Giving thanks

“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.” Luke 17:15-16

The story from the Gospel according to Luke tells about ten lepers who asked (begged) Jesus for help. Jesus answered by sending them on their way to the priests who could declare them fit for integration back into society. On their way, the story says, they were healed.

Now in those days, being a leper meant that you had to stay at a distance from the rest of society so that the disease did not spread, kind of like those who are exposed to Ebola today. Because it is a scary and little-understood disease, many people wish that those who have been exposed would be isolated from the rest of society until declared “clean.”

The story says, “ … and as they went (to show themselves to the priests), they were made clean.” It was an act of faith to set out to show themselves to the priest because they had not, as yet, been healed. On their way they found themselves healed and continued on their journey to see the priests, who could give them the OK to rejoin society.

But one of the lepers was so grateful that he turned back to find the man who had healed them. Finding Jesus, the former leper fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. According to pastor and author Bruce Larson, all were healed, but only the one who turned back to give thanks was “made whole.” He had received healing of the body and of the spirit.

As a country we have been blessed. As a country we are called upon each November to give thanks. It is because we have so many blessings that we can easily forget the one “from whom all blessings flow.” Because we are blessed, we can begin to believe that all that we have is due to our own abilities. The leper who turned back to give thanks, in person, received a greater blessing. We don’t know, from the Bible, if this leper became a follower of Jesus, but tradition says he did. He paid it forward and the lives of many were changed as his life had been changed.

This month of giving thanks is a good time to stop and remember who has blessed us with so much. It is a good time to “pay it forward” and to bless others through our abundance. Keep your eyes and heart open for opportunities to give thanks through your actions, as well as your words.

Pastor David Hall

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church