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“Thanksgiving”
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Luke 17:11-19

November 22, 2006 - Kim M. Henning

The American Thanksgiving Story goes back to 1621. It was in 1621 that some Indians and Pilgrims ate together. The harvest had been plentiful. The Indians and the Pilgrims had lived peaceably for a year side-by-side. So together, they throw a banquet that we attempt to replicate every year. Bring on the food. Our American Thanksgiving story is nearly four hundred years old.

When Christians talk about Thanksgiving, we have a different story to tell.....

Jesus, one day, is walking along a road. He is headed toward Jerusalem. As he approaches a village, ten ‘untouchables’ approach him. Before we talk about ‘them’, these untouchables, let’s talk about ‘us.’

If we’re talking ‘untouchables’, who would they be today? Would our untouchables be illegal Mexicans looking for work? Would our ‘untouchables’ to be someone with AIDS? Would our untouchable be someone who is divorced? A single-unwed mother? Keep your distance. Don’t get too close.

One day Jesus is walking along a road and there were ten lepers there who were also Samaritans. Talk about a double whammy. Not only where they Samaritans, they were lepers. Not only where they lepers, they were Samaritans. They were commanded by law, to keep their distance. And that is what they did.

I understand that it was the responsibility of any leper at the time of Jesus to shout-out, ‘unclean, unclean.’ Imagine the curse of that. If I be a leper, it is my responsibility to tell you to stay away. We think it painful when others decide not to associate with us because we live on the wrong side of the track; we were born with such and such a family name, we are poor. Lepers were saying, ‘stay away.’

For whatever reason, those lepers that day when Jesus passed through, where not shouting what they were supposed to shout. Instead they said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” A group of us on Mondays are studying the psalms. The other evening, we were studying Psalm 123. In Psalm 123, the Psalmist cries out, ‘have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us.’ Eugene Peterson says that’s about as beautiful a prayer as one can pray.

Jesus heard these leper, Samaritans crying. He said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went—and they were made clean. Did you hear? They were made clean! Did you hear? They were made clean! It was like resurrection. It was like that moment when a child is born into this world. Beyond words. Ecstasy.

Now there was one.....count them, count all of them.....there was one, who did not lose his head. Instead of whatever else the other nine were doing......

One....turned back praising God with a loud voice. Thank you, thank you, thank you. He threw himself on the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.

Now Jesus said: were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God, but this one.

Well. That is our Thanksgiving story. Three quick thoughts come to mind.....

The first thought that comes to mind is the 10% thought. One out of ten give thanks. 10%. That’s about how it is, isn’t it? The others?...... Well, we don’t know about the others. They experienced the same miracle that the one experienced, they were just simply not compelled to ‘give thanks.’

We could speak to each of the nine, they would each have a reason–a good reason at that why they weren’t there at the feet of Jesus. 9 out of 10 people; 90 out of 100 people; 900 hundred out of a thousand would each have an explanation. Thanks-giving, not the American part, not the meal part but the praise part, the humility part, the God part has never been much more popular than 10%. Praise?

Second thought: As I read our thanksgiving story – it is clear that even a big miracle is not enough to compel some to give thanks. Something huge happens in this story. Jesus was merciful toward Samaritans, toward lepers, their lives were changed from death to life.......But even the big stuff, is not necessarily compelling to those who just won’t be thankful.

Thankfulness is a spirit of the heart. Some are thankful, so thankful, for the hug—for the greeting—for the opening of a door. And others....well, they could be cured of cancer and forget the thankful part. Some are blessed with three meals a day, 365 days a year, and always seem to forget the thankful part.

Our thanksgiving story is about lepers become former lepers. And our thanksgiving story is about Samaritans being treated mercifully. And one gives thanks.

This is our Thanksgiving Story. My third and final thought is this: Meister Eckart said years ago, “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would be enough.

If the only prayer you said is your whole like is ‘thank you,’ that would be enough.

Thank you.....