Give thanks, Part 3, the ten lepers Luke 17:11-1, 11-21-10

Sermon: Give thanks, Part 3 11-21-10 the ten lepers Lk 17:11-19

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The consummate thanksgiving story
Three stories here

Story one- Jesus
Is healing people. Would you like to be jesus
We are supposed to be like Christ
Cant heal people of leprosy- can heal them of fear
There is a disease in our land. Worry. Fear. Anger.
We can buy in, or we can stand for the gospel
Every thing is ok

One of my favorite thanksgiving stories - Now thank we all our God
"In 1636, amid the darkness of the Thirty Years' War, a German pastor, Martin Rinkart, is said to have buried five thousand of his parishioners in one year, and average of fifteen a day. His parish was ravaged by war, death, and economic disaster. In the heart of that darkness, with the cries of fear outside his window, he sat down and wrote this table grace for his children: 'Now thank we all our God / With heart and hands and voices;/ Who wondrous things had done,/ In whom His world rejoices. /Who, from our mother's arms,/Hath led us on our way/ With countless gifts of love/ And still is ours today.'"Here was a man who knew thanksgiving comes from love of God, not from outward circumstances.

The apostle paul said in Philippians 4: 11-13
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.,

When Job lost everything
His wife said, curse God and die 2:9
Job said, tho he slay me, yet will I trust in him 13:15
It was never about our comfort
It is always about trusting in God
We can be the voice of Jesus in a difficult time.
We can do all things thru Christ

Story 2- the nine
Why would they not stop and go back to say thanks?
Did not realize- they had to know
They let it rush by- more important thoughts

nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return:
1. One waited to see if the cure was real.
2. One said, "Any rabbi could have done it."
3. One said, "I was already much improved."
4. One said, Jews shouldn’t have leprosy anyway

5. One said he couldn’t explain it, but since he was an atheist, who was there to thank?
6. One gave the glory to natural healing process of the body
7. One said, saying thanks didn’t cross my mind, all I could think about was getting out and doing some Christmas shopping
8. One said, why give thanks for the health that should have been mine anyway
9. One said he didn’t have time, he wanted to get back to his family

Jesus asks a question in the scripture – where are the other 9?
Does jesus ask us, where are the other 90? 300?

Has god done something for you, but you don’t take notice
I think we do this more than we think
Do you see the colors of the trees
5 million cones, 90 million rods, 12 million colors
Do you hear the sound of the birds
Do you taste and smell the food
10,000 taste buds
Do you touch a loved one

Do you remember the story of the woman who washes Jesus feet w her tears?
Jesus is invited to the Pharisees house

37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.
38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.

47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The woman loved much

Story 3
The one turns back
This Thursday is thanksgiving. One day that we can set aside to thank God
If we can do it on Thursday, maybe we can do it on Friday.
Will we stop in on this one day?

For the sake of Christ and family will we stop it for one day
And if we can stop it for one day, then maybe we can stop it for another.
And another

And so, let every day, in spite of circumstances, be a day of thanks giving
Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord, I just want to thank you Lord.

About a loving God - others are worth loving Mark 1:40-45 3-15-09

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. Mark 1:40-45

40 days of Lent - about a loving God
Who are the players of this story . . . . .
Jesus, Leper, others around - Who are you in this story?

Have you ever been the leper? I was once the outcast
Grade school - age 12 first prayer
Jr. high school
Never cool
Everyone wants to be accepted - everyone wants to be loved
If there is a good thing about feeling this way - it makes you call out to God

What is the crowd doing in this story?
When the leper comes up, they give him a wide berth

Later in life I played the role of the crowd
Yucky he is touching a leper
I once stayed away from non Christians . . . . I was better than they were
I once kept my distance from those who did not believe just as I did . . . .they were misguided
When religious behavior gets in the way of spirituality, all sorts of bad things can happen - people can get hurt.

The family that came to the church for help the day that we were raising the trusses on the fellowship hall . . . .
Yucky he is touching a leper

One role that I really want to play in this story is the role of Jesus
I would like to have the compassion of Jesus
I would like to be the one who reaches out to the leper

God loves the marginalized

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us of this in his teaching
The good neighbor looks beyond the external conditions and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers . . . . .
Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity, It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the
true . . . . .

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr.

But Pastor Jeff, I don't hate the lepers, I just don't want to touch them.


O that will work . . . ..
How about that cup of cold water thing . . . . . "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Mt. 10:42

Mission to Texas . . . . . poured concrete at a mission for the poor from across the border. Never met them, never touched them. Went into Mexico to sing at their churches. Never touched them, never got to know them
Religious behavior, but not spiritual behavior
Sometimes people need more than singing and concrete pouring
Something happens when we touch people

Jesus loved the marginalized

Luke 4
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went in to the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Proclaiming the gospel . . . . this day it is fulfilled in your ears
Proclaiming the gospel is not just about listing the path of salvation, it is not about telling, it is about showing the path of salvation in how we treat one another

If you want people to come to Jesus, you have to touch the lepers
If we are not willing to touch the lepers
This faith does not work. We are only fooling ourselves

Who are the lepers in your life?

The 104 acres behind us is for sale . . . . aids hospice and section 8 housing are going in. What will you do? Take pews out in the back two rows

Went to a district event last weekend
Jeff the pony tail man who led music at the conference in Marshfield.
Signs signs everywhere a sign

And the sign said "Long-haired freaky people need not apply"
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"
So I took off my hat, I said "Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!"

Who are the lepers in your life . . . .
In Westport, Jamaica, Liberia, in the Lees Summit hope house, at Spofford,
Maybe the person next door
Maybe someone that you just don't have time for
Maybe you don't know because you are only hanging out with the beautiful

If you want people to come to Jesus, you have to touch the lepers

Another tack on this story
The biggest healing is not that the leprosy is gone, it is the change that takes place in the life of the man . . . . he becomes a person of faith . . . .

The leper cannot contain himself, he tells others about Jesus in a way that others just want to come to him. When God gets a hold of a person, they cannot contain the joy. They tell everyone, and people want to know the source of the life change.

Is there leprosy in your life?
Is there something that is tearing you apart?
Reach out for Jesus, he is reaching out for you
He doesn't fix every earthly problem
But he can heal a broken heart and he alone can satisfy your soul.
Jesus can make you whole - reach out and touch him
Lets pray