2011 Thanksgiving Sermon

Luke 17: 11-19
11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
　
I’d like to begin my sermon by taking a verbal snapshot of a typical Thanksgiving. Of course, that snapshot doesn’t begin on Thanksgiving Day, it begins anywhere from a week to a couple of days before the actual holiday. And, of course, it begins in the grocery store. The designated shopper of the family has been given the requirement for procuring the ingredients for the Thanksgiving meal. Scrounging through the circulars, her or she has decided the local grocery store is the perfect place to buy everything–the deal on the turkey is especially amazing.

Arriving at the store, our designated shopper is amazed by all the cars. Looks like this will not be a simple trip, it’s shaping up to be a dogfight. Luckily a few carts are still available, so grabbing one, our shopper enters the fray. Up and down the aisles items are thrown into the cart at a reckless pace. Debates about brand names versus store brands are settled in one’s mind at a frantic pace. Yams, check. Green beans, check. Cornbread for stuffing, check. Cranberry sauce, check. Marinade for the turkey, check. And now it’s time to head for the meat department. Instructions are clear. At least a 14lb bird is required. Rounding the aisle, our shopper runs into mayhem. It seems like hundreds are gathered around the turkeys which are on sale. Taking a deep breath, our shopper wades into the scrum. Too small. Too big. That one’s not on sale. A perfect bird! Rats, that lady snatched it before it was grabbed. More digging. More failure. Suddenly, hope abounds, the butcher is arriving with more birds! Immediately, one is found that matches the correct measurements. Triumphant, our shopper returns to the basket. He looks at his watch and sighs, "Record time." Ah, but that was before heading toward the check out line. Oh, the lines. And of course, our shopper picks the slowest one. Topping it off, the little old lady in front of him has about a thousand coupons and decides to pay with a check! Oh, the indignity. Ah, but that’s not the worst of it, when the cashier finally tallies up the total...sticker shock! Worn out, our shopper heads back to the car to head home. The first battle is done, but this is only the beginning.

A couple of days later, the turkey having been put into the refrigerator and marinated, our chef awakens in the middle of the night. It’s time to put the turkey in the oven. A blissful night of sleep is interrupted, and it would be wonderful if our chef could have fallen right to sleep again. But, sleep does not come. Thoughts of the morning ahead begin rushing in. The ingredient list is poured over once again. Each item is checked off. Sighs of relief are heard. Planning of the use of the oven ensues. Will there be room enough in the oven for the turkey and the dressing and the green bean casserole? Will there be enough to feed the entire family, especially since Aunt June decided to come at the last minute? Will the kids cooperate so that the huge job of getting dinner ready can be completed? Tossing and turning ensues until fatigue finally takes over. But the reprieve is short lived. Sunlight streams through the window indicating it is time to arise.

Breakfast is handled, and then our chef goes into super-chef mode. Spinning round and round the kitchen, pies are thrown together. Yams are topped with marshmallows and baked. Green bean casserole is a success. The dressing is a little burned around the edges, but not too bad. The doorbell starts ringing and guests start arriving. The house turns into a madhouse as cousins run around yelling and playing. Adults raise their voices to be heard over the kids. The early football game begins, and the volume is raised to be heard over the kids and the talking. Of course, that makes everyone talk louder and yell louder to be heard. Chaos is fast becoming the norm. Suddenly, the bell chimes. The turkey is done! A masterpiece.

Our chef hounds her spouse and the kids to help set the table. They scurry around putting plates, silverware, and glasses into place. Guests wait impatiently smelling the smells–their taste buds watering. Finally, all is ready, and everyone sits down. Prayer. A few moments of silence to give thanks, and then chaos erupts again. Food is passed. A drink is spilled. Clean up is swift. Seconds are served. Kids jump up to play. Adults raise their voices. The television gets turned back on. In less than 15 minutes, a meal that took hours to prepare is devoured. But no rest for the weary. Cleaning up the table must take place.
Harried and worn, the dishwasher humming, our family sits down to watch the games on t.v. But their respite is short lived. The local chain store is having an afternoon sale. The bargains are too good to be true. Thanksgiving must shift to Christmas immediately. Time to prepare and get there before the crowds. No time for a nap. No time to see who wins. Go! Go! Go!

And crowds get fought. Items get bought. Life continues on at warp speed. Is it any wonder why some people dread the holidays?

In our Gospel lesson this evening nine lepers got caught up in the busy-ness of life. Nine lepers became so overwhelmed with the thoughts of what they were going to do because they were now clean that they took off to return to their families and friends. Nine lepers became overwhelmed by all the stuff they wanted and needed to do that they just kept going.

But one stopped. One paused. One took time to think and reflect about what had just happened to him. One realized the nature of the healing he had experienced. One realized the gift of healing that had happened and the source of that gift. One put all of his wants, all of his desires, all of his perceived needs on hold to fulfill the one true need which beckoned. He needed to place himself at the feet of Jesus and say, "Thank you."

He let the other nine go on their way, oblivious to their laughter, oblivious to their cat calls, oblivious to their commentary of what they would do when they got to their homes. Rather than give into what the group said he should do, he took moments which were precious to him and returned to kneel before the one who had restored him to health and to his community.

And Jesus blessed him once more by proclaiming, "Get up and go on your way, your faith has made you well."

Is there a lesson we can learn here? Is there a point to this story of thanksgiving as we get ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Perhaps there is. For how many of us will be tempted by the busy-ness of the day? How many of us will be tempted to push ourselves through to jump from cooking, to cleaning, to watching games, to shopping without a moment’s rest? How many of us will buy into the group think which says, move fast so that you don’t miss anything?

And how many of us will really and truly pause? How many of us will really and truly think about the gifts we have been given: of breath, of life, of love, of hope, of material possessions, of family, of friends, of grace, of mercy, of compassion? How many of us will recognize the real giver of these gifts? And how many of us will take the time to stop, to turn to him, to kneel at His feet and say, "Thanks."? My hope and my prayer is that it will be all of us. Amen.