Cliff Loesch October 14, 2007 Luke 17:11-19 It Changes Everything "On May 1, 1998, Shannon Broom was killed in an automobile accident. She was 23. In the days following Shannon's death, her parents discovered that she had kept a gratitude journal. For nearly a year, Shannon had been faithfully chronicling five things she was thankful for every day. She was thankful for the little things, like Chef Boyardee, good egg salad, and ChapStick, but what touched her parents the most were the entries specifically about family. Through reading her journal, they realized that every day of Shannon's life she had been happy, and had loved every member of her family. The Brooms wanted Shannon's family and friends to know how much they had meant to her, so they used Shannon's artwork and her thoughts to create bookmarks. There has been an overwhelming response to the bookmarks with over 20,000 given out by the end of last year. The thoughts of gratitude often cause people to think about their own lives, and sometimes people pass the bookmarks on to others to inspire them as well. The Brooms say they went through difficult times and there were days when they wanted to give up, but this experience has served as what they call "bookmark therapy." Every time they created a bookmark and heard back from someone who was touched by it, they felt a little bit better. Jules and Jan say that just knowing the bookmarks are out there - that Shannon is speaking to people's lives, perhaps even making them better - continues the healing process for them." (from http://www.oprah.com/rys/journeys/rys_journeys_20000417.jhtml) I found this wonderful story about gratitude on Oprah Winfrey's website. Shannon's parents made the point that they have been through difficult times and that there were days when they wanted to give up completely - but they were inspired by their daughter's journal that was so filled with gratitude and with hope. And I am, too. Just think of that: to sit down every night for nearly a year and write down five things that you are thankful for. Can you imagine?-no matter how bad your day might have been, or how busy, to simply stop and take the time to be thankful. I think a sense of gratitude changes everything. For some reason this week has been extra busy for me. Every day has been filled from beginning to end with many things. It's been non-stop. Preparing a message for Sunday mornings, of course, is part of my weekly rhythm. But it's not something that comes necessarily easily. And I find that no matter what else I might be doing, sermon preparation is almost always on my mind-or near the surface at least. And toward the end of this busy week it occurred to me that most of what I've been doing this week is not all that difficult nor stressful and I thought to myself that in some ways it's simply the pressure of finding the time for sermon preparation that makes the week seem so stressful and busy. Just take out that one thing and what a breeze this week would be. But that raises the question: is preaching a burden or is it a privilege? And I have to say, it's a privilege. As I look across this room and see the many, many people who could stand up here and say things much more inspiring than I and much more insightful and with more eloquence-I feel truly humbled to be the one who has this incredible opportunity-this privilege-to speak to you this morning. And I wonder if there might be a similar kind of shift in thinking for each and every one of us. What are the things that fill your lives right now? Perhaps some of you can say, "My life is children." Twenty-four-seven, your thoughts and your attention and your activities revolve around the needs of your kids. And maybe you feel overwhelmed. But I ask the question, are those children a burden or are they a privilege? There are many college students here today and your lives are filled with assignments and papers to write. And it seems like you hit periods where things are due in a whole bunch of classes all at once and it's easy to get behind. There might even be one or two people here today that owe me a paper. But are all these papers you have to write a burden? Or are they a privilege? I know very well how burdensome they seem-but what a privilege to be able to take the time to study, to explore, to learn, to develop your minds. What fills your life? Some people might say deadlines are my life, or expectations are my life-that is, the expectations that other people have-or perhaps, some would say laundry is my life, or paying bills. In each of these things are they burdens or are they privileges? It really does depend on how you look at them. And with a little shift in thinking we can see many things in life as a privilege-and look at them with a sense of gratitude. And gratitude changes everything. I imagine a great many of you know the story of Job in the Old Testament. Job was a wealthy man who loved God. But through a series of catastrophes Job lost his entire fortune, he lost his family then he lost his health. And there he was in anguish and destitute and alone left to ponder why all this misery had come his way. Right after the tragedies happened, Job fell to the ground and simply said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." It's a statement that many of us would have difficulty making if we were in the same circumstances. And frankly, when I read it, it seems a little too joyful on the one hand (considering the circumstances) and at the same time a little too full of resignation. But Jacqueline Bergan and Marie Schwan see a little more in this passage. They believe that Job recognized the presence of God even in his very difficult circumstances and that he was expressing his complete dependence on God. And Bergan and Schwan ask if there are times in life that we feel like Job-stripped and emptied. They ask, "Can we recall those times when we experienced a loss, such as the death of a loved one, unemployment, a ruptured relationship, or a loss of reputation…. Can we ponder how God was present in that painful experience of loss?" (Love: A Guide for Prayer, The Word Among Us Press, 2004, 69) It's not the tragedy, but the thought of God's presence that fills us with gratitude and hope. And that's why it seems so surprising that only one of those ten lepers came back to find Jesus to thank him. I'm talking about that passage in Luke that Mallorie read a moment ago. Luke 17:11-19. There were probably many times in their lives that the ten lepers wondered about God's presence. Had they been totally abandoned by God? It must have seemed that way. They had a disease that threatened the community so they were forced to leave home and family and live apart. Even when they approached Jesus asking for mercy they still kept their distance. Living as outcasts, and feared by most people - that must have been tough. But at least for these ten deliverance came. They made it through their crisis. And even though there must have been days or weeks or years where they saw no hope and had difficulty recognizing the presence of God-in retrospect they could likely see that yes, perhaps, even in the midst of those hard days God was there. And that is why it is so important to see those little signs of hope and encouragement; to see the little things in life and to give thanks. I've never been in such dire circumstances-compared to theirs. But what I'm saying is that I believe that no matter how difficult our struggles might be we can always find some small things to be thankful for. And we can always find evidence of God's presence in those hard times. And may I say-God's presence changes everything. For these ten people to be carried through their crisis-you would sort of expect grand displays of gratitude. Only one, however, came looking for Jesus to express his profound thanks. And he was a Samaritan. I could preach a whole second message on this thankful Samaritan. It's no accident that his nationality is mentioned. There was a lot of prejudice against the Samaritans and as you read the gospel story, Samaritans keep popping up in positive ways. Jesus used one in a parable to teach about who is my neighbor. You remember that story: The Good Samaritan. And here in Luke 17 we see a thankful Samaritan. Through these and through several other ways it was as though Jesus were telling his disciples and all the people of his country-as well you and me: "Come on people. Let go of all your crazy prejudices already." But there I go--off on that other message. The main point of this passage in Luke, of course, is--Be thankful. And if these nine people missed giving thanks for such an obviously big thing in their lives, I wonder what we're missing? Let's look around our lives this very day and see new ways to give thanks. |