My friend
Kristen is good at reminding me about gratitude. In the last year she and her
husband have changed vocations, had a new baby,
cared for their active two-year-old boy, self-published a book called “Hyper and happy – 225 toddler activities that work”, and just six months ago relocated
from Jamestown to their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.
Earlier this week,
she found a rare moment of quiet in her home and posted a photo that caught my
attention. In the picture, I saw a few tree branches that had been collected
from her yard that had been artfully placed in a vase, and had small paper
leaves had been tied onto the makeshift tree.
When I
looked a bit closer, I noticed that the leaves were covered with writing. Each
leaf was a statement of gratitude and thankfulness.
The
simplicity and beauty of her picture took me off guard. In the midst of the
transition, challenge and hyper but happy atmosphere that Kristen was experiencing;
she remembered to make a premeditated, intentional and sincere statement of
thanks to God. Her picture and voice remind me that “a grateful person reveals humility of spirit and a sensitivity to
love expressed by others. (NIBC/Luke, pg.327)
In order to live in a state of
gratitude, we need eyes to see, recognize and respond to God’s love.
The lesson
from Luke 17:11-19, is titled “The Healing of The Ten Lepers”, but in light of
seeing Kristen’s thanksgiving tree, I wonder if it might better be called, “The
Healing of The Ten Lepers, the nine who got what they wanted and “the thankful one
who received more that he had dreamed of asking for.” (NIBC/Luke, pg.
327)
In this account,
there are ten men who had leprosy and were looking for healing. Jesus hears
their request, sees their needs, and sends them to the priests to be declared
clean. On their way, the Samaritan man notices his healing, returns and bows
before Jesus thanking God for his restoration. Jesus takes note that only one man
returns to give thanks to God and that he was a Samaritan – or what we might
call and outsider. Jesus calls the man to rise and go with the blessing, “Your faith has made you well.”
This is not
the only place where Jesus shares these same words of blessing in the gospel of
Luke. Pause with me for a moment, as I look to find if there is anything these
people have in common.
1. In verse 7:50, a woman interrupts a
meal to wash Jesus feet with her tears and anoints his feet with perfume then
dries them with her hair and leaves forgiven of her sin.
2. In verse 8:48, a woman who had ill with a hemorrhage
for 12 years, does not ask Jesus for healing, but reaches out boldly as they
walk in a crowd. Jesus sees her, knows her illness is healed and blesses her
publicly.
3. In Luke 18:42, a blind man who was
begging on the street, shouts for Jesus to heal him as he is on the road to
Jericho Jesus stops and speaks a blessing of healing and the man can see.
In all of these
accounts of healing, restoration and forgiveness; Jesus interacts with people
who are outsiders. Some had become outsiders due to their illness, others by their
race, while others were isolated because of their behavior. In each case, Jesus
takes the time to see each person as
being “someone worth knowing”, (thanks for this Margot) he then listens to their need and responds
with forgiveness and healing.
Each person
has a different reason for approaching Jesus, but they are bold in their approach
of him. Maybe they had already heard of Jesus abundant mercy and reputation for
helping people who were outsiders – in their community or with God – and ability
to bring them back to a place of belonging – in their community and with God.
When I hear
the accounts of Jesus interacting with and healing people, I wonder what happens
after the exciting parts (the healing) have happened. In the other examples we
know: 1. a man regains his sight, 2. a woman’s honor was restored, and 3. a
woman was healed and able to be embraced by her community once again.
In the case
of the man healed from leprosy, we get to see more of the story of what happens
after the healing. We get the chance to see what kind of crazy power “gratitude”
can have in life.
Before the
Samaritan man received healing from Jesus, he was given the gift of being “seen”
by Jesus. This man, who lived as an outsider twice over, due to his race and
his illness, was not overlooked by Christ. Although his healing was the same as
the other 9 men, he is compelled to return to Jesus to express gratitude not
only for that healing but also for being seen, loved and restored. The other
nine men received physical healing, but they missed the fullness of Jesus
blessing. The tenth man experienced being seen and cared for by Jesus, in a way
that helped him to see his life through the eyes of gratitude. The act of
expressing gratitude was evidence of more than a physical healing. In, through and
by being seen, heard and healed by Jesus, this man whole perspective on life
had been saved. When Jesus saw, heard and healed him, he was able to see life
with new gratitude-filled eyes.
Kristen’s thankfulness
tree was a personal reminder to pause and take time to see, hear and remember
God’s goodness. By calling my attention to thankfulness, she was like the man
who returned to say thank you to Jesus and helped me to see that God I need to
thank more than I often do.
This week, I
was interviewed by some high school video students and given the chance to be
seen and heard in a new way.
They asked me this question: “What crazy thing have you done for love?”
Immediately,
I was nervous about what kind of dramatic answer they were searching for. As I
pondered what to say, I kept thinking about the example of Jesus and all the
crazy things he did in the name of love like:
Including those that were
outcast, unloved and ill.
Giving himself up to be crucified and die on a cross –
all in the name of his and his
Father’s abundant love for humanity.
When I responded
to my interviewers, I told them about how I had been anxious about coming to
work at First Lutheran five years ago. At the time it seemed crazy that I would
have the chance work at a church of over 400 members after working with one
with 50 attending. But because of God’s love I was willing to give it a try. I told
them about how I’m going to seminary and hope to become a pastor. Because of God’s
love, I’m willing to give it a try. I told them that even when the process or
study is difficult that this vocation is:
the crazy thing I’m doing for love.
However, it
is important to say that even though these efforts come from a place of
gratitude for what God has done in my life, they can never compare to the crazy
love of Jesus. Jesus actions proclaim God’s abundant mercy and self-sacrificing
love in a way that I can never repay – and for that crazy love I’m thankful.
Just like
Jesus saw, listened and healed the man with leprosy, he sees us where we are
and loves us.
We are seen,
heard and restored by Jesus and his amazing crazy love-filled actions. The only
true response to that kind of love is - gratitude.
It is only
with God’s help that we can begin to see the world though new eyes of
gratitude, and give other the space to be seen, heard and restored as well.
There is an old song about gratitude
that goes like this:
Count your blessings name them one by
one.
Count your blessings see what God has
done.
Count your blessings, name them one
by one, and count your many
Blessings - see what God has done!
The voice of
the Samaritan man and the picture of my friend Kristen’s thankfulness tree are
great reminders about an important lesson:
Be quick to count the blessings of God AND be
willing to sharing the message of His blessings with others.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Help us to have the
eyes to see the blessings and count all you have given us. Thank you for
seeing, hearing and restoring us through Jesus work and the power of your Holy
Spirit. Now that we know what it is like to be seen, heard and restored – help us
in gratitude to see others with new eyes, be ever ready to count our blessings and
share the message of your crazy love with the whole world.
AMEN
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