The Audacity of a Single Thankful Heart

 Dearest e-votees,

As you well know tomorrow is the day set aside for Thanksgiving here in the United States (our neighbors to the north already had their day on October 12).  President Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thursday of November to be that national day set aside for giving thanks.

You may not know that there are daily texts set aside for the commemoration of Thanksgiving.  The gospel text is the cleansing of the 10 people with leprosy in Luke 17:11-19.

I hope and pray you find yourself in a place surrounded by friends and family (in person or through the interwebber), with ample food on your plate and ample gratitude in your heart.

Blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Peace,

Karl

+ + +

Leprosy (whatever exactly it was in Biblical times, not necessary what we would classify as leprosy today) was a malady that caused separation.  Those with leprosy would be cut off from those who did not have it.  They may have been isolated into separate communities or colonies. They may have abided by the regulations spelled out in Leviticus 13:45-46 to greet people crying "Unclean!  Unclean!" and living outside the camp.  There is quite a bit of attention devoted to leprosy in the 13th chapter of Leviticus.  And the upshot is that if you have leprosy it is not good news for your ability to defy social distancing and to flourish in community.

Jesus was passing between Samaria and Galilee (that is to say between Gentile territory and Jewish territory--that is to say between an "us" and a "them") and he encounters people who are living in between.  Perhaps as ones suffering from leprosy that have been rejected by both "us" and "them"--they are in some sense an über-them (outsiders to all).  Normally Samaritans and Jews wouldn't associate.  But in their mutual malady these 10 lepers had blended across that social divide.  There were 9 Jews and one Samaritan.  

Jesus tells them to go an show themselves to the priests (see Leviticus 13) and they go.  Presumably the 9 Jews go one way and the 1 Samaritan goes the other way to their respective priests.  All 10 of them demonstrate some faith as they leave before having been healed.  It is in the journey that they are healed.  Only the Samaritan, however, after realizing what had happened turned back towards Jesus to give thanks.  Jesus offers praise for the Samaritan's actions.  

We are living in a time chock-full of "us"s and "them"s.  We all struggle with maladies (self-inflicted and from without).  We all need cleansing and healing.  Jesus comes into the world to do just that.  All of us are able to be made clean by Jesus.  Will we follow where he leads and answer his call?  And when we see ourselves being made well--being salved, being saved--do we turn to Jesus and offer thanks and praise?  Jesus invites us to turn from our ways that do not honor God and to give thanks.  Abraham Lincoln offer the same sort of call in his Thanksgiving proclamation.  Today God still calls us to be a people of repentance and gratitude.  Will we?  Are we able to hear Jesus speak to us as he did to the lone grateful one:  Rise and go your way, your faith has made you well?

Dear God, be with us wherever "our way" takes us.  Stir up your faith and your healing in us.  Help us never stop thanking you.  Amen.