-1Thessalonians 5:17-18}

The Bible assures us: God will be with us in the pandemic and God will see us through. God is great...all the time! Thank be to God! And yes, Happy Thanksgiving!

Words-1,215
Passive Sentences-2%
Readability – 83.3%
Reading Level – 4.3
The Ten Lepers copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

---

[1] From a sermon delivered by Pr. Ken Kelly Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity posted 9.18.2019 via facebook_TM

Thanksgiving – the quintessential American Holiday

Thanksgiving Day

November 29, 2019

Luke 17:11–19  

“Thanksgiving – The Quintessential American Holiday”

Ten lepers cry out to Jesus with one voice: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” All ten share in the same condition. They are all leprous. They are all outcasts. Cut off from society. All of them.  Have faith in Jesus to heal them. “Have mercy on us!”

"Ten" is a perfect number. All together. They cry out for mercy. But at a distance. They have nothing left to lose.

Lepers were like death-row inmates. They were as good as dead. Dead men walking. For death itself was in their flesh. Lesions. Sores. And scabs. Bore witness to their decay. As living symbols of death. They were unclean. As such. They were shunned from society. They were cast out of the community. Barred access to home. Market. And synagogue. 

Their leprosy made them dead to family and friends. Leprosy made them dead to religious practice. Only a cure for their leprosy could bring them life. But cures were rare. So rare, in fact. That the rabbis of the day considered the cure of a leper equivalent with raising a person from the dead. Lepers were the living dead.

These men  didn’t call out to Jesus just to say “Hello.” They called out because they were sick. In fact dying a very slow death. And it is precisely those people. Whom our Lord came to rescue. Perhaps the greatest virtue of the Samaritan was his sense of self. The man knew precisely what he was. And what he needed. More to the point. He knew where to get it. [1] 

All ten are cleansed by Jesus. The skin of every leper is restored. As they go their way to the Temple. Only the Samaritan, however, goes back to Jesus to give thanks. And Jesus commends him for his faith. 

“Rise and go your way,” says Jesus. “Your faith has made you well.”  Rise up. Go. And keep going.  Your faith has. And continues to save you. Faith is always busy and active.

Jesus doesn’t give the Samaritan any direction.  He simply says “Rise and go.” The implication is that the Samaritan can go wherever he wants. He worships God in Spirit and Truth. He doesn’t need to go to the Temple. Or the priests in Jerusalem. He is not merely cleansed of leprosy. He is also saved. His soul is clean. He is reconciled to God. There is no one to accuse him.

Today is Thanksgiving – the quintessential American Holiday. In the midst of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln declared that a grateful nation would simply pause to give thanks to God. That is why you have gathered here today. As the people of this parish have gathered - for the past one-hundred fifty-six years. 

We pause to give thanks. To the one who has shown mercy. To the one who could have left us dead in our trespasses and sin. But instead determined to save and redeem us. 

Not with a wave of His hand. But with hands and feet which were pierced. And a side which was wounded. And with a back which was scared by the whip of and an oppressor. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.’ 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus took responsibility for our sin. By taking our curse. (Galatians 3:13) Our penalty. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Our consequences. (Matthew 27:46) Our punishment. (Isaiah 53:5).  

Nine were hesitant to give Jesus the glory. This stranger. This outcast.   The one who had no purpose. And no status. Returned to give thanks. 

“Secure then of His promises. Let us believe the past. Recognize the present. Hope for the future. ‘The blessing of the Lord are for evermore. Amen and Amen.’ (Psalm 89. 51) Thanks to His mercy. Thanks to His grace. We express our thanks. We do not give them. Nor return them. Nor repay them. We express our thanks in words. He saved us for no reward. He heeded not our impieties. He searched us out. When we searched not for Him. He found. Redeemed. Emancipated us from the bondage of the devil. And the power of wicked angels.” [2] 

“Almighty God, in fulfillment of the promise made to David’s descendants You established a lasting covenant through Your firstborn Son. You anointed Your servant Jesus with holy oil and raise Him higher than all kings on earth. Remember Your covenant, so that we who are signed with the blood of Your Son may sing of Your mercies forever; through Jesus Christ Your Son.” Amen  [3] 

__________________

Words - 860

Passive Sentences – 6%

Readability – 86.3

Reading Level-2.7

[1] From a sermon delivered by Pr. Ken Kelly Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity posted 9.18.2019 via facebookTM

[2]  St Augustine on the Gospel (From Exposition on the Psalms  in Vol. VIII, NPNF) Exposition of Psalm 89:51  Psalm passages related to Ingratitude and Thankfulness http://www.lectionarycentral.com/trinity14/Augustine1.html

  

[3] Collect for Psalm 89, For All The Saints, A Prayer Book For and by the Church © 1995 the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY 

Images copyright © Google Images 

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving 2018

Luke 17:19 

“Rise and go your way, you faith has made you well.”

Two miracles take place in the healing of the ten lepers. Each receives physical healing. Yet one obtains both physical and spiritual healing. It is the latter that we who are healthy need. Jesus said to the Samaritan that he was healed by his faith. Jesus is referring to the spiritual miracle that took place in the foreigner. “Well” comes from the word “save” and “wholeness”.  This second miracle made him whole in terms of gratitude - which was the outward sign - of his well-being inside.

Consider the Double Miracle

I.        What you are saved from – Ingratitude. This is illustrated by acts of selfishness, taking things for granted and negativism. 

A.     Selfishness. Sinful humans with their own agendas plans and attitudes crowd out a spirit of thanksgiving. We live in a land of plenty. We live in a time of so many opportunities. We live in an age in which there are countless advantages for us to succeed. Do we consider the needs and concerns of others? Or do we think and operate only for ourselves? A person all wrapped up in themselves becomes a very small package.

B.     Ingratitude raises its ugly head by taking things for granted. On this day of Thanksgiving we are challenged to contemplate our blessings. This past week when our students at Wyneken assembled for chapel I gave them an assignment. It’s an assignment which each of us should take.  Make an assessment of the blessings you have received. Recall those people the Lord has placed in your life – who have become a blessing to you. Then simply say “thank you!”  This helps us from taking things for granted.

C.     Negativism is also a cause for ingratitude. True we all have challenges in our lives. There are plenty of hurdles placed before us. There are enough voices in our world which simply say “no, you can’t!”  What should our attitude be? Thanksgiving is thanks-living. If we truly live blessed and thankful lives negativism is eliminated from the equation.

Transition: We are saved from ingratitude. We are saved for gratitude. 

II.     What you are saved for – gratitude. How do we demonstrate an attitude of gratitude?  We do this by counting our blessings. Recognizing God as the one who blesses us. And praising Him for His goodness.

A.     Counting your blessings – V. 15a “one of them when he saw he was healed, came back.”  This one lone leper - realized his life had been spared. He was safe. He saw He had been saved. There had been a change, a huge change in his life. Did he move on? Of course not. He returned to give thanks.

B.     Recognizing God as the one who blesses us.  Vs. 16 “He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.” This miracle had not happen by chance. It wasn’t luck. Or fate. Or his good fortune. It was the God and God alone who had healed him. It was God and God alone who had had mercy upon him. It was God and God alone who had intervened in his life. A change had taken in his life and he knew it.

C.     Praising God for His goodness – V. 15b “praising God in a loud voice.”  With such a change taking place in his life this leper returned to thank the God. He praised the Savior for the blessings he had received. How do we make thanksgiving a way of life? We do more then come to a worship service – in service we praise the name of our Lord. As God has blessed you – be a blessing – to those people in your life.

What you are saved for? We are saved for an attitude of gratitude. How do we demonstrate this attitude of gratitude?  We do this by - counting our blessings, recognizing God as the One who blesses us, and praising Him for His goodness. A blessed Thanksgiving in Jesus’ Name.

Words-675

Passive Sentences –17%

Readability-75%

Reading Level -4.1

Luke 17:11-19 notes for Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving

Luke 17:11–19

See also Proper 23 series C

Faith Returns Thanks to God and Worships Him in the Person of Christ Jesus

Collect for Proper 23 – O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, by Your grace hear the prayers of Your Church. Grant that those things which we ask in faith we may receive through Your bountiful mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

A quick outline based on Collect 23 series "C" 

A proper perspective regarding God and you 

1. God is our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness.

2. He hears the prayers of His people. 

3. As dear children ask their dear Father we always ask in faith.

4. The Lord always responds from His bountiful mercy.  

Jesus comes in mercy and, by His Word, heals you in body and soul. “Go and show yourselves to the priests,” for you are cleansed (Luke 17:14), and you are granted access to the Lord’s Temple. It is “at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks” (Luke 17:16) that you worship God, for Christ Jesus is your great High Priest; His body is the true Temple. In Him, you “find rest, each of you in the house of her husband” (Ruth 1:9), for the Lord has “visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6). The person of Jesus Christ lodges Himself in holy food — bread and wine for believers to eat and drink. You lodge where Jesus lodges; His Father is your God, His people are your people. Death cannot part you from Him because His death and resurrection are eternally yours through Holy Baptism. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead” (2 Timothy 2:8). As surely as death could not hold Him, so surely “the word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9). His Gospel is entrusted “to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2), so that you “may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:10). Such is the confession of faith for all the saints, who believe, teach and confess the one Lord and Savior — Jesus Christ.

There was no love lost between Jews and Samaritans. Had they been healthy, the nine Jewish lepers would have had had nothing to do with this person whom they considered a half-breed, little better than a heathen. But leprosy had made them all outcasts from society, depending on the kindness of strangers in for daily sustenance.

On the way to Jerusalem, on the road that would ultimately lead to His death, Jesus encountered these ten pitiable men. He had mercy on them, and, foreshadowing the restoration of all creation at the Last Day, healed them of their dread disease. Only one returned to Jesus to give thanks—a foreigner, the Samaritan.

Christ came into the world to save all people, regardless of ethnicity, skin color, or other outward characteristics. We Gentiles, too, ought to fall at Jesus’ feet and give thanks for having rescued us from the far more dread disease of sin and its consequences of eternal, and not just temporal, death. This Descendant of a foreign, Moabite woman has made us clean. He Himself is the High Priest who declares us clean to His Father, and gives us a place in His kingdom. This Gospel lesson is traditionally read on Thanksgiving Day.

A hint of trivia - The Armadillo has an antibody for leprosy.  -The bacteria that causes leprosy, a chronic disease that can lead to disfigurement and nerve damage, is known to be transmitted to humans from nine-banded armadillos. A new study in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases reports that 62% of the armadillos in the western part of Pará state in the Brazilian Amazon are positive for the leprosy bacteria. June 28, 2018 - Science Daily

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

Luke 17:11 

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ [a]πορεύεσθαι εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ αὐτὸς διήρχετο διὰ [b]μέσον Σαμαρείας καὶ Γαλιλαίας.

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

The disease is what unites them. Jesus is going to Jerusalem. He will only stop for them.

Luke 17:12 

καὶ εἰσερχομένου αὐτοῦ εἴς τινα κώμην [c]ἀπήντησαν δέκα λεπροὶ ἄνδρες, οἳ [d]ἔστησαν πόρρωθεν,

And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,[a] who stood at a distance 

Going into a village, ten men, lepers met him standing afar off. Whole cities would come out to meet ἀπήντησαν a conquering King. This is a leper colony. Jesus is going into the leper's village. They come out to greet them.

Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13

"Ten" is a perfect number. All together. They cry out for mercy but at a distance. They have nothing left to lose. 

Luke 17:13 

καὶ αὐτοὶ ἦραν φωνὴν λέγοντες• Ἰησοῦ ἐπιστάτα, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.  

and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

“They” (plural) lifted up “their” (singular) united voice saying, "Jesus, Master have mercy/pity!" ἐλέησον

Luke 17:14 

 καὶ ἰδὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς• Πορευθέντες ἐπιδείξατε ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν. καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὑπάγειν αὐτοὺς ἐκαθαρίσθησαν.

When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

And seeing as they saw (being there present with them) he said "go, show yourselves to the priests. (To go back to your family. Uncleanness separated them. Cut off from community. The OT statement of original sin.) . Sin is unbelief given flesh and bones. 

"Sent to the priests" think Judas 

As they went they were healed. 

Luke 17:15

εἷς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἰδὼν ὅτι ἰάθη, ὑπέστρεψεν μετὰ φωνῆς μεγάλης δοξάζων τὸν θεόν,

Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 

One from them, seeing right here and now, seeing he was healed, returned with a great voice glorifying God. 

He goes to the priests. (Because Jesus sent him. He had to. He went, was examined, then returned.) Both he and Jesus knew the drill.  

Luke 17:16

καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστῶν αὐτῷ• καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν Σαμαρίτης. 

and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

He threw himself at Jesus' feet.  See Ruth 4:7, Christ is the kinsman redeemer. John the Baptist, "I am unworthy to untie his sandals."  

