Dear friends in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prepare our hearts, Lord, to receive your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own that in hearing we believe and in believing we obey your will revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Psalm 105:1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the people.
A few years ago, our pianist, Marcie Indahl, sent me an article entitled, "Happiness and Your Health: The Surprising Connection" by Sanjay Gupta. In short, the author says that many of our decisions to do things like purchase something pleasurable, eat a treat, or travel on a trip are fueled by a desire to make ourselves feel happier than we are…and, he goes on to say, such efforts to make ourselves feel happier…most likely will not deliver the desired result (CNN, November 19, 2007).
Psalm 97:12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to God’s holy name!
The article asserts that our struggle can be traced to an unholy trinity of sorts. One is our constitutional claim of the inalienable right to pursue happiness. Another is that we pursue it by spending fists-full of money. The third kicker? We’re never sure if we ever achieve happiness.
Psalm 118:28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
Oh, but we’re searching. Says the article, “Americans will spend $750 million a year on self-help books and more than $1 billion on motivational speakers.” Plus, more than 100 colleges offer classes in positive psychology—the science of happiness. Says the author, “With all those resources focused on achieving happiness, we should all be brimming with joy. So…are we?
Psalm 86:12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
So what is the key to being happy? Here’s a clue…
Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Ten lepers—ten lost souls—hear the name of Jesus. They are so desperate for help that they risk condemnation by crying out to Christ. “Have mercy on us,” they cry…and he does! The Lord simply says, “Go, show yourselves to the priest.” So they go and so, we are told, the ten, are all made clean—in the Greek, the word means literally, cleansed or cured.
Psalm 86:12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
But in verse 16 of our Gospel lesson, we’re told that only one man returned to Jesus, fell at his feet, and thanked him… To that one, Jesus said, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” The Greek word for being made well carries the meaning of being made whole and saved.
Psalm 75:1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks;
your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
The nine were healed, restored to their loved ones, and returned to their daily lives. But the Samaritan…he had his heart changed. I dare say that he found what you and I long for—a true sense of happiness. As he and the Psalmists see it, happiness and thankfulness go hand in hand!
The nine were happy to go back to their lives…the Samaritan set off on a brand new journey. That is the good news for us today—you and I have been redeemed, reclaimed, resurrected from our dead ways of doing life, and set on a path of blessing, hope, and joy. Be sure to live a life of thanks to God for such a priceless gift.
Psalm 136:1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever. Amen.
Pastor Scott Fuller