Thanksgiving Day, 11/25/2010

Sermon on Luke 17:11-19, by John E. Priest

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, 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 cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." (ESV)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Where Are the Nine?

One out of ten isn't a very good percentage, is it? Ten lepers were cleansed by Jesus. Only one bothered to give him thanks. Not a good percentage. "Where are the nine?" Jesus asked. Well - okay - so where were they? What happened to them?

A few weeks back, I asked my confirmation class the same question. We were doing a lesson on the importance of giving God thanks, and we looked at this self-same story. "What happened to the nine?" I asked them. "What do you think?" I knew this gospel lesson was coming up. I told them this was their chance to help me write a sermon. And so they did.

The first leper, they said, when he realized he'd been cleansed, was so excited he rushed right off to be with his family, whom he hadn't seen for years.

The second leper was stoned to death by the people in the village when he entered it, because they didn't realize he'd been healed.

The third leper just plain forgot.

The fourth leper made up a story about how he'd cleansed himself, taking all the credit.

The fifth leper was hit by a chariot and died.

The sixth leper went back to the leper colony to gloat that he'd been healed, whereas they had not. This one got leprosy all over again.

The seventh leper was struck by lightening.

The eighth leper came down with another illness.

The ninth leper had somehow managed to save up a bunch of money and, now that he was healed, rushed off to invest it in the "rock market," the stock market not having been invented yet. So he didn't have time to give Jesus thanks.

Now for the most part I thought the confirmation class was kind-hearted indeed. They gave several of the cleansed lepers good excuses for not returning to give Jesus thanks - like getting struck by lightening or hit by a chariot. Certainly there are circumstances which would prevent a cleansed leper from returning thanks to Jesus. But still - one in ten is not a good percentage, is it? Why the thanksgiving dearth?

The Only One

The answer has to do with the identity of the one leper who did give thanks to Jesus. "He," St. Luke tells us, "was a Samaritan." Which made him, as Jesus calls him later, a foreigner, an outsider. The other nine, they were part of the in crowd, the people of God. You'd think they'd be the ones to give God thanks. But - no - it was only the outsider who did it.

And why? Why do you suppose that was? We're not told precisely in the story. But I suspect it had to do with a sense of entitlement. The nine insider lepers figured they had their cleansing coming to them, that it was somehow owed to them, because, after all, they were part of the people of God. The outsider leper, on the other hand, didn't figure God owed him anything at all. So he was able to receive his cleansing as a gift - and give thanks for it to boot.

So let's get one thing straight. When it comes to God, we are not entitled to anything. If we ever were, we gave it up when we fell into sin. After which it's a good thing every day that we don't get what we deserve, what we're entitled to. So if we're living and breathing, that in itself is a sign of God's goodness and grace.

But of course we're doing better than just living and breathing. Even in these tough economic times, we have food on our tables, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads. This may not be everything we want. But our wants are limitless, and we shouldn't fault God for not supplying them all. Our needs are much more modest, and as God meets them, let us be content - and grateful.

Thanksgiving Training

This gratitude, of which I speak, does not come naturally. Every parent who's struggled to get his children to write thank you notes for their gifts after their birthdays or Christmas knows this. No - thanksgiving does not come naturally. We must train ourselves up in it, or we will neglect it. Which is why it's a good idea to structure into our lives times and places to do it. An annual national Day of Thanksgiving is a good start. But every day would be better. And that is why I've included in today's bulletin an insert with the table prayers from Martin Luther's Small Catechism. Take a look. [See below for complete text.]

Luther recommends a blessing before the meal - and then after the meal returning thanks.

Before the meal he says that "the children and members of the household shall go to the table reverently, fold their hands, and say...."

But wait. Before we get to what you should say, let's ask, "why folded hands?"

Folded hands of course are a traditional posture for prayer. It indicates that this is no normal conversation. We're doing something important here. You also might think it prevents you from grabbing for the food before you've said your thanksgiving, which you might be tempted to do.

Another way to do it, which I rather like, is not to fold your hands, but to hold them before you with the palms up. This is a posture of receiving. You have your hands open and ready to receive the gifts of God.

At any rate, however you hold your hands, then you say (preferably together, unless of course you're eating alone): "the eyes of all look of Uou, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." This is from the 145^{th Psalm.}^{Luther adds a note (which isn't printed on the insert) that "it is to be observed that ‘satisfying the desires of every living thing' means that all creatures receive enough to eat to make them joyful and of good cheer. Greed and anxiety about food prevent such satisfaction." We are not to want too much food. Nor are we to fear having too little. Instead we are to trust God, the giver, and thank him for what he's given, rather than concentrate on what he has not.
Having said that, Luther recommends that you say the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer is the perfect prayer, our Lord Jesus himself having taught us to pray it. So we can be sure it pleases him.
This same prayer is the people's table prayer in church. We say it just before we commune. When we say the Lord's Prayer before we eat at home, we're copying what we do in church. At the altar, we received the Lord's gifts of redemption. At our table at home, we receive the gifts of his creation. They are bound together - all these gifts - when we acknowledge them as signs of the grace of God.
Then after the Lord's Prayer, you can pray: "Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
And then, having thus acknowledged the goodness of God, you enjoy your meal.
There is of course also the prayer after the meal, which is similar to the one before. I won't go into it now. You can read it for yourselves.
Doing ItI only want to ask: what if? What if we actually did this? We'd be training ourselves, as I said before, for a life of thanksgiving (not just an occasional day), which would be most pleasing to God, whose Son, on the night in which he was betrayed - even on the night in which he was betrayed - took bread and gave thanks. And by his holy cross, he gathered up all our meager thanksgivings, supplied what is lacking in them, and then offered them up to his heavenly Father as a perfect sacrifice for us and for our salvation. And - yes - after his resurrection what did he do almost first thing? He took bread again and gave thanks. So that every time we give thanks, he's making us a little bit more like himself so that when he comes again in glory, we'll be ready to sit at the heavenly banquet table and give thanks to God forever and ever. Amen.
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Luther's Table Prayers (from the Small Catechism):How the head of the family should teach his household to ask a blessing and return thanks
Asking a Blessing
The children and members of the household shall go to the table reverently, fold their hands and say:The eyes of all look to You, [O Lord,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Ps. 145:15-16)
Then shall be said the Lord's Prayer and the following:Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Returning Thanks
Also, after eating, they shall, in like manner, reverently and with folded hands, say:Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. [He] gives food to every creature. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. (Ps. 136:1, 25; 147:9-11)
Then shall be said the Lord's Prayer and the following:We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Your benefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
[from Luther's Small Catechism with Explanations - Concordia Publishing House]}

The Rev. John E. Priest
Delhi, New York

E-Mail: jpriest2@stny.rr.com

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