+ Day of Thanksgiving – November 25th, 2021 +
Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Philippians 4:6-20; Luke 17:11-19
Beautiful Savior Lutheran
Milton, WA
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What do the Israelites in the wilderness, Paul’s words to the Christian church in Philippi, and Jesus’ healing of the 10 lepers have in common?
Because it’s thanksgiving day, we might think at first, well, giving thanks, of course. They are all thankful. And while that’s certainly true; it’s not the whole truth. There’s something more, something deeper and richer that covers all of these readings together; think of it like the gravy that covers your turkey, potatoes, and stuffing. It’s true, Israel, Paul and the Philippians, and the Samaritan leper – they were all thankful. But before we give thanks, there is a gift. And if there’s a gift there’s a giver. That’s what these readings are all about – God, the gracious giver.
From his first “Let there be light” in Genesis to his final “I am coming soon” in Revelation, God reveals himself as the God who gives. He gives life to Adam and Eve. He gives Cain a protective mark even after he murders Abel. He gives Noah and his family the ark, along with a promise to all creation never again to flood the earth. He gives Abraham and Sarah new names, a promised son, Isaac, and a covenant that is finally fulfilled in the giving of God’s own Son. God gives Jacob the blessing that he didn’t deserve. God gives Israel an exodus out of slavery, through the wilderness, and into the promised land. Step by step through the wilderness. Day by day. Year by year, God gives to his people.
Moses reminds God’s people then, and us today, that God is the God who gives. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
God is the Giver. Did Israel deserve any of God’s gracious, giving ways? Did they earn them? Do we? Of course not. That’s not how our gift-giving God works. Not by entitlement but grace. Not by our works, but his. Not by our efforts but by his loving kindness.
This is what Paul has in mind as he writes his letter to the Philippians. To be sure, Paul thanks the Philippians for their generosity in the faith; their faithfulness as stewards. And as he does that he thanks God the Giver. For… my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Paul reminds God’s people then, and us today, that although we are empty and dead in sin, it is Christ who fills us with his promise. Who gives us life. Although we lack, Jesus gives. God is the most gracious giver of all.
Nowhere in Scripture is this better revealed than when God gives and sends his own Son, Jesus. Jesus is the Giver-God incarnate. He gives himself over to temptation. He gives his perfect obedience to the Father’s will for us. He gives his life into the hands of sinful men that he might give his hands to the nails. Give his head to the crown of thorns. Give his body unto death. Jesus rises from the grave to give you victory in his triumph. Jesus gives, gives, and gives some more. Gives his Word. Gives his promises. Gives his Holy Spirit in water and word. Gives his body and blood in simple bread and wine.
When we hear Jesus teaching, preaching, and performing miracles in the gospels, what is he doing? You guessed it. Giving. Jesus is both the gift of God the Father and the God who came to give himself for you.
In Luke 17 that’s exactly what we see our Lord doing. 10 lepers cry out to Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
And what does Jesus do? Jesus does what he has done throughout Scripture. Jesus gives. Jesus speaks. Jesus heals. “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t heal and cleanse the 10 lepers on the basis of their thanks to him. He simply heals them. He gives them what they cannot give themselves. Cleansing. Healing. He does the same for us. The cleansing from sin we need. The healing we cannot perform ourselves, Jesus gives.
And having received and seen the gift, what does the Samaritan do? He returns to Jesus and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. That’s how faith – which is God’s gift too! – works. God gives. We receive. Jesus cleanses, forgives, and saves. We thank, praise, and love as he has first loved us.
Thanksgiving is a day for many things – counting our blessings, remembering God’s countless gifts to us – and most of all, giving thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, the gracious, merciful, and bountiful Giver. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
A blessed Thanksgiving Day to each of you…
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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