Thank you, Jesus
This Sermon was written by Pastor Sara McCurdy, and delivered by Ann Boscardin.
Sermon – Luke 17:11–19: “Thank you, Jesus!”
Rev. Sara McCurdy, Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church
August 4, 2024
Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of life and good health this morning.
Thank you Jesus, for I'm a changed person. I'm not who I was last year. I'm not even who I was yesterday. Through your grace I'll be changed again by tomorrow. Thank you Jesus.
I'm reflecting on how far I have come! Thank you Jesus for change!
How you can go from feeling so completely stressed to having the weight completely lifted off of you...Thank you Jesus.
Thank you Jesus I know now what I know. I've learned and grown from my past experiences and mistakes. Thank you Jesus for forgiveness.
Thank you Jesus for never leaving my side, even when I don't know you are there.
That is a sampling of a long list of “Thank You, Jesus” quotes you can read anytime online by simply entering, “Thank You, Jesus” in your computer’s search engine. They aren’t complicated theological statements – simply heartfelt words of appreciation and gratitude from ordinary people for the hope Jesus brings into life everyday – day after day. Powerful words of gratitude - “I'm a changed person. I'm not who I was last year. I'm not even who I was yesterday. And I'll be changed again by tomorrow. Thank you, Jesus.” Thank you, Jesus.
Dr. Howard Rice was a highly respected seminary professor and Presbyterian expert on Reformed theology and worship. I once heard him speak at a conference where he said, “We don’t live on the hope of who we are now, but we live by the hope of who we want to become in the future.” Thank you Jesus.
How often during your day do you pause, turnaround from what you are doing,
turn toward Jesus and say “Thank You, Jesus?” For most of us probably not all that often.
All ten were physically healed and only one turned toward Jesus in order to say thank you. Biblically, in hundreds of verses God is thanked, but only in a few does someone give thanks directly to Jesus.
Those two words “thank you” don’t always communicate thanks-giving. “Thanks a lot” sarcastically implies quite the opposite. “Thank You!” communicates something more like – well that took you long enough. A while back I kept hearing thank you being said more like, T-h-a-n-k you as if to say – finally someone agrees with me because, of course, I’m right.
And then there are times when saying thank you goes about as deep as any words can in expressing heartfelt gratitude. “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”
Today’s gospel reading starts out looking like other stories about miraculous healings. Ten lepers approach Jesus, he sends them to the priests, and as they went all ten were made clean. Up to this point in the story the focus is on healing. However, the point of the story is not the healing but the response of those 10 whose lives were touched by God’s mercy.
Jesus saw. The one man with leprosy saw. The act of seeing is key in this passage. Jesus saw all ten men infected with leperosy. He saw their need for mercy and healing. Jesus tells us that as his disciples we are blessed when our eyes fully see and our ears deeply hear one another. Seeing through the eyes of Christ is more than physical sight. Seeing means perceiving an opportunity to be merciful toward another.
The point of the story is on the response of the one who turned back. One of them, when we saw that he was healed, turned back. The act of seeing in this passage is twofold. Seeing from the perspective of the one receiving another’s mercy refers to the recognition that Jesus’ mercy has touched that person’s life. It speaks to us about receiving divine healing and it reminds us that thanking Jesus, not just on Sunday morning, but throughout the week is about seeing the healing presence of Jesus’ mercy in your life. Recognizing that Jesus’ mercy has
touched your life is one of the most powerful and transformative experiences you can have.
One important lesson is remembering that God listens to those who call upon the Lord for mercy. There is even a subtler lesson here. Along with the Old Testament passage we heard a few moments ago, it shows us that healing comes through simple acts of obedience.
The 2Kings’ reading told the story of another divine healing. Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, a powerful man, who was more accustomed to giving rather than following orders. The prophet in this story was Elijah’s successor whose name was Elisha. Naaman, a very powerful warrior, was upset that the prophet Elisha didn’t put on a big show but instead simply told him to wash seven times in the River Jordan – something anyone could do. At that point, Naaman’s servant utters some of the most poignant words about discipleship in all of Scripture. He says, “If the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?"
Namaan was put off by the suggestion that all he had to do was bathe in the Jordan. Even so on the advice of his servant, he obeys and ends up praising the God of Israel for the healing he received. A small act of obedience is sometimes more significant than grand gestures. Sometimes healing is just about simple acts of obedience.
The truth spoken by Naaman’s servant bears repeating. There are so many instances in which small acts of obedience can positively impact our health. Case in point is my own difficulty keeping my blood sugar levels in check – when I know the healing I need comes down to simple acts of obedience – nothing grander than going out for a brisk walk and choosing snacks more carefully. Of course, not in all cases, but often God has so mercifully created our physical bodies so that small acts of obedience will move us toward better health – exercise, good nutrition, not having that first drink, getting the sleep our precious bodies need, and managing stress. “If the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you
was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?" What small acts of obedience can you do for the betterment of your health?
A group of lepers met Jesus along the road. They stood at a distance. Jesus told the lepers to go and show themselves to the temple priests in keeping with the purity laws written in Leviticus. Jesus’ words in this passage are a good example of his Jewish context. If a leper was fortunate enough to recover, a Jewish Temple priest had to certify that the person was clean before he or she could return to the community. These days after a time of isolation a negative Covid test will set us free to roam the world. In the biblical context persons with a leprous disease were required to live “outside the camp”. The reason for all this was not only the risk of infection, but also religious contamination. According to the Jewish Law lepers must live alone - wear torn clothing and let the hair of their head be disheveled, and if anyone approached them, they were to cover their upper lip and cry out, “Unclean, unclean”.
Consequently, all ten kept their distance as they approached Jesus crying out for mercy. All ten obediently went to the priest and were healed along the way. Yet only one turned back to give thanks and praise to Jesus. What set “the one” apart from the other 90%? Only one, the Samaritan, the outsider, did what was unexpected.
The truth is, the Samaritan could not have gone to show himself to the priests even if he had wanted to. As a Samaritan he was considered an outsider. The Jewish priests at the temple in Jerusalem would have barred the door to him. The Samaritan leper would not have been welcome at the temple with the others. He could have tagged along with the others, journeying down the road all the time wondering how he as a Samaritan outcast, could do what Jesus instructed. So, as they were walking along the way, when he realized that he has been healed, instead of continuing on the to the priests with the other nine, he turned back to Jesus. He is relieved and thankful and so he turns to Jesus who receives and welcomes him into the inclusive Kingdom of Heaven. “Get up and go on your way,” Jesus said to him, “your faith has made you well”. This is a story about healing. It also illustrates Christ’s universal inclusive love. Salvation in the
Kingdom of God is for all as we see later in Paul’s missionary work with gentile believers.
What distinguishes this one leper from the other nine is that he recognized Jesus as the manifestation of God’s power and presence. He saw Jesus as the source of his healing and so he turned to worship at Jesus feet and offer thanks.
His thank you was far from being a “Thanks a lot” Jesus, you sent me to the priests where I would never have been welcomed. Or thank you, what took you so long. It was a Thank You Jesus, you found me, you know me and see my wounds and yet welcomed me as clean and worth saving. Thank you, Jesus, for salvation and giving me a life worth living.
All ten of the lepers are healed; only one of them was saved. All ten of the lepers went on to live their lives free from social stigma, discrimination, and exclusion. Only one of them entered the company of Jesus.
There is a scene in the movie, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien in which Father Damien is delivering a sermon to a group of lepers knowing that he may well become ill himself. Father Damien had volunteered to go to Molokai, Hawaii in order to set up a Christian parish in a leper colony before any viable treatment was available for physical healing. Long after Christ, leprosy continued to be such a dreaded disease that its victims were cruelly ostracized by their families, by the state, and essentially by the medical community as well. In Father Damien’s sermon he says, “My brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow lepers, we meet here in the presence of God to seek God’s solace. Know his love. All men and women know loneliness. All men and women know isolation. All desperate men and women are afflicted in heart and soul with sores that make them outcasts. Outcasts to all but to Him. In his life on earth he healed the blind. He healed the blind not to tell us that people would not be blind. He healed the lepers not to tell us that men and women would not be lepers but to tell us that in his eyes the blind could see, the lepers were clean and he loved them as he loves all humankind. Then as now Jesus shares in all our agonies and by following in his light he will show us all the way to peace.
Because of Covid we get the idea of isolation, but not for a lifetime. Gratefully none of us have a disease that leaves us ostracized and shunned for a lifetime. Yet every one of us has wounds we carry within, sores upon our souls in need of healing. Our wounds may not be visible, but our Lord Jesus Christ knows they are there. Despite our woundedness, in fact because of our woundedness, Jesus sees our need and offers his mercy, his healing and his salvation. Jesus’ powerful, expansive love heals and saves. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Sermon – Luke 17:11–19: “Thank you, Jesus!”
