Dear Fellow Children of God,
This week November 26 is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. So, have you ever participated in sharing around the Thanksgiving table the reasons you have for thanks? What are you thankful for? When we observe that tradition in my house, most people say they are thankful for “Family.” Thankfulness is not necessarily easy. In Psalm 92 God calls us to thankful hearts, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;” But, in Psalm 103, while being called to thanks and praise, we are also warned against lack of thanks. We are warned against ungratefulness., “Bless the Lord, O my soul, all that is within me praise His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and FORGET NOT all His benefits.” Our Lord warns us not to forget the goodness He gives daily, and lavishly. Yet, how often do we forget?
In many Christian churches the assigned Gospel reading for Thanksgiving Day services is the account from Luke 17:11-19, the story of the 10 lepers. If you remember that story 10 men had contracted this horrible disease which causes people to lose limbs. Leprosy was painful and progressive. Leprosy inevitably led to death. And, unfortunately this disease was highly contagious. Maybe in our country today this story of contagious illness, which is highly contagious, which leads to quarantine and social distancing, would strike a note of interest.
You probably also know that in this account from Jesus’ life He cures 10 men with this horrible illness. One man was thankful to Jesus. But 9 did not give thanks. One man returned to our Lord with SHOUTS of praise, with actions of humility. So, if in the Luke account nine men forgot to give thanks, and only one man returned with thanks and praise on his lips, how can we be truly thankful in our hearts and lives? Two statements of Jesus in our lesson are very helpful in our pursuit of thankful hearts.
First, after the healing, Jesus asks the question, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17-18) The man who thankfully returned was a Samaritan, part of a group of people who had rejected worship in the Jerusalem temple and, at times, had worshiped false gods. The Jewish people of Jesus’ day looked down on the Samaritans, and they knew it. While this ‘foreigner,’ as Jesus calls him, had heard about Jesus, Jews did not think Samaritans worthy of God’s grace. Neither, obviously did this man. He knew his shortcomings. So this healing from Jesus was not deserved, but just the opposite. This man’s healing was totally grace.
We do not have the amazing blessings we have, our country, our churches, our family, our possessions, because we are so wise. It is not because of better government, better theology, better morals, that we are so blessed. We are all sinners whose selfishness, whose greed, pettiness, lying, lust, arrogance, lack of love deserve God’s punishment now and eternally. But God sent His SON! He sent Jesus, who healed this man, in order to save us. Because the Samaritan knew his healing was undeserved he was thankful. If you truly want to be thankful, remember the reality of your sin against God and others. Realize that God sent His only Son to suffer, to die, to rise to save you. Understand all you have is totally an undeserved gift. This contrition and humility will help you to have thanks for all your blessings.
The other statement Jesus made which can help us with our thankfulness is found in Luke 17, verse 19. “And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Jesus identifies something other than the man’s healing as a reason for thanks: “Your faith has made you well.” It is by faith, through trust in Jesus as the Lord who teaches, who heals, who saves, that this man was healed. But faith gave this Samaritan man even more than healing. The Greek word translated here as “made you well” is the same word which also translates as “saved.” This man was not just healed by faith. He was also saved by faith.
On your list this year, are you thankful for your faith? Faith, you know, is a gift, according to Ephesians 2:8. Faith comes through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Faith helps us to know our sin, and to receive our Savior. And, with Jesus in our lives, with the promise of eternal life, with the assurance of His loving presence, we can face anything. We can, as Paul writes, “Give thanks in ALL circumstances.” Or as Paul also writes in Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” When we have God’s gift of undeserved love in Jesus, through faith, we can receive all of life with thankfulness.
The formerly leprous man had reason to give thanks that God had worked faith and trust in his heart. How about you? Are you thankful for your faith which receives Jesus, and all the undeserved blessings God gives us?
Have you ever read the first Thanksgiving Proclamation by George Washington in 1789? This instructive Presidential Declaration reveals faith in God, faith which receives national blessings. It reads, in part,
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor . . . Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country.”
As Christians, people who know our sin and guilt, who know the love of God the Father who sacrificed His own Son to forgive us and save us, we have even more reason for thanks. We have eternal reasons which also bring God’s love to the mess of this life. We receive God and His love through His gift of faith. This Thanksgiving, are you thankful for . . . your faith?
A Child of God, Thankful for the GIFT of FAITH!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. This past week I went fishing on Friday, November 20, in a local lake, and on Saturday, November 21, in the Suwannee River. I caught two bass and had many other bites on both trips, but didn’t keep any of the fish. We already have a freezer full. I did, however, appreciate the company of old friend, Rick Armstrong on Friday, and appreciate the special beauty of God’s Creation on a warm November evening on Saturday. Here is a picture of the sunset on November 21. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ySe8tktQC7YP8HKQ6
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ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I am now retired from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. My weekly devotion was previously titled, "Thoughts from the Pastor." However, with life's changes I now call the devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." I am only sending this message to those who have asked to receive it. If you know someone else who desires to receive this message, have them e-mail me at jonrock53@mtaonline.net. I will include them on my distribution list. You can also view this message on my Facebook page.
HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME WHY THEY ARE NO LONGER RECEIVING MY DEVOTIONS. Since I’m only sending these e-mails to people who ask for them, many are no longer receiving these messages. BUT, if you read this on Facebook and would like to receive these devotions by e-mail, or if you know someone who would like to receive these devotions, send me an e-mail at jonrock53@mtaonline.net, and I will add you to my distribution list.
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