1. Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our heavenly
Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The message from God’s Word this Thanksgiving Day is taken from Luke
17:11-19 and is entitled, “The
Thanksgiving Journey,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. The
barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were kept in the Nazi
concentration camp Ravensbruck were overcrowded and flea-infested. They’d been able to smuggle a Bible into the camp,
and in that Bible they had read that in all things they were to give thanks,
and that God can use anything for good. Corrie’s
sister Betsy decided that this meant thanking God for fleas. This was too much for Corrie, who said she
could do no such thing. Betsy insisted, so Corrie gave in and prayed to
God, thanking Him even for fleas. Over
the next few months a wonderful thing happened. The guards never entered
their barracks. This meant that women weren’t beaten. It also meant
that they were able to do the unthinkable, which was to hold open Bible studies
and prayer meetings in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp. Through this, countless numbers of women came
to faith in Christ. Only at the end did
they discover why the guards had left them alone and wouldn’t enter into their
barracks. It was because of the fleas.
3. For
what are you thankful for? Maybe you’re not thankful for fleas like Corrie and
her sister Betsy, but off the top of your head can you think of anything? Then again, you might think of many things. Did you think of your body and soul, eyes,
ears and all your members, your reason and all your senses? How about clothing and shoes? Food and drink? House and home? Wife, children, land or animals? As Luther says in his explanation to the
first article of the Apostle’s Creed, “For
all these things it’s our duty to thank and praise God.” This Thanksgiving I’m thankful—that there aren't
twice as many Congressman and half as many doctors. That grass doesn't grow
through snow, necessitating winter mowing as well as shoveling. That there are
only 24 hours available each day for TV programming. That civil servants aren't
less civil. That teenagers ultimately will have children who will become
teenagers. That I'm not a turkey. That houses still cost more than cars. That
the space available for messages on T-shirts and bumpers is limited. That
liberated women whose husbands take them for granted don't all scream at the
same time. That snow covers the unraked leaves. That hugs and kisses don't add
weight or cause cancer. That record players and radios and TV sets and washers
and mixers and lights can be turned off. That no one can turn off the moon and
stars. But,
most importantly I’m thankful for the salvation that I have through Jesus my
Savior, for my family, and for Christ & Calvary Lutheran Churches that I
serve as Pastor.”
4. Have
you ever done a lot for someone who showed no thankfulness for what you did for
them? You were probably upset when they
didn’t thank you. Luke writes that this
happened to Jesus. In our Gospel today,
we hear of 10 men who had leprosy who were healed by Jesus. But, only one man returned to give Jesus
thanks and praise. In Luke 17:17 Jesus
asked, “Where are the nine?” How often are we like the other nine,
forgetting to say thanks for the wonderful gifts we’ve received from God? This isn’t unlike what Corrie ten Boom went
through in the Nazi Concentration camp.
She didn’t see how thankful she was to God for the fleas until she
realized that they were keeping the soldiers away from her barracks. Today it’s only fitting to remember that WE
GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE TO GOD FOR HIS WONDERFUL GIFTS.
5. The nine who didn’t return to thank Jesus did
have faith in Him. In Luke 17:13 they
all cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy
on us.” This is a prayer for
salvation. It’s a cry that encompassed
all their needs—not just release from leprosy.
But also from their being unclean and an end to separation from their
families. All 10 lepers knew what they
needed. The all saw Jesus as their only
hope.
6. And
Jesus proved to be their hope. He told
them in Luke 17:14, “Go and show
yourselves to the priests.” Jesus
sent them to the place where they would be declared clean and they returned
home in every sense. There’s no doubt
that all 10 men believed in Jesus. With
the evidence of disease still visible, they went to show themselves to the
priests. On the way, all 10 of them were
healed of their leprosy. There’s no doubt
that all of them were happy about what happened to them.
7. But,
only one of them remembered who it was that had healed him. One of them, a Samaritan, who was an outsider
to the Jewish people, saw the God of creation at work in his own life. This one leper saw God in this man Jesus of
Nazareth and returned to give thanks and praise to Him. He rejoiced, not only in the forgiveness of
his sins, but also in a healing that made him part of a community again. He was now reconciled to God, forgiven of his
sins, and given a new life. This
Samaritan leper’s prayer for salvation, “Jesus
Master, have mercy on us,” was answered.
Jesus tells the Samaritan to leave his worship and continue in the
journey of faith. He tells him in Luke
17:19, “Rise and go your way; your faith
has made you well.”
8. Today,
many people give thanks for material blessings.
Even people who have little or nothing to do with God will call on His
name and say, “Thank you.” But once this Thanksgiving Day is over,
will they continue thanking God? Maybe
they’ll remember God in some time of personal, family or national crisis. But, then again maybe not. Even you and I sometimes find ourselves weak
when it comes to thanking and praising God.
We tend to be better askers than thankers. We may say, “God please perform for us! Feed
us! Make things better! Defend us against our enemies. Make us happy!” Too often we suppose God’s promise to
feed us. We ask for our daily bread, but
often forget to thank God when we get it.
9. And
we do have many reasons to give thanks! Remember
again the 10 lepers from the Gospel.
Jesus healed all 10 of them from a terrible disease. But, only the Samaritan went back to thank
Jesus. Only one of the 10 recognized the
giver behind the gift. He believed not
only that God had healed him, but also that this God was Jesus of
Nazareth. The foreigner believed and
returned to thank and praise.
Thanksgiving flowed into worship.
10. Jesus
may not have healed us from leprosy. But
he has healed us from something much greater.
Jesus died for us on the cross to deliver us from the diseases of sin,
death and the devil. You and I, who
suffer from the disease of sin, have been healed. In the waters of Baptism, the forgiveness won
by Christ on the cross was applied to each of us. God called us by name, set us on the journey
of faith and healed us. That’s more than
enough reason to thank and praise God!
11. That
thanks and praise flows out in worship.
Today we gather in worship around God’s Word. We’re thankful to have
this time to thank God for all the physical and spiritual gifts that He has
given to us this year. The Apostle Paul
says in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “supplications,
prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings are made for all people, for kings and
all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life,
godly and dignified in every way.”
12. So
for what are we thankful? There’s almost
too much to count! All our material
blessings, the privilege of being made children of God, living in a nation of
freedoms, especially the freedom to worship the one true God. These are all gifts we’ve received and
continue to enjoy. Thanks and praise to
God in Jesus Christ!
13. As
God healed the 10 lepers, so does he give good gifts to the thankful and
unthankful alike. As the thankful who’ve
returned to offer thanks and praise, we praise God for the faith that enables
us to thank him for all his blessings.
In Psalm 118:29 it says, “Oh give
thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures
forever!”
14.
This Thanksgiving let’s give thanks
to God for every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), but also thank Him for how
He’ll use all things for good in the lives of those who trust Him (Romans
8:28). In this time of social and
economic change within America; in a
time of the threat of terrorism throughout the world; in a time when many are
facing physical and emotional challenges; there can be little doubt that such a
trusting prayer of gratitude will be challenging to offer. But then take a moment, and remember the fleas
of Ravensbruck that Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy dealt with. Or remember how the 10 lepers were healed by
Jesus in Luke 17. We give thanks to God
not only today, but everyday, as we journey through this life on the road of
thanksgiving as recipients of God’s wonderful gifts. Amen.
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