Rev. Sara McCurdy, Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church
August 4, 2024
Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of life and good health this morning.
Thank you Jesus, for I'm a changed person. I'm not who I was last year. I'm not even who I was yesterday. Through your grace I'll be changed again by tomorrow. Thank you Jesus.
I'm reflecting on how far I have come! Thank you Jesus for change!
How you can go from feeling so completely stressed to having the weight completely lifted off of you...Thank you Jesus.
Thank you Jesus I know now what I know. I've learned and grown from my past experiences and mistakes. Thank you Jesus for forgiveness.
Thank you Jesus for never leaving my side, even when I don't know you are there.
That is a sampling of a long list of “Thank You, Jesus” quotes you can read anytime online by simply entering, “Thank You, Jesus” in your computer’s search engine. They aren’t complicated theological statements – simply heartfelt words of appreciation and gratitude from ordinary people for the hope Jesus brings into life everyday – day after day. Powerful words of gratitude - “I'm a changed person. I'm not who I was last year. I'm not even who I was yesterday. And I'll be changed again by tomorrow. Thank you, Jesus.” Thank you, Jesus.
Dr. Howard Rice was a highly respected seminary professor and Presbyterian expert on Reformed theology and worship. I once heard him speak at a conference where he said, “We don’t live on the hope of who we are now, but we live by the hope of who we want to become in the future.” Thank you Jesus.
How often during your day do you pause, turnaround from what you are doing,
turn toward Jesus and say “Thank You, Jesus?” For most of us probably not all that often.
All ten were physically healed and only one turned toward Jesus in order to say thank you. Biblically, in hundreds of verses God is thanked, but only in a few does someone give thanks directly to Jesus.
Those two words “thank you” don’t always communicate thanks-giving. “Thanks a lot” sarcastically implies quite the opposite. “Thank You!” communicates something more like – well that took you long enough. A while back I kept hearing thank you being said more like, T-h-a-n-k you as if to say – finally someone agrees with me because, of course, I’m right.
And then there are times when saying thank you goes about as deep as any words can in expressing heartfelt gratitude. “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”
Today’s gospel reading starts out looking like other stories about miraculous healings. Ten lepers approach Jesus, he sends them to the priests, and as they went all ten were made clean. Up to this point in the story the focus is on healing. However, the point of the story is not the healing but the response of those 10 whose lives were touched by God’s mercy.
Jesus saw. The one man with leprosy saw. The act of seeing is key in this passage. Jesus saw all ten men infected with leperosy. He saw their need for mercy and healing. Jesus tells us that as his disciples we are blessed when our eyes fully see and our ears deeply hear one another. Seeing through the eyes of Christ is more than physical sight. Seeing means perceiving an opportunity to be merciful toward another.
The point of the story is on the response of the one who turned back. One of them, when we saw that he was healed, turned back. The act of seeing in this passage is twofold. Seeing from the perspective of the one receiving another’s mercy refers to the recognition that Jesus’ mercy has touched that person’s life. It speaks to us about receiving divine healing and it reminds us that thanking Jesus, not just on Sunday morning, but throughout the week is about seeing the healing presence of Jesus’ mercy in your life. Recognizing that Jesus’ mercy has
touched your life is one of the most powerful and transformative experiences you can have.
One important lesson is remembering that God listens to those who call upon the Lord for mercy. There is even a subtler lesson here. Along with the Old Testament passage we heard a few moments ago, it shows us that healing comes through simple acts of obedience.
The 2Kings’ reading told the story of another divine healing. Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, a powerful man, who was more accustomed to giving rather than following orders. The prophet in this story was Elijah’s successor whose name was Elisha. Naaman, a very powerful warrior, was upset that the prophet Elisha didn’t put on a big show but instead simply told him to wash seven times in the River Jordan – something anyone could do. At that point, Naaman’s servant utters some of the most poignant words about discipleship in all of Scripture. He says, “If the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?"
Namaan was put off by the suggestion that all he had to do was bathe in the Jordan. Even so on the advice of his servant, he obeys and ends up praising the God of Israel for the healing he received. A small act of obedience is sometimes more significant than grand gestures. Sometimes healing is just about simple acts of obedience.
