Luke 17:11-19
Praise, says our preacher (and Senior Warden) Ken White, is the jazz factor of life. Like a musician who first learns the basics of fingering and reading music and then goes beyond to create his own music, giving praise and thanksgiving to God moves us past the basics of life and survival into the beauty of grace. In our story, 10 lepers are given, to continue the metaphor, the same musical score, as it were. All ten ask Jesus for healing. All ten are given the same command, to go and show themselves to the priest. As they travel, all ten are healed. But only one sees the possibility of praise and thanksgiving, and comes back to Jesus.
The difference between the 9 and the 1 is simply a matter of perspective. Presumably the nine go on to the priest, who declares them all healed, and then they go back to their regular lives. They see the healing, but miss out on something. What do they miss by not going back to Jesus? It’s hard to name exactly what praise and thanksgiving add to our lives. It is the extra depth, the meaning, or power. In the church we call it grace: God’s power in our world to renew and reconcile. You can go through your whole life without seeing it and miss what really matters.
Last week we used Gospel words to help us gain a different perspective. By looking for the presence of the Gospel truth as we named it, we might see what we ordinarily miss. How has looking for the Gospel given you a different perspective on the ups and downs of life? How do you keep hold of that different perspective? Share your insights here: