We've got a little girl living with us, right now. She's a foreign exchange student whose family is originally from South America but she grew up in Arlington. She lives with us now because her parents no longer want her. They brought her to Mary's class one day and when the Christmas holidays came, told Mary to keep her, they didn't want her any more. Talk about cruel.
So, Pearl has exchanged her home with one of the students to a home with one of the teachers. But that's OK, Pearl, she's a guinea pig by the way, fits into the menagerie of pets in our family quite well.
You see, we have Pearl, Midnight the Wonder Dog, our black lab coon hound mix dog, there's our lizard and the three goldfish that beg.
We also feed the squirrels and birds in our back yard. But the reason I bring up Pearl and Midnight the Wonder Dog is they have this ongoing battle for our attention, affection and especially the goodies.
You see, I'm in the habit of coming home and giving Midnight a dog treat. Consequently we go through this nightly ritual. Midnight hears the garage door open and immediately comes to the back door where she stands expectantly, in the way. She wants a goodie and I just want to get in the house, so it's the same old thing every time I come home. "Midnight, get out of the way. Midnight, move. Midnight, get out of the way."
When I finally get in, set my briefcase down and what not, I usually bend down and pet Midnight, who does the little welcome home doggy dance and tail wag that they do. But then Midnight expects a treat. I keep Beggin' Strips handy. So I reach into the bag and give her a goodie.
And that's when we hear from Pearl. The minute she hears the dog goodie bag rattle, she is standing at the door of her cage, and not standing patiently but almost as expectantly as the dog. She wants a goodie, too. She has associated the rattle of the bag with a piece of celery or a lettuce leaf. And if she doesn't get it, she starts squealing like a stuck, well, Guinea Pig.
The one thing I can always count on from both Midnight and Pearl is an honest to goodness "Thank You." Oh, not a verbal, "Why thank you kind sir." But Midnight rubs all over you, beats you to death with her tail and licks you hand. Sometimes she's even more affectionate than that and will actually take my hand in her mouth, which is a Labs way of saying thank you.
And Pearl, well, have you ever heard a Guinea Pig purr. That's what she does. She makes this little chittering sound of contentment and wants to be petted.
Now the reason I tell you this is because Midnight and Pearl are animals. I'm sure it's a learned trait but they both express or appear to express a sense of gratitude. It all focuses mainly around food, but there's also a sense of gratitude for the petting they get.
What strikes me about Midnight and Pearl's action is that in this morning's passage from the Gospel of Luke we meet ten people with leprosy who Jesus heals. And nine of them, NINE of them, had less gratitude than my dog and Guinea Pig.
Let's look at the passage I'm talking about. Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV)
[11] On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.
[12] As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance,
[13] they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
[14] When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.
[15] Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.
[16] He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.
[17] Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?
[18] Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
[19] Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
One of the key differences between the nine and the one is, the nine were made well, they were healed. But the tenth leper was both healed and made whole. The other nine needed a definite Gratitude Adjustment.
I. Only One?
Can't believe that only one of them came back to thank Jesus.
Only one. This is one of those passages where you actually see Jesus a little bumfuzzled by the people around him. "Weren't there ten of you? Where are the other nine?" All the poor Samaritan could do was shrug his shoulders and grin in embarrassment and gratitude.
It makes you wonder if acts like this aren't what caused the spiritual struggle in the garden, the night Jesus to wrestled with His willingness to give His life on the cross for our sakes. His encounters with the Sadduccees and Pharisees, the ungratefulness of these now former lepers;
It all had to add up and weigh on Him that night. Only one. To quote Vizzini, the Sicilian in the Princess Bride: "Inconceivable."
And yet, that's exactly what happened. Ten were healed and only one returned to give thanks.
Maybe the other nine were like a poster I saw one time.
Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others.
Maybe that's how we should look at the other nine, as a warning. Anyway, out of the ten who were healed, only one gave thanks. The others needed a Gratitude Adjustment.
II. Be Thankful
A. That brings us to the point of Being Thankful. You and I are called to emulate Midnight the Wonder Dog and Pearl. We're called to emulate the Tenth leper, the one who was healed and made whole. You and I are called to develop a Gratitude Adjustment.
There's an old story about an Irishman who was down on his luck and was panhandling on Fifth Avenue before the annual St. Patrick's Day parade got underway in New York City. As a couple strolled by, he called out: "May the blessing of the Lord, which brings love and joy and wealth and a fine family, follow you all the days of your life."
There was a pause as the couple passed his outstretched hand without contributing. Then he shouted after them, "And Never Catch Up To You!" (1)
That's the way a lot of us live our lives. We're thankful but only when we get something.
B. Let me tell you about someone I just read about in HeroicStories recently. It was in a story titled, "The Ticket" by Tony Keyes and edited by Joyce Schowalter.
If you remember, at the end of July of this year, Japan's west coast was hit by another typhoon. It was the latest in a record-breaking series of 16 typhoons to hit the mainland. TV news featured pictures of roads washed away, bridges collapsed, houses half-buried in mud and debris, cars washed away by the floodwaters. Along with pictures of people on rooftops, waiting to be rescued, waving and calling for help to the helicopters filming them. Thousands were evacuated until the floodwaters receded.
A few days later, there was a story that illustrates thankfulness in the fullest. Somebody sent a letter to the Fukui disaster management center, one of the prefectures or states which was hit the hardest. The letter was addressed to the Governor. The letter expressed condolences to those who had suffered loss, and offered assistance in the form of a lottery ticket. They apologized for sending the ticket without cashing it, and for not delivering it in person, but they wished to remain anonymous.
The Governor found out that while the return address on the letter was bogus, the ticket was real. It was a ticket for the nationwide lottery held a month before. It wasn't just any ticket, it was the top prize ticket of 200 million yen (US $1.8 million).
After the taped news report, the announcer wondered aloud what kind of person would do such a thing. That person had held this winning ticket for over a month, probably planning all the ways they could enjoy their newfound wealth. Probably wondering how to invest it, how much to splurge, what to buy first, whether they could quit their job, how their life would change.
And yet this person, who received a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of good luck, chose to give it away. They realized that others needed that good luck more than they did. That person was selfless enough to give it all away, and not keep any for themselves. They were humble enough to apologize for not delivering the money in person. And wise enough to realize that helping others is a far bigger prize than any amount of lottery winnings.
And the ticket set spirit of Thankfulness throughout that area. It was a gift within a gift. Because every person helped by that ticket was Thankful and whenever they met anyone else, they had to wonder, "Is this the person who was selfless, wise and humble enough to give up their lottery ticket to help us in our time of need? Is this who I should thank?" (2)
That's a person or a family who had a real "Gratitude Adjustment.
III. Bloom Where You're Planted
A. When we live a Thankful Life, a Thankful Heart, a life of Gratitude Adjustment, it enables us to follow through with an old, old saying, "Bloom where you're planted."
As Thankful People, as Thankful followers of Christ, you and I called to bloom where we're planted. And by that I mean bring a little beauty, a little sunshine, a little happiness. But mostly I mean bring the presence of God and God's Grace and God's Goodness through Christ wherever we go. If you bloom where you're planted, you give thanks with your life and your attitude. And it affects everyone around you.
B. I just read about a woman named Cheryl Stephens who definitely had this Gratitude Attitude I'm talking about. She didn't need a Gratitude Adjustment. She could be the poster person for the concept of Gratitude. She was a young mother struggling with cancer yet determined to continue ministering to others. Cheryl went home to Jesus on November 19, 2003 at age 44. Her friends say she lived out Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
The following is a poem Cheryl wrote in 1984, long before her bout with cancer.
Remember me not for who I was
But for who Jesus was in me.
Remember me not for the things I've done
But for the things Jesus did through me.
Remember me not as one who loved
Without remembering that "He first loved me."
Remember me not as one who gave
But one to whom much was given.
Remember me not as one who spoke of God
But as one who knew God through His Son, Jesus.
Remember me not as one who prayed
But remember the One to whom I prayed.
Remember me not as one who was strong
But as one who cried out to God to be my strength.
Remember me not as one who died
But as one who lives forever because I have believed.
Remember not my life and death
For they will profit you nothing.
But please . . . remember the life and death of Jesus.
For He gave His life that we might live.
He died that we might never have to and He rose again
That we might have eternal life.
Remember not me, but do remember Jesus. (3)
Cheryl Stephens knew, not only the presence of Christ in her life, she also had the Attitude of Gratitude which allowed her to burst into full bloom in the midst of an otherwise difficult life.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you to sit and do nothing and make the best of your situation by simply saying "Thank You." Blooming where you're planted is hard work. You have to overcome all kinds of adversities.
I am telling you to make the best of your situation and to shine as much as you can for Christ. Through your life, through your thankfulness, others will be drawn to Christ. And isn't that what it's really all about, bringing others to Christ.
Conclusion
Ten lepers were healed. One came back and was healed and made whole. Ten miracles and only one word of thanks. But that word of thanks is what we remember the most.
You see, the greatest thing about this passage isn't whether or not the lepers were healed. The greatest miracle in this passage is that one human heart was healed and received a Gratitude Adjustment. The 10th leper went from a life of misery and separation to a life of joy and thanksgiving. That would be a great novel wouldn't it, how that moment changed his life and how it played out in the rest of his life?
Gratitude led to healing and wholeness for the 10th leper and it can do the same for us as well. And all we have to do is take time for a Gratitude Adjustment. Remember Pearl and Midnight and at least be as thankful as they are.
1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), May 1986
2. Heroic Stories #554: 5 October 2004 www.HeroicStories.com
3. "If Only For This Life" by Marilyn Anderes, Good News, March/April 2004, p. 44.