Tuesday - always go back and say thank you

Prayer:  Jesus,  have mercy upon us!  Christ have mercy upon us!   For we will live this day in joy and praise.  God Holy,  God strong and Holy,   God Holy and Immortal,  grant us Your peace.

Read St. Luke  17:  11 - 19

Jesus was journeying between Samaria and Galilee when a group of ten lepers called out to him.     The lepers stood at a distance.   As lepers were considered “unclean”,  they could not approach people to ask for help.    So from a distance,  they loudly shout, “Jesus, have mercy upon us!”

Jesus says for the lepers to go show themselves to the priest.    It is only the priest that can  declare a leper clean.   Once a person is declared clean, then they can live with their families again.

While the ten lepers are heading to find the priest,  they are cleaned.    One of the lepers goes back to thank Jesus.   Jesus had given the leper his life back.    The  cleansed leper is so greatful to Jesus that he praises and glorifies God.

This cleansed leper was a Samaritan…. a foreigner.   Jesus asks why the nine who were also cleansed did not come back to glorify and praise God.   Only the foreigner came back to give thanks and praise.  

Jesus says for the cleansed leper to go on his way…. his faith has healed and save him.

This is a story not only about healing (and remembering to say thank you),  but also  a story of who is open to the gift of  faith.   The gift of  faith is given to the Samaritans.   This thought would have been unthinkable for Jews.  Samaritans were the group of God’s chosen people who were not captured and exiled into Babylon.  They  were despised by the Jews (and often vice versa as well) as they had a different style of worship and married within the peoples living in the area who were not Jewish.     

Yet,  here is one Samaritan that understands the healing of Jesus… and goes back to thank Jesus.   While the nine who were of the Jewish faith did not go back to thank Jesus.      The Kingdom of God is open for all people. 

This day,  meditate on ways to say thank you to God today.

Prayer:  Thank You Great God that we live each day in Your presence.  Open our eyes to Your glory and our hearts to Your song.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.