The Forgotten Art of Gratitude

October 12, 2025

Opening Thought

It is a curious part of our human nature that we can pray so fervently for something—healing, a new job, peace in our family—and the moment the prayer is answered, we breathe a sigh of relief and simply move on. We focus on the next problem, the next need, the next item on our list. The urgent prayer for deliverance is often followed by a quiet, unintentional forgetting. We get the cure, but we miss the chance for a deeper connection with the one who provides it.

This Sunday, our lessons speak of healing, gratitude, and faithfulness. God’s grace is generous, sometimes arriving through unlikely people or in unexpected ways. True wisdom begins with awe and gratitude, and faith is lived out in thankfulness and perseverance. As in the story of Naaman and the thankful Samaritan, we are invited to recognize God’s gifts and respond with hearts full of praise and lives marked by trust and service. Paul's words to Timothy also resonate: "Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth."

These themes hit home for me in a deeply personal way, recalling the struggle of my own faith after my father’s death when I was only ten. His passing from a terrible and painful cancer shook my young world. Yet, in that profound loss, healing came to me through the boundless generosity and kindness of others. I think often of my mother, who at just 37, despite her own profound grief, showed incredible perseverance. She not only lifted my sister and me up, but afforded us a real childhood full of opportunities, providing unwavering guidance and love that allowed us to grow and eventually thrive. Through these incredibly hard times, music was always present, offering comfort even when the melodies themselves were difficult. Several people became paramount in shaping my life and nurturing my faith: my piano teacher, Vivian Dula, and my scoutmaster, Brooks Gardner. They saw me, loved me, and helped me grow into myself. For years, as a gay man, I always wanted to hide that part of my life, fearing judgment and rejection. What I forgot, however, was that "God himself was there"—God created me, loves me fully, and gave me this gift of music to share with the world, a gift that continues to bring healing and wholeness.

This Sunday, our lessons challenge us to consider the profound difference between being cured and being made whole. They ask us: When God’s grace meets us, are we like the nine who walk away, or are we like the one who returns? May the Word and the music we share today teach us once again this forgotten art, opening our hearts to the wholeness that only a life of gratitude, lived in our truest selves, can bring.

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Engaging the Word

Our Gospel lesson from Luke (17:11-19) presents this challenge in a stark and unforgettable scene. Jesus heals ten men afflicted with leprosy, a disease that made them outcasts. All ten are physically cured, but only one, a Samaritan—a foreigner, an outsider—returns to fall at Jesus’ feet in gratitude. Jesus’ poignant question hangs in the air: "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to give praise to God except this foreigner?" He then speaks a different kind of healing into the man’s life: "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well." The other nine were cured, but this man, through his gratitude, was made whole.

This story finds its Old Testament blueprint in the healing of Naaman from 2 Kings (5:1-3, