The Art Of Thank You: Lepers Series

Video Illustration: Nick Viciuvik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOzsjEmjjHs

Series: The Art of Thank You – 10 Lepers

Thesis: We must cultivate a grateful heart with the Lord and learn the art of “Thank You” to the Lord and to others. Thank You has the power to change our heart and others hearts! It can even transform our daily life and environment.

Summary of Series:

So why do we need to learn the art of “Thank You” today in the world we live in?

Answer: Because it is important for us to recognize the time and sacrifice it took for that prayer to be answered, for that nice act to be done for us, especially when we live in a time deprived and selfish society. When we do the art of thank you, we acknowledge our relationship with the person and appreciate their kind act. It's a simple sign of respect. If we do not express gratitude, our relationship will change because in the inaction we show we don't care about the other person’s gift, sacrifice or act of love.

It’s about our attitude toward God and others and it’s about a communication form of artistic expression to God and others. Yes, saying “Thank You” is an art form that people will admire and be impacted from!

Highlight the visuals on the floor – The Thank You Board, the thank you note basket, the thankyou painting.

T.S. - Let’s look at the Art of “Thank You” from scripture one last time when Jesus heals 10 lepers but only 1 comes back and thanks Jesus for the healing!

Scripture Text: Luke 17:11-19 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals Ten Men with Leprosy

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Introduction: Picture the scene just highlighted to us:

Jesus and his disciples are on the move in a multiracial area made up of Jews and Samaritans. He is passing through on his way to Jerusalem, where He will die, when He sees over in the distance a leper colony of 10 men waving at him emphatically, they have stumps which use to be hands, they have crippled deformed arms and legs, they have boils on their bodies and faces, and some of them are helping the others stand up as they are yelling from the distance. They are isolated from everyone else --- yet they are crying out “Jesus have mercy on us!” there are 9 Jews and 1 Samaritan an odd mix considering Samaritans were despised by the Jews as ½ breeds. But these 10 men are all huddled together in their small group for survival, they live in filth, they live in extreme poverty, they have abandoned by their society. Yes, they most likely live by the dumps of this village scrounging for food, they are outcasts because of their disease, their disease fell on them because of their sin so say the Jewish religious leaders of Israel. The horrific result of this disease is isolation from their families, rejection by society, abandoned by loved ones, they are people with no hope of a future. All they had to expect in life was to watch their bodies decay and deform and rot away. But they had heard about this man Jesus – maybe they had heard about the man with leprosy that Jesus had healed earlier? Maybe they knew Him? They see Jesus coming with his gathering and they cry out to Him!

Can you imagine the scene? Can you imagine their pain and suffering? Can you imagine their loneliness and depression? Can you empathize with their hopeless outlook on life? Can you imagine their desperation?

I suspect that living in the worst conditions imaginable in poverty was torture but seeing your body rot, decay and deform was worst but we could imagine! You need to think what they had lost in their lives? Imagine their grief? They no longer felt the touch of their loved ones, no hugs, no kisses, no warm embrace. No, I love you! They were isolated from their kids or grandkids and spouses - families – cast away to the outskirts of the society to die an agonizing lonely death. Could you imagine being banned and isolated from your family like this?