How Do You Say Thank You?

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Stewardship 2 – 22 October 2017

Texts: Luke 17:11-19, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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For today’s Gospel reading, we are taking a trip out of the Gospel of Matthew and over to the Gospel of Luke. The texts we’ve read today are actually those assigned for Thanksgiving Day. I re-appropriated them for today because of the connection between stewardship and thankfulness. More on that in a bit.

Today’s story about Jesus healing ten lepers is quintessential Luke. The gospel writer Luke was a physician, and so in his writing, there is often a focus on the healing work of Jesus. Today’s story of healing is a nice story on the surface, but underneath the surface are some important undercurrents.

The first is that we hear that Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem. He’s heading toward his own death, and he knows this, for by this point, he’s already predicted his death and his resurrection to his disciples.

He’s traveling between Samaria and Galilee – so right along the edges of what was considered safe territory for a Jew to be traveling. Which leads to another important undercurrent: that the Jews in Jesus’ time hated the Samaritans. So, not only is Jesus traveling near Samaria, but then, on his way, he heals these ten lepers, and we find out that at least one of them is a Samarian.

Not only that, but the good guy in the story is a Samarian. Remember the parable about the Good Samaritan? The good guy in that story is a Samaritan, too (another story that is only found in Luke). So it seems to me that Luke really wants us to understand that God does work in unexpected and mysterious ways.

What do you mean Jesus heals a Samaritan? What do you mean it’s the Samaritan who turns around and offers thanks and praise to God for his healing? Does God really accomplish such works in us, and…in others?

When you receive a gift or if someone does something nice for you, how do you say thank you? 

Do you ever forget to say thank you? 

There are different ways to show thankfulness when a person gives us something or does something nice for us. The trick is in the remembering – remembering to send that card or email or text. To say thank you takes our intentionality.

Likewise, there are different ways to show thankfulness to God, but here again, the trick is in the remembering. To say thank you, even to God, takes our intentionality.

How we take care of and use what God has given to us is one way in which we show intentionality. Beyond that, though, I’d say that generosity from a thankful heart takes intentionality – like Paul says in today’s lesson from 2 Corinthians: “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind…” and then he goes on to say that God loves cheerful givers. It is one thing to be generous; it is another to be cheerfully generous out of thankfulness for the gifts I have.

If I’m honest, Paul’s admonition about being a cheerful giver has always annoyed me a little, but that changed for me this past week. I was sitting in a drive-through line at Starbucks, and I wasn’t in such a good mood. I looked behind me and the person in that car looked like they were having a bad day. You know how you can just tell by looking?

As I sat there, this idea about being a cheerful giver came into my mind, and I realized that I could do something to try and improve the day of this person behind me, so when I got to the window I paid for their order. I don’t know if her day got better or not – it’s not like I asked her – but I know my mood was lifted because I was able to give something away. I also know that I was surprised that this verse came to my mind in that setting, and surprised at the cheerfulness that accompanied my giving.

There’ve been other times that I’ve been the recipient of that particular gift. I’ve gotten up to the window of the drive-through, and the person ahead of me has already paid for my order. Whenever that’s happened, my whole day has been transformed by the simple act of someone’s generosity. Perhaps you have seen or given or received similar generosity in your lifetime.

We are cheerful givers if we are cheerful recipients of the gifts we have. Cheerfulness doesn’t have to do with being perky and all smiles – rather, it’s an attitude of joy that comes from realizing that everything we have is from God, who loves us.

But Paul also lifts up the intentionality that is to be a part of our generosity. Today, you’re receiving pledge cards for 2018, and I’m not asking you to fill these out now – but I am asking you to take these home. Some people love using pledge cards, and others never use them. If you aren’t used to filling out a pledge card, that’s OK. Regardless, I invite you to use this as a tool as you pray about what your financial commitment to Our Redeemer will be next year. This is a tool for intentionality.

Next week is Reformation Sunday – a day upon which we will celebrate the reforming and renewing work God has done in the Church. Here at Our Redeemer, we will also collect these cards and the ministry commitment forms, and with thankful hearts, we will offer all of our commitments to God, the one who heals us and the one who loves us. God is the one to whom we offer our thanks and praise – and in so doing, we are just like that tenth leper who turned around to say thank you to Jesus.

Lastly, as your pastor, I want to say thank you. For your commitment to this congregation, whatever that may be.

