What Ever Happened to Praise and Thanksgiving?
A sermon preached by
The Rev. Janice Ford, Rector
The Church of the Reconciliation
Webster, MA
October 9, 2016
Luke 17:11-19
I think that teaching our children to say “thank you” is one of the first things we do as parents, and I’m fairly certain it was the first thing our parents taught us. Being polite is looked at as one of the most fundamental aspects of human interaction. Even sworn enemies are known to say “please” and “thank you” to one another. Consider the diplomatic talks between countries at odds with each other. To be impolite in those exchanges would be unthinkable.
Isn’t it interesting that humans do not always apply that same graciousness to God?
We would be less than honest if we didn’t admit to spending more time asking God for things than thanking God for the blessings in our lives. Though today’s passage from Luke refers to Jesus healing the ten lepers, the message for us really isn’t about healing.
Jesus responds to the lepers’ plea for healing out of mercy. Being a leper in first century Palestine was one of the worst possible fates. Lepers were outcasts because of the contamination aspect of their illness. Because of their disfigurement, no one wanted to see a leper, much less be in close proximity. They were forced to carry a small bell, and ring it as they moved from place to place as a warning to others to stay away. Lepers were homeless and had to beg for food. They had no contact with family members. The Jewish priests of the temples were the only ones who could declare that someone had been cured of their leprosy. This is why when Jesus cures the ten lepers he tells them to go and “show themselves to the priest.”
We may not have leprosy here in the U.S., but we certainly have individuals and groups who are considered by some to be “lepers” in another sense—those who are in any way different from those who are considered “the norm.” You will recall a time, not too long ago, when people who were HIV positive were treated like lepers.
Jesus is merciful to the lepers who call out to him that day, and given what we know of their circumstances, we can only assume they should have been extremely grateful. Instead, only one turns back to praise Jesus and thank him for his act of kindness and mercy. The lesson here seems fairly direct. Be thankful to God, and praise him for the blessings in our lives. However, this simple lesson is often lost on us.
The truth is that we should be thanking and praising God every day of our lives—not for miracles, but for the day to day blessings that we receive. Even when we are strugglingthe most, God blesses us with life, and the opportunity to find and maintain happiness in our lives. Why is it, then, that we spend so little time truly praising God and thanking God for every good thing we have? How is it that we so often cannot apply the most basic thing our parents taught us—to say thank you—to the God of all Creation?
I believe that part of the answer lies in the fact that we take our blessings for granted. It’s only when things go awry that we pay attention. We are too busy enjoying life that we forget how it is that we have a life to enjoy! Perhaps we unconsciously believe that we are responsible for good things coming to us—not God. Of course, we make the choices that lead to good things (or bad things), so we are partly responsible, but we must never forget that without God’s love and mercy we would not be able to share in the joy of the life to come, which is truly what matters most.
We should be paying attention to praising God, as well. Praise is not a word that we typically use in our common discourse. To praise someone means to honor them with words or actions that are fitting for someone we elevate. We typically praise someone whom we consider to be “above” us, or who has accomplished great things. Again, if we do not actively hold God in such a place of honor in our lives, we are not likely to offer praise. I wonder if we can truly conceive of the greatness of God. If we could, we would likely never raise our face from the ground, and our praise of God would be endless. Such is the case with the angels.
The nine lepers who left without thanking Jesus for healing them never even looked back. Clearly, they’d had enough faith in the fact that they thought he could heal them, but once the healing was done, they were on their way. They had no relationship with Jesus whatsoever. The one who turned back, praised God, and prostrated himself before Jesus started a relationship with Jesus that would live on. As Jesus tells him, it was his faith that made him well.
What are the things that keep us from praising and thanking God? Do we take God’s love and mercy for granted? Do we not see God in the good things that others do for us? Are we simply forgetful of all that God does for us? Are we afraid to say praise and thank God because we know that doing so means surrendering our will to God and admitting that God needs to be the center of our lives? Whatever the reason(s), we need to be mindful that whether or not we praise and thank God is a direct consequence of how we see God working in our lives.
In just a few moments we will continue with our service and we will begin the Great Thanksgiving with the very familiar words, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.” When we sing those words, let’s really mean them. Let’s pray them with conviction and humility. Amen.
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