Luke 17:17 

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν• [e]Οὐχὶ οἱ δέκα ἐκαθαρίσθησαν; οἱ δὲ ἐννέα ποῦ; 

Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

Ten were cleansed, were there not? Expecting a positive answer. Ten were cleansed, 

Luke 17:18

 οὐχ εὑρέθησαν ὑποστρέψαντες δοῦναι δόξαν τῷ θεῷ εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀλλογενὴς οὗτος;

Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 

Luke 17:19 

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ• Ἀναστὰς πορεύου• ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε.

And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.

“has made you well” - has saved you. σέσωκέν

Rise up, go and keep going, your faith has and continues to save you. Faith is busy and active.

ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving 2017

Once again we have come to another Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here at Zion is much more likened to a harvest festival in which we return thanks to the Lord who has given us another year to serve Him in providing the people of this world food to eat.

We have again experienced the four seasons which are so critical and significant to our farming community. There is first, the dormancy of winter in which the world around us sleeps and enters hibernation. But with the emergence of spring comes the hope of another season. Planting leads to growth and maturation in summer which gives way to the harvest of autumn. Each year has its own challenges and this year has had its own.  How should we view this year’s harvest? Let us consider these realities.

1. Through the kindness of God we have again received the fruit of the earth in their season. Having called upon our Lord we are drawn to the many blessings which flow from His mighty hand. We recall His kindness. His blessings. The richness of His grace. His forgiveness. These we do not deserve – yet, He lavishes them upon us - because He is kind and gentle toward us. This is His nature. He can do nothing else.

As He acts on our behalf we have again received the fruits of the earth. True, our farmers put in many hard and long hours. Fields don’t plant themselves. And someone has to work the harvest. Your work is important. Tremendously important. And yet we find a significant and profound truth. It is the Lord who multiplies and gives the increase. He sends the rain at the proper time. He sends the sunshine. Everything is fixed according to His timetable.

And the harvest which is received comes at the proper time in their season. The Lord has promised that there will always be a crop.  Though we may often times go through cycles of adversity and challenge that Lord has promised there will always be another growing season. The land lays dormant now. Just as Advent leads to Christmas and the discipline of Lent segues into Easter so also the death of winter will only give birth to spring, The Lord promises “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.” _{– Genesis 8:22}

2. Our prayer should be that we rejoice in Christ’s mercy. Without the Lord we have nothing. Without His sustaining hand we are left living a life which is dictated to chance. Without His hand ordering our days and guiding our path we are left to circumstances directing our life. We need a balanced life. It is Christ which brings this balance.    

3. Our prayer should be that neither prosperity nor adversity would drive us from Christ’s presence.

A.   So that neither prosperity in times of plenty, both when the stock market is climbing, and the prices are souring. When yields are high and dividends are increasing. 

B.   Nor adversity – such as the time in which we live today when the future is not so certain when the experts try to explain that we are entering into uncharted waters, where the solution is uncertain.

C.         We pray that these may never drive us from Jesus’ presence. Instead we look to the Lord for direction and life. David reminds us in Psalm 46 “God is our refuge and d strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

By adopting gratitude, we can discover God’s abundance. Gratitude takes math out of the equation. When gratitude replaces anxiety, even when we find we have less than we had during our worry days, gratitude reveals that we have far more than we need.

“Look at the birds of the air,” says Jesus.  “Consider the lilies of the field.” Jesus wasn’t being idealistic. He was being practical. Worry will not add one inch to your stature. Nor can you extend you life through worry. Medical science however has shown that by not worrying, we can add to our life span. We don’t have to worry about our lives day to day – what we are going to eat or drink or wear? Nor do we have to worry about our children’s needs. All we have to do is say thank you, knowing that what needs to happen will, and the rest is not all that important. Gratitude is the secret.

4. Of course, we always pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A.         Who lives and reigns - For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water, And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes._{- Revelation 7:17}

B.          With You and the Holy Spirit. Blessed by the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to Him because He has shown His mercy to us. _{-Liturgical Text from the Introit for Trinity Sunday}

C.         One God, now and forever. With the evangelist John we can say Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our god forever and ever. Amen _{-Revelation 7:12}

D.         Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. Place yourselves under each other's authority out of respect for Christ. _{-Ephesians 5:18-21}

Lord God heavenly Father, through whose kindness we have again received the fruits of the earth in their season, grant us ever to rejoice in Your mercy that neither prosperity nor adversity may drive us from Your presences. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives, and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen -A Blessed Thanksgiving - in Jesus’ Name.

Words – 1,025

Passive Sentences –8%

Readability-77.7%

Reading Level –5.5

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day

November 24, 2016

Luke 17:11-19

Who bothers to thank God?

Ten men, afflicted with a disease that excluded them from normal society (Leviticus 13:45-59) and inevitably brought about death, sought help from the Savior. All ten were told to show themselves to the priest as was required (Leviticus 14:2-20). All ten were healed. All ten were given a full bill of health. All ten were given a new lease on life. All ten were good to go. Yet only one returns to give thanks. The Savior asks the obvious question – “What happened to the nine?” Our text begs the question who bothers to thank God?

1. Certainly not those whose only concern is to enjoy what has been given them.

A. Ten meet Jesus. Ten called Him “Master”. Ten were healed and undoubtedly rejoiced. Only one looked beyond the healing to the Healer. Giving thanks has greater priority for him than being certified as clean.

B. Like the nine, people can often display a selfishness that is enamored by the things that benefit us and that cares not at all for the God who supplies our every need. This is covetousness and idolatry at its core. How many today find themselves deeply in debt, chasing after the latest fashion statement, driving cars they can not afford, trying to impress people for whom they do not care? That is the temptation of this world – that the allure of possessions will bring happiness. It will be witnessed tomorrow- black Friday- the first official sale day of the Christmas holiday season - when malls will be filled with shoppers attempting to bring cheer to their lives with things they can not afford.

C. Beware! Such selfish myopia stifles thanksgiving. It sees no cause for gratitude unless we receive what we things is best, at the time we prefer, in the way we desire. When this attitude prevails, who bothers to thank God?

Transition: Who bothers to thank God? Certainly not those whose only concern is to enjoy what has been given them. Nor does it come from those who become all wrapped up in themselves.

2. Not those who believe that God’s good treatment is something they have earned for themselves.

A. The story strongly emphasizes that the only man who returned to give thanks to Jesus was both a Samaritan and a foreigner - a man with no rights. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, a symbolic act of complete subjection. He realized that his healing was an act of pure mercy, not a payment that he deserved.

B. How much his views differed from those of the majority of people, both at Christ’s time and still today. How easy it is, even for us, to pin our hope for God’s favor on what we are or think or say or do. We desire and sometimes demand that God be kind to us and help us as a reward for our good church attendance or our righteous living or our delightful personalities. How many today think that God should stand up and take notice! - Because of your awesomeness? Really?

C. Beware! Such self-righteous pride will not fall at Jesus feet. It will not thank Him. It gives no glory to God for His marvelous works of mercy. It sees God only as a paymaster, who distributes benefits to those who have earned them. When this attitude prevails, who bothers to thanks God?

Transition: Who bothers to thank God? Not those whose only concern is to enjoy what has been given them. Not those who think God owes them? It comes from those who have received mercy.

3. Only those whom God has rescued from the dominion of sin and Satan by giving them faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

A. The event reported in the Gospel happened while Jesus was on the way to the city of Jerusalem. He was traveling to that city to lay down His life as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The guilt of our selfishness and pride rested on His shoulders. The hands that in the others cases healed with a touch were soon to be nailed to the cross as payment for our ingratitude and love-less-ness. The voice that told the lepers to show themselves to the priest would soon cry out in pain and agony, “I thirst!” and “My God, my God, why have Your forsaken me? Jesus endured the full punishment of body and soul that we all deserve. But that same voice would sound forth again after His resurrection, announcing that forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to Jews and Samaritans and all the nations of the earth – to all who would listen both believer and pagan alike.

B. Only the power of the resurrected Christ, received by us through faith, can purge our hearts of the spiritual maladies of selfishness and pride and ingratitude and sin. Only in the strength that he supplies are we able to overcome our natural inclination toward evil and truly give thanks and glory to God.

Through faith in Christ, the Samaritan leper received healing in his body. Motivated by that faith, he returned to give thanks. For such as that leper, it is not at all a bother to thank God. The expression of heartfelt thanks to God with our lips and our lives is a joyous privilege that God provides for us here in time and hereafter in eternity.