The truth spoken by Naaman’s servant bears repeating. There are so many instances in which small acts of obedience can positively impact our health. Case in point is my own difficulty keeping my blood sugar levels in check – when I know the healing I need comes down to simple acts of obedience – nothing grander than going out for a brisk walk and choosing snacks more carefully. Of course, not in all cases, but often God has so mercifully created our physical bodies so that small acts of obedience will move us toward better health – exercise, good nutrition, not having that first drink, getting the sleep our precious bodies need, and managing stress. “If the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you
was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?" What small acts of obedience can you do for the betterment of your health?
A group of lepers met Jesus along the road. They stood at a distance. Jesus told the lepers to go and show themselves to the temple priests in keeping with the purity laws written in Leviticus. Jesus’ words in this passage are a good example of his Jewish context. If a leper was fortunate enough to recover, a Jewish Temple priest had to certify that the person was clean before he or she could return to the community. These days after a time of isolation a negative Covid test will set us free to roam the world. In the biblical context persons with a leprous disease were required to live “outside the camp”. The reason for all this was not only the risk of infection, but also religious contamination. According to the Jewish Law lepers must live alone - wear torn clothing and let the hair of their head be disheveled, and if anyone approached them, they were to cover their upper lip and cry out, “Unclean, unclean”.
Consequently, all ten kept their distance as they approached Jesus crying out for mercy. All ten obediently went to the priest and were healed along the way. Yet only one turned back to give thanks and praise to Jesus. What set “the one” apart from the other 90%? Only one, the Samaritan, the outsider, did what was unexpected.
The truth is, the Samaritan could not have gone to show himself to the priests even if he had wanted to. As a Samaritan he was considered an outsider. The Jewish priests at the temple in Jerusalem would have barred the door to him. The Samaritan leper would not have been welcome at the temple with the others. He could have tagged along with the others, journeying down the road all the time wondering how he as a Samaritan outcast, could do what Jesus instructed. So, as they were walking along the way, when he realized that he has been healed, instead of continuing on the to the priests with the other nine, he turned back to Jesus. He is relieved and thankful and so he turns to Jesus who receives and welcomes him into the inclusive Kingdom of Heaven. “Get up and go on your way,” Jesus said to him, “your faith has made you well”. This is a story about healing. It also illustrates Christ’s universal inclusive love. Salvation in the
Kingdom of God is for all as we see later in Paul’s missionary work with gentile believers.
What distinguishes this one leper from the other nine is that he recognized Jesus as the manifestation of God’s power and presence. He saw Jesus as the source of his healing and so he turned to worship at Jesus feet and offer thanks.
His thank you was far from being a “Thanks a lot” Jesus, you sent me to the priests where I would never have been welcomed. Or thank you, what took you so long. It was a Thank You Jesus, you found me, you know me and see my wounds and yet welcomed me as clean and worth saving. Thank you, Jesus, for salvation and giving me a life worth living.
All ten of the lepers are healed; only one of them was saved. All ten of the lepers went on to live their lives free from social stigma, discrimination, and exclusion. Only one of them entered the company of Jesus.
There is a scene in the movie, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien in which Father Damien is delivering a sermon to a group of lepers knowing that he may well become ill himself. Father Damien had volunteered to go to Molokai, Hawaii in order to set up a Christian parish in a leper colony before any viable treatment was available for physical healing. Long after Christ, leprosy continued to be such a dreaded disease that its victims were cruelly ostracized by their families, by the state, and essentially by the medical community as well. In Father Damien’s sermon he says, “My brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow lepers, we meet here in the presence of God to seek God’s solace. Know his love. All men and women know loneliness. All men and women know isolation. All desperate men and women are afflicted in heart and soul with sores that make them outcasts. Outcasts to all but to Him. In his life on earth he healed the blind. He healed the blind not to tell us that people would not be blind. He healed the lepers not to tell us that men and women would not be lepers but to tell us that in his eyes the blind could see, the lepers were clean and he loved them as he loves all humankind. Then as now Jesus shares in all our agonies and by following in his light he will show us all the way to peace.
Because of Covid we get the idea of isolation, but not for a lifetime. Gratefully none of us have a disease that leaves us ostracized and shunned for a lifetime. Yet every one of us has wounds we carry within, sores upon our souls in need of healing. Our wounds may not be visible, but our Lord Jesus Christ knows they are there. Despite our woundedness, in fact because of our woundedness, Jesus sees our need and offers his mercy, his healing and his salvation. Jesus’ powerful, expansive love heals and saves. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
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