Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 17:11-19
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  November 25, 2021

This painting is “The Angelus” by Jean Francois Millet. The setting sun shows that the day’s work is drawing to a close. This peasant couple have been working diligently to reap a basket of potatoes. Do you see the church in the distance? The evening bell, called the Angelus, is ringing, and as the sound comes over the field they pause for a few moments to offer a prayer of thanks.

This was the first picture of Millet’s to attract attention. For years, as a poor farmer’s son, he had painted scenes of rural life in France, but few cared for his peasants. His life, like those he portrayed, was an extremely difficult existence, often going days without food. But with the painting of “The Angelus” many began to notice the uncommon serenity of his work. When this one hung in the Louvre many people in Paris were forgetting God. Just like the tolling of a distant bell, this picture served to call their minds back to the Lord.

It’s a good reminder that giving thanks brings you back to God. It brings you back to his blessings and promises, no matter the situation. Giving thanks brings you back to your senses as you realize what is truly needed has already been provided. The peasants in “The Angelus” are an excellent example of this, as well as the lepers in our text from Luke 17.

The 10 lepers also had an extremely difficult existence. Not only was there the dreadful effects of a disease that was literally rotting you away, but there was also the cold reality of being a total outcast. Lepers had no home, they were disowned and forced to leave their families and communities, dwelling in colonies for fear of contamination. When people would approach them, Jewish law required them to shout about themselves: “Unclean, unclean!” Leprosy came to be referred to as the “living death,” and often its victims were treated as if they had already died. Funeral services were conducted and relatives were allowed to claim inheritance even though the lepers would continue to live, often for decades. Like many diseases in those times, leprosy was considered to be a form of divine punishment for worldly sins. Once diagnosed, you were considered cursed by God and your physical degradation was compounded by public shame.

At least the ten lepers in our account had each other.  Together they would beg strangers traveling the road along the border between Samaria and Galilee for bits of food and scraps of clothing. I imagine they were quite close, caring for each other when no one else would. In fact, we find that one was from Samaria, the rival nation of Israel, yet that didn’t matter because they were bonded by the same terrible fate.

But then one day they heard that Jesus, the great prophet from Nazareth, was coming down the road. They’d heard of his saving power—some even claimed he was the Son of God. And so they decided to risk insults and potential punishment, in order to get close enough to call out to Jesus as he and the crowd passed by. “Standing at a distance, they called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” And then to their surprise, Jesus, not looking at them with disdain, not assuming that they were cursed by God, gave a command that seemed too good to be true, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” In order to be allowed back into the community anyone who was sick would have to be declared “clean” or healthy by a priest. Jesus commanded them to go in faith, trusting that by the time they get to the priest they would be healed. 

Astonishingly, all ten went and their faith in this one called Christ was well-placed, because “as they went they were cleansed.” Can you imagine the joy? Nerves began to feel sensations long forgotten, clenched hands and twisted limbs straightened out. Limping gates turned into swift strides. Flattened noses and ears were healed as rotting gums were replaced by toothy smiles. What joy could we trace in the string of shed bandages left in their wake?

It isn’t often highlighted, but this was an amazing display of faith by these ten men. First of all, they believed that Jesus could heal them. Next they took the risk to ask for healing.  And when they did ask they didn’t offer any sob stories or even any good reasons why Jesus should heal them.  No, in faith they did what any believer does when calling out to God: They asked for mercy—“Have pity on us!” And then when Jesus said, “Go!” they took him at his word. They went even though no signs of healing had yet occurred. Everything in their world had been taken away by this disease but their faith kept them going.

Such a faith still keeps us going today, even if we don’t have leprosy.  It makes us believe that Jesus is coming with his saving power, and that he can even fix what hurts and deliver from what ails us  today. Such a faith takes the risk of being disappointed by praying boldly for God’s healing and help. Such a faith also understands that Jesus saves and helps on the basis of his mercy, not on how deserving we are. And such a faith is eager to take Jesus at his word, that things will be as he says they will be, even if they aren’t right now. It takes faith to make it through a stretch of unemployment without despairing. It takes faith to endure a critical illness with grace. It takes faith to trust that God is not against you when disaster strikes. It takes faith to just keep going day after day.

But the question is, where are we going? Where are we hoping to go when we so often pray, “Jesus get me through this.” or “Jesus get me out of this.”?  Is it just to make it through to Christmas?  Is it really just to get back to normal? Is it merely to feel well again? If this is what we keep the faith for, then we’ve missed the point. Lots of people have faith that keeps them going, but they are so busy going that they forget, or simply choose not to return and give thanks to God.  How often have we heard the distant bell, but have not paused to pray, even when God has given us so much? How often, when our prayer is answered, are we too busy being well to come back to the Lord in thanks. It’s the same reason why 9 out of the 10 former lepers failed to come back and give thanks. No doubt those 9 were extremely grateful, but they were more concerned with celebrating with their families than giving thanks to God. Isn’t that our temptation on Thanksgiving as well?

Only one of them stopped when he saw the bandages fall off. Apparently his nine formerly leprous friends didn’t care so much if he was coming along with them to where they were going either. He alone stopped, turned around and came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him and he was a Samaritan. In other words, he should have been the last one to return to a Jewish prophet and praise him as God. But he couldn’t help it because giving thanks brings you back. 

Judging from Jesus’ reaction, he was more impressed by a faith that came back than ones that kept going: Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go your way; your faith has saved you.”  Through faith this Samaritan learned not only the lesson of thankfulness and gratitude, but also of a gracious Savior who would save his soul, not just his skin. He realized that his newly gained health wasn’t just a benefit to himself, but an opportunity to glorify God. He knew that grace was given to him not to just keep going, but first and foremost to come back give thanks/

There are a lot of cars going by on East Washington today. They are all going somewhere. Some are going to grandma’s house. Some are going out to eat. Others are going to the store to pick up things for the turkey dinner. There are so many places to go. And when they get to where they are going I trust they will be thankful for the blessings of family and food and friends and shelter and warmth and love and rest and relaxation. And that is good.

But where you are going this Thanksgiving is not as important as why you’ve come back here to God’s house. The Lord has given you a faith that sees its highest expression not just in how it keeps you going, but in how it brings you back to Jesus’ cross. Our Savior Jesus shed his blood to cleanse us from the deadly leprosy of our sin. Like those lepers, we have been given a new life, a new life spiritually. And grace upon grace, Christ promises that our most important destination on this earth pales with one moment in his glorious presence. And he enables us to use whatever strength we have in our body to glorify God before others and put him first. 

My friends, take a moment to hear the Angelus tolling over the fields…See the bandages falling off… Take a moment to pause and let Thanksgiving bring you back to God.

Amen.