Thank you for your witness to the love of God, and your faithfulness in living out the gospel. You are a blessing.

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We have forgotten we belong to each other

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Lectionary 15, Year C – 10 July 2016

Text: Luke 10:25-37

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

It was Mother Teresa of Calcutta who said: “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” This quote has appeared in front of me again and again over the past few days – days that have contained more violent horror for us as a nation and for us in North Texas. The images of horror from the past week on the television and internet stand in stark contrast to these words of Mother Teresa’s – “…we belong to each other.”

I think that we have forgotten.

And in spite of what some may say, this is not a new thing. We as humans have never been very good at remembering that we belong to each other. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to go way back, close to the beginning, to the children of Adam and Eve: the brothers Cain and Abel. Or look at the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs. Even Moses killed someone.

The stories of our religious heritage are filled with instances of people forgetting that we belong to each other. Today’s gospel story is no exception, for in it, Jesus tells his listeners a parable about a man who is beaten and left for dead by the side of the road, only to be passed over by the “holy ones” of the day, and then ultimately helped by the person whom we call the “Good Samaritan.” In this story, it is the Samaritan who remembers that we belong to each other.

However, as is often the case, there is more to Jesus’ story than meets the eye. This is not simply a pleasant story about one guy being nice to someone else. As Jesus originally told it, this is a provocative story – a story meant to raise some eyebrows, meant to push the listeners into thinking differently about other people.

You might remember that the Jews and the Samaritans despised each other – I am not exaggerating. There was deep mistrust on both sides. Mistrust creates fear and fear causes us to do all kinds of awful things – fear causes us to forget that we belong to each other.

So, let’s think of Jesus’ story in this way: think of a group that you really can’t stand. I don’t need to know who it is, and I don’t need to know why. (That’s for a later conversation, if needed!) But think of some group that you struggle to love as you love yourself.

Now, think of one person in that group. Maybe it’s the leader, or someone with whom you’ve had conflict.

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A man was going from Grand Prairie to Dallas, and fell into the hands of muggers, who stripped him, and beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead on the sidewalk. Now by chance, a pastor was out for his morning jog down that same sidewalk; and when he saw the man, he crossed the street to pass by on the other side. So likewise a woman who was an elder in her church – she was out walking her dog – and when she got to the place and saw the man lying there, she crossed the street to pass him by.

But then this person whom you despise came along the same road and saw the man half dead; and was moved with pity, and went to him and bandaged his wounds. Then, this person whom you despise carefully put the injured man into the car and took him to the hospital. This person told the receptionist at the hospital, “Take care of him, and charge my credit card for whatever expenses there may be.”

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of muggers?

The one who showed him mercy. The one who remembered that we belong to each other.

It may be difficult for us to imagine those whom we can’t stand being merciful. In Jesus’ day, it was just as hard for his listeners to imagine a Samaritan doing good for anyone. By making a Samaritan the good guy in his story, Jesus re-humanizes the one whom they despise. Jesus gives that person a heart – a beating heart, a caring heart – just like yours, just like mine.

And yet, we live in a world that encourages us to be fearful, encourages us to hate others, encourages us to use violence to solve problems and to eradicate every fear. And we forget that sometimes – the person whom we despise is also afraid, and sometimes for very good reason. And so – in our fear – we forget that we belong to each other, and that is when we have no peace, and, in fact, that is when we have the very opposite of peace.

But we are called to something different. God has – as Paul says – transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins: sins caused by our fear of others - or our hatred of them. The sin of racism. The sins of violence against citizens and police officers. The sins of judgment and the spreading of false truths.

We belong to each other. We belong to those in the African American community who are crying out: “Stop killing us.” We belong to the police officers who are saying the very same thing. We belong to the frightened people trying to hide from bullets in the streets of downtown Dallas. We belong to the ones grieving the loss of those they love. We belong to each other.

God hears every cry of every wounded person – whether the wounds are visible, or not. And we are called to listen with God – to be quick to listen to others, so that we can respond not with judgment, but with mercy. It is in mercy that Christ died for us; it is in mercy that we are forgiven by God. It is in that same mercy that we are called to live our lives, reaching out to lift up the fallen, and to care for them.

We cannot continue on in the way we are going. We must remember that if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other. We must also remember that we all belong to God.

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