We Have Many Reasons to Give Thanks

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Lepers had a reason to give thanks

Imagine you are one of the ten lepers approaching Jesus. The skin disease of leprosy was not a pleasant disease. Taking an aspirin and getting some rest was not the way to get rid of leprosy. Lepers were supposed to stay outside of city walls and live apart from other people. Depending on how bad their leprosy was, they might have had skin wasting away on their bodies. Sores around their ears and eyes were painful also. Their lives would not be easy.

Then Jesus came walking their way. They had heard of the miracles that Jesus had performed in other places. They thought reaching out to Jesus might be worth the effort. As Jesus was coming their way, they stood at a distance as lepers were supposed to do when someone who did not have leprosy was coming their way. In order to be heard, they shouted, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” (Luke 17:13)

Jesus saw them and paid attention to their cry for help. Jesus said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. (Luke 17:14) What a great feeling that must have been for the ten men. No more leprosy. No more staying away from other people. They were healed. They would be social outcasts no longer.

II. How did they respond?

Nine out of the ten lepers were not thankful to Jesus. Nine of the men did not return to give thanks to the One who had healed them of the dreadful skin disease. Would you or I have responded in a different way? Maybe or maybe not. Sadly, we spend more of our time complaining about things rather than thanking God for His daily blessings. The weather is too gloomy. The weather is too windy. The weather is too cold.

One leper returned to thank Jesus for the gift of healing. Luke’s Gospel informs us, Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:15-19) This man praised God and gave thanks to Jesus—the Son of God. This man was a Samaritan, a foreigner as far as the Jews were concerned. Samaritans were not considered to be pure Jews and the Jews and the Samaritans did not want to be around each other. Yet the only one to give thanks and praise to Jesus was not one of the Jews, but a Samaritan. Being thankful seems to be a lost art in our world today.

III. How many reasons do we have to give thanks?

During the American Civil War on July 8, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln wrote the following words to Mrs. Esther Stockton:

Madam,

Learning that you who passed the eighty-fourth year of life, have given to the soldiers some three hundred pairs of stockings, knitted by yourself, I wish to offer you my thanks. Will you also convey my thanks to those young ladies who have done so much in feeding our soldiers while passing through your city?

In the middle of that terrible war, President Lincoln took the time to thank an 84 year old woman for knitting pairs of socks and other women feeding Union soldiers as they went through her city.

Even though most people will not be giving thanks in a church service tonight or tomorrow on our national day set aside for Thanksgiving, we have many reasons to give thanks to God today. Our Loving Lord could say to us this evening, “Didn’t I make you and all creatures? Didn’t I give you your body and soul, eyes, ears, and all your members, your reason and all your senses? Don’t I still take care of them? Haven’t I given you clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, and all you have? Don’t I richly and daily provide you with all you need to support your body and life? Don’t I also defend you against all danger, guard and protect you from all evil?

“And haven’t I redeemed you, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won you from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with my holy, precious blood and with my innocent suffering and death, that you may be my own and live under me in my kingdom and serve me in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as I’m risen from the dead, living and reigning to all eternity?

“And haven’t I called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with my gifts, sanctified and kept you in the true faith; just as I call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole Christian Church on earth and keep it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith? In this Christian Church, won’t I daily and richly forgive all your sins and the sins of all believers and raise you and all the dead, giving eternal life to you and all believers in Christ on the Last Day?” (cf Luther’s Small Catechism, The Creed).

We too can identify with the lepers who said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” We are very thankful for the great love and mercy Jesus has shown to us. He gives us everything we need to support this body and life. He blesses us in so many ways that we could spend a lot of time thinking about all of those blessings. The physical blessings we have are immense. The spiritual blessings we have are even greater. Jesus gave His precious blood on the cross to give us those physical and spiritual blessings. Jesus conquered death in our place to give us those physical and spiritual blessings. Jesus went up to heaven and He prays for us before God the Father in heaven.

Like the one leper who returned to give Jesus thanks, we give Jesus thanks this day. Jesus gives us forgiveness of all our wrongs and unthankful ways. Jesus gives us His true body and blood with the bread and wine tonight for the remission of all our bad attitudes and complaining ways. Jesus calls us brothers and sisters out of His favor and love. Every time we think of Jesus suffering on the cross and bursting out of the tomb with renewed life, we can thank God for His amazing mercy and love for each one of us. The greatest reason to be thankful to Jesus is because He conquered sin, death, and the devil for us. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.