November 25, 2007

An Attitude of Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

Opening Words: The name William Bradford will always be connected with Thanksgiving Day. As governor of the Plymouth colony in 1621 he decided a day of thanksgiving was necessary to celebrate their survival. The Pilgrims celebrated the day with a traditional English feast, to which they invited the local Wampanoag Indians. Others must have heard about Plymouth’s thanksgiving. Soon other colonies were celebrating their own Thanksgiving Day. In 1777 George Washington declared it a holiday. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November a Thanksgiving Day, hoping to unite a divided country during the Civil War. In 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt, seeking to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November. Controversy followed, and Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November, where it remains. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day. Let us continue the celebration with the traditional reading. Let me call this message this morning, An Attitude of Gratitude.

Luke 17:11-19 ¹¹Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

    ¹⁴When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

    ¹⁵One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

    ¹⁷Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" ¹⁹Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

In October, 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea. But there was an unexpected detour which would hurl Rickenbacker into the most harrowing adventure of his life. Somewhere over the South Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost. Fuel ran dangerously low, so the men ditched their plane in the ocean. For nearly a month Rickenbacker and his companions would fight the water, and the weather, and the scorching sun. They spent many sleepless nights recoiling as giant sharks rammed their rafts. But of all their enemies at sea, one proved most formidable: starvation. Eight days out, their rations were long gone. It would take a miracle to sustain them. And a miracle occurred. As the story goes Eddie Rickenbacker pulled his hat over his eyes to block some of the glare. Rickenbacker felt something land on his head. It was a sea gull! And the rest, as they say, is history. Rickenbacker caught the gull. The survivors were sustained and their hopes renewed because a lone sea gull, uncharacteristically hundreds of miles from land, offered itself as a sacrifice. You know that Eddie Rickenbacker made it. And now you also know...that he never forgot. Because every Friday evening, about sunset...on a lonely stretch along the eastern Florida seacoast...you could see an old man walking...white-haired, bushy-eyebrows, slightly bent. His bucket filled with shrimp was to feed the gulls...to remember that one which, on a day long past gave itself without a struggle...like manna in the wilderness. That is a story of gratitude.

On this Thanksgiving weekend may we never forget Thanksgiving is not just a meal. Thanksgiving is not just a holiday. Thanksgiving is an attitude. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Are you living in an attitude of gratitude 365 days a year? Not everyone does.

That is the case in the scripture lesson for this morning. Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem. He is near the border between Samaria and Galilee. In the distance the Master hears the voices of ten desperate men. They are crying out for help. The source of their problem is their health. They have leprosy, a highly contagious skin disease. They are like the living dead. Their hearts were beating but they are living in isolation. Their families and friends are geographically close yet a million miles away. They had been expelled from society. Their medical world offered them no cure. Their only hope of healing, their only hope of reclaiming their past lives is Jesus. So with desperate voices they call out to Jesus for help and he hears them. He doesn’t just hear them, he heals them. He instructs them to get clearance from the priests to re-enter their society. The scripture is clear. Ten were healed but only one stopped to say, “Thanks!” He is a hated Samaritan. Even Jesus is surprised at the ungratefulness of the other nine. Why is it so difficult for some to express appreciation for the greatest of gifts?

Today, I want to be a little discriminatory. I want to talk about three blessings that God has given you as a disciple of Jesus Christ. These blessings are not really appreciated by the non believer but we value them. Everyone can thank God for food and shelter, family and friends. These three blessings are unique to us, disciples of Jesus Christ! I hope in the end you have an attitude of gratitude. So if you are ready say, “Amen!”

The Church

Blessing number one is the church. Last week I told you about Vladimir. He is a seventeen year old Russian boy. We believe he is coming to America on December 5. Do you remember his story? He is coming to our land not just to see the sites. He is coming to receive prosthetic legs. He lost his legs, below the knees, in a train accident when he was twelve. I met him last summer in Russia. He is a bright boy. He is an athletic boy. My wife, Kathy has been working hard on this project. She is making progress. He will be staying at my house for approximately two months. She has found a doctor who will donate his skill and the material needed for his prosthetic legs. She is getting closer to the goal she needs to get the money for transportation costs. Last week I told you she was looking for a free physical therapist. She is working hard because she knows she is not just getting Vladimir legs. She is giving Vladimir a future. His entire world will change.

I told you that last week and I am shocked how this church responded. I told you about Vladimir last week to make a point. I wasn’t asking for money or help. But I received both. Envelopes were left on my desk to help pay for a plane ticket. I received countless phones calls about free physical therapists. Someone told me they were mad at me because I didn’t ask her for help. I am shocked that you listen to my sermon but I am proud to be part of a church that would respond to the needs of a stranger. You wouldn’t get this outpouring of human concern in any other organization. The church is the only organization that exists for the benefits of non-members. Blessing number one is the church.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to stop and thank God for the church. With all the challenges the church faces today I believe the local church is still a special place. I chose to live my life in the church. I pray the church will always be part of my children’s lives. I encourage everyone I know to get involved in the life of the church because the best people in the world are church people. Your attitude should be positive because you are surrounded by good people. If you believe that is true say, “Amen!”

The Faith

Blessing number two is the faith. One of the reasons you come to church is to find some hope. This world is a hard place. Have you ever felt beaten down by this world? Gas is getting more expensive. The cost of heating your home is getting more expensive. The crime rate is always worse. More people are dying of unknown diseases or freakish accidents. Does anyone here feel like we are giving our children a better world? Church is the last place you can go to receive hope. Would anyone here like to receive a hopeful world today?

The very heart of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus. I can not explain to you how a dead man comes back to life. I can not explain a miracle but I do know the resurrection changed everything. The New Testament says it clearly. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you get to go to heaven when you die. You don’t deserve to go to heaven. I don’t deserve to go to heaven but we go to heaven because we are saved by grace and by grace, alone. Everyday you should recommit your life to God, finding a new way to thank Him. In the long run it doesn’t matter how expensive gas gets. In the long run it doesn’t matter how expensive it is to heat your house. In the long run all the things of this world really don’t matter because we are going to heaven and you will be reunited with all those people you have missed for such a long time. That kind of hope should change your life and your attitude about life. If you believe that is true say, “Amen!”

The Good News

Blessing number three is the Good News. The word is incarnation. In other words, the Good News is God became one of us. That divine truth should improve your attitude. The God of the universe can relate to what you are experiencing today!

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!" The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn't. Instead he said, "You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!"

That old traditional story came from long ago but it is really our story. God became one of us to experience life, itself. There is no hardship or joy that is foreign to God. He cries when we cry. He laughs when we laugh. If you find some comfort from this divine truth on this Thanksgiving weekend say, “Amen!”

Historians tell us the first recorded thanksgiving took place in Jamestown, Virginia. The winter of 1610 was harsh at Jamestown. Many settlers died. The group that once totaled 409 had been reduced to 60. Tradition tells us the survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God. There is no mention of a feast. Maybe that is why it didn’t catch on? It really doesn’t matter if you recognize the Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts or Jamestown, Virginia. It is always a good day to give God thanks. Let me say this clearly. Thanksgiving is not a meal. Thanksgiving is an attitude. Do you have an attitude of gratitude?