The Joy In Giving Thanks

Introduction

By God’s grace we are coming upon the Thanksgiving holiday next week. What a great time of year.

Growing up, one of the things my parents always sought to teach us was to be thankful.

When we recieved something from someone, we were instructed to say “thank you”.

When we were offered something we didn’t want, we were taught to say, “no, thank you.”

In Boy Scouts we were taught that when you hand someone a knife, the giver takes the knife by the blade and extends the hilt to the recipient. The recipient says, “thank you” as way to express that they have a firm grip on the knife and the giver can let go. Last thing you want amongst boys and young men is for them to drop sharp knives on their feet!

The Bible has over 160 scripture references to giving thanks.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING (תּוֹדָה, todah; εὐχαριστία, eucharistia). The act of offering thanks or being thankful, usually to God. Often connected to provision, deliverance, or God’s character. Commonly associated in Scripture with meals and worship.

From early on in scripture there is a pattern of giving thanks. There is a thanksgiving offering that is instituted by the time we see the Levitical law being put into place (Lev 7:11-15). Thanksgiving bears a prominent place in the Psalms, both on an individual (e.g., Psa 116) and communal (e.g., Psa 100) level.

McKnight, C. (2016). Thanksgiving. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

Harvard Medical School published an article in 2021 that states gratitude can actually make you happier. We don’t need Harvard to tell us what the Bible already encourages us to do is real, but it’s always fun when academia publishes what God has already told us.

They say, “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

They give 5 practices that help in cultivating an attitude of thanksgiving:

Write a thank-you note: builds and nurtures relationships. Sending it in the mail (everyone likes getting mail in this digital world), or even better yet, write it, deliver it and then read it to the person.

Write a gratitude journal: Ann Voskamp (10,000 gifts) has a great book on this.

Count your blessings: pick a time each week and reflect, pick a number, and write down a few things you are grateful for.

Pray: People who cultivate their faith are statistically more happy

Meditate: While the world/culture thinks that “Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment.”; Scripture/Biblical meditation is filling ourselves, thoughts, mind with scripture and thinking about the Lord.

That’s what we are going to to do this morning. If you have your Bibles or on your devices, turn to Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11–19 CSB

While traveling to Jerusalem, he passed between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And he told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Such a great passage in scripture. I just want to share a few observations and then some application.

Observations:

Jesus went to an area that most Jews avoided like the plague (pun intended)… Samaria.

These men were outside the village. They had a disease that was highly communicable and so they were pushed out of the community. Leprosy was nasty disease. It is disease that would eat the skin and nerve endings; so feeling would not be in their extremities. This would give away to infection, bacteria, and bad news.

They saw Jesus and cried out to Him. In simply yelling out to him, Jesus had compassion (Rom. 10:13)

Jesus told them simply to go show themselves to the priests. Not be healed, or you are healed, but simply go.

Only one of the ten returned as he was going to the priest.

Jesus commented on how only the foreigner (foreigner/alien in Greek) returned. Implying the others who were healed were not foreigners but Jews or Samaritans.

Applications

Jesus is not afraid of those places we don’t want anyone to enter in. He wants all of us. He wants us to open all the doors of our lives and allow Him to enter in and bring life. There is nothing we have done that he doesn’t want to forgive you, redeem in you, and make you new. (this is good news to bring to friends and family)

Jesus specifically loves those on the margins. Those of us who might think we’re unlovable. Jesus loves us. Regardless of what society says of us, we are deeply loved by God (like the lepers). He has come to take away our sin… that condition that eats at our soul and separates us from God. We can be sitting in addiction, pride, anger, laziness, lust, greed, gluttony… in all these things, Jesus sees us and is wanting/willing to bring healing and forgiveness (and transformation).

In our own lives, we just need to cry out to Jesus. Often times God will allow us to see our need that we would come to him and express our desire for Him. Romans tells us that if we cry out to him, call on Jesus, we will be saved. Saved from that sin that separates us from Him.

Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest because that was the only way they could be declared clean and brought back into community. There was no medicine or doctor that could cure leprosy at that time. So in showing themselves to the priest, Jesus is actually getting the attention of the priest saying the Messiah is here. It was prophesied that is what the Messiah would do. So much so the priest had a ritual they would do when someone was cleansed of leprosy. All that to say… in our own deliverance, healing, Godly change (sanctification) it is a witness to others.

Only one returned. God’s love and healing is not conditional. He loves you. He loves me. That can be source of comfort. What we are seeing here is that as they were obedient, in their obedience Jesus healed them… it’s not because but as they were, healing came. I’ve preached on this before, and I’m always struck by this one’s greater obedience. While the others were headed to the priest he returned to the Great High Priest.

Gratefulness, Thankfulness, Mindfulness of what God has done, is doing, and will do puts us in a unique place to witness and testify to who God is. This is the hope the world is looking for.

This Thanksgiving I encourage you (as I will do myself) to take time and journal, write, make a note of all those things you are thankful. All those that God has given you, the blessings you enjoy, the favor that has been shown in your life… things that we can be thankful for...

Tastebuds

Friends

Thumbs

Eye sight

Modern Medicine

Family

Church

Pets

Ability to read

Great story telling (movies, books, friends, etc)

What are you thankful for...

May we be reminded this Thanksgiving of all that God has done. And like the Psalmist may we say as in Psalm 138

Psalm 138 CSB

Of David. I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth. You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else. On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me. All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord, when they hear what you have promised. They will sing of the Lord’s ways, for the Lord’s glory is great. Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the humble; but he knows the haughty from a distance. If I walk into the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands.

Amen.