Luke 17.11-19 The healed leper gives thanks to Jesus

First, establish who you are praying to. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Second, establish the power that God has while acknowledging that what God wants for you and is willing to do for you is far greater than you could ever wish for or do for yourself.

Your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.

Third, recognize what you should be praying for. Give us this day our daily bread. Ask only for what you truly need despite that I hope you know, God will provide it even if you don’t ask.

          I had a dream earlier this week where I showed up to church on Sunday and hadn’t written a sermon. Which was true at the time. Ordinarily, I am way ahead of the game on things. I am not a procrastinator. If ever I had the inspiration and drive, I would sit and write sermons, and make bulletins for the next 3 years along with write all the papers and assignments for my coursework within the first month of the semester. It would bring my heart peace but then… I’m sure I would find something else to worry about.

          I am thankful that periodically God reminds me the world runs on His time, not mine. I am thankful that God provides for me in this world making sure that I have everything I need to be successful at whatever it is God wants me to do. Obviously my ambition and planning skills along with my procrastophobia are ideal for making me a good student and comes in handy quite frequently for being a pastor. Because, God has also blessed me in other ways, for the cray planner and organizer than I am, God also has instilled in me flexibility. To me, God says, control what you gracefully can and then… leave the rest to me.

          I believe that God just wants us to be thankful for what we have. The more we are thankful for, the more God blesses us. We aren’t thankful because God will bless us more, I think it is that the more in tune we are with what God has given us, the more likely we are to be able to see God’s path that they want for our life, and the more we walk that path that God wants us and has designed for us rather than choosing to go and do things our own way, the more things in life we naturally have to be grateful for.

          Remember how I talked about a hot stove and how touching the stove isn’t the person who told you it’s hot’s fault? There are consequences to everything we do in life. Sometimes we like the consequences, like being showered with blessings everywhere we go because we’re walking God’s path, and sometimes we don’t like the consequences, like when we are ungrateful or we try to do things our own way instead of God’s and then get upset with the results. God is the best parent ever. Natural and logical consequences to life. Not punishment, not vindication, not retribution, just forewarning: If you do this, this will happen. If you don’t do this, that will happen. You choose your consequences.

          In today’s pericope, Jesus paves the way for the healing of 10 lepers. They approach him, they ask for help, he tells them what to do to receive that which they are asking for. They have a choice at this point: they can obey or they can do it their own way. Miraculously, they all obey. I feel this is an awesome display of Jesus’ power. Not the healing part, the part where he gives 10 people instructions and they all follow them. That is one of the greatest miracles I have never witnessed in my life. No one stayed and argued. No one said “Why don’t you just heal us?” NO one had snide comments. Truly a miracle.

          So, all 10 turn and head towards the priests. We assume that’s where they are all going as they are all healed… before they even get to the priests. Before they even get out of shouting distance. And then one. Just one. One Samaritan. One Gentile. One of no faith. One turns back and praises God, then kneels at Jesus’ feet and thanks him as well.

          It is then Jesus who responds, wondering what happened to the other 9 that they were not grateful. Nine out of 10 did not pause for the briefest of moments to give thanks to God. Nine out of 10 did not come back to thank Jesus for his kindness and direction. 9 out of 10 did not have their faith restored despite the miracle performed on them. 90% of people who witness the awesome power of God directly in their lives will fail to see it.

          We are told multiple times to only ask for that which we need. Matthew 6: has lots of examples ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Give us this day our daily bread.

That’s all we need. Food. Water. Clothing. Love. All the basic necessities of life. God will provide, if we’re willing to let Him. Be humble, not demanding. The things of this earth will rot and die. They will come to pass. But the rewards we store up in heaven, ours for eternity.

Imagine if you were able to acknowledge just a 10^th of what God does for you every single day. Imagine if you gave thanks for just a 10^th of God’s goodness. If you can do that, your faith will make you well.