The Practice of Gratefulness
A Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 12, 2025
The Rev. Robin Teasley
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:11-19
When you were growing up, did your mother make you write thank you notes? Mine did. After every birthday and Christmas, I had a list of every gift received and I was reminded at least daily that I needed to write my thank you notes. I don’t know why this was so difficult when I was young, but it was. How do you honestly and sincerely thank that distant relative for those crazy gifts she sends every year? Even when the gift was wonderful, it was difficult to take the time to thank the giver. There were always so many other things I wanted to be doing, like playing with that new toy! Only when I was older, did I begin to appreciate the very act of being grateful and the joy in living a life of gratefulness.
Today we hear a gospel account about ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. Leprosy was a general name given to any kind of disfiguring skin disease. Levitical law required anyone with leprosy to have no physical contact with other human beings. Whenever anyone passed by, lepers were required to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” They were kept outside of the community, away from family, work, and friends, as well as worship. If they were somehow cured of the disease, they were required to go to the priest to be certified as clean, and they were required to make a sacrifice before being allowed back into the community.
In the account today the lepers approached Jesus as he was on his way to Jerusalem. They kept their distance, as required, but called out to Jesus for mercy. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest and before they even got there, they realized they had been made clean. They had been healed. The Greek verb Luke uses here for being made clean is ‘tharizo’, which means to be cleaned or cured of a disease. One of these lepers returns to Jesus. This leper praises God with a loud voice, prostrates himself at the feet of Jesus and thanks him. He practices gratefulness.
Now Jesus noticed, and so do we, that the other nine did not say thank you and to our knowledge they did not write Jesus a thank you note either. And this was an amazing gift, this healing from disease. It allowed them to return to their community, to their family and friends, and to worship. This gift of healing allowed them to return to life as they had known it.
But the tenth leper did not go back with the others to their lives, and Luke points out that he was a Samaritan. If the gospel writer goes to the trouble to point that out, it’s probably good for us to consider why. To be a leper was to be marginalized, but to be a Samaritan leper was to be doubly marginalized. The other nine, who were Jews, were returning to a community that would accept them. The Samaritan would never be accepted into their community.
But this doubly afflicted foreigner lying at the feet of Jesus knew something the other nine did not, and he refused to be separated from the one who gave him life. He understood even more than the others what it meant to be included and loved, and he responded to that love with abandon. He thanked Jesus, but this was not a simple obligatory thank you note. This was total uninhibited gratitude!
When Jesus sees that only one of the ten has returned to give thanks, he says to this grateful Samaritan, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” But this time Jesus is not using the same verb he used before, ‘tharizo,’ because the Samaritan has already been cleaned and healed of his leprosy. This time Jesus uses the verb ‘sozo’, which means to be spiritually healed, to be made whole, to be saved. When Jesus says, “your faith has made you well,” it could also be translated as, “your faith has saved you, or your faith has made you whole and complete.” The difference between the Samaritan and the other nine is that he turned around, praised God, and gave thanks.
Might there be a connection between being thankful and being made whole? Can gratitude be good for your health? Robert Emmons, the author of Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, believes so. Emmons’ work and writing, coming from a psychological perspective, reflects something saints from all ages have known – the thing the leper who found wholeness knew – that gratitude is the foundation of abundant life.
A number of studies have documented the social, physical, and psychological benefits of gratitude. According to studies, gratitude brings us happiness; it boosts feelings of optimism, joy, enthusiasm, and other positive emotions. On the flip side, gratitude also reduces anxiety and depression. Gratitude is also good for our bodies; it strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, makes us less bothered by aches and pains, and helps us sleep better. Gratitude strengthens relationships. When partners feel and express gratitude for each other, they each become more satisfied with their relationship. Gratitude promotes forgiveness and prompts us to “pay it forward”. Grateful people are more helpful and compassionate.
Emmons says that gratitude is an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received, and we recognize that the source of this goodness is outside of ourselves. Our faith community plays a key role in helping us to see our true source of goodness – that the true source of goodness is God. Practicing gratitude impacts our church community and our lives. It is crucial to wholeness of mind, body, and spirit.
The tenth leper does not return to the way things used to be. He is no longer content to go through the motions but instead he turns and changes direction, moving toward Jesus with joyful, uncontained gratitude. As Christians we are called to turn toward God, to live in wholeness and newness of life, and to respond with this same joyful, uncontained gratitude.
From ancient times, the central act of worship for Christians has included a shared meal, also known as the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. Each week we pray that “it is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” This prayer is not just for Sunday mornings; it points to a way of life, abundant life with God.
Is a life of praise and thanksgiving something that we can choose? I believe it is. The tenth leper believed it as well and embodied it as he turned toward Jesus. What might that look like?
I got a glimpse of this last night at a wedding. The bride and groom had made cocktail napkins for the reception with little notes printed on them. These were notes that they have been leaving for each other since they began their relationship. Here’s what was written on my napkin –
I’m thankful for you and us continuing to grow together. Wouldn’t want to do this life without you. I love you!
Taking time to write a note, not because we receive a tangible, physical gift, but just because we are thankful is a way to practice gratefulness. Or we can be generous toward others with our own abundance of time, talent or treasures. And at the end of each day, we might recall three things from our day for which we are grateful. May we, like that tenth leper become practitioners of gratitude.
Join with me in a prayer of general thanksgiving, found in our Book of Common Prayer -
A General Thanksgiving (BCP, 836)
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have
done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole
creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for
the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best
efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy
and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the
truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast
obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,
through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life
again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and
make him known; and through him, at all times and in all
places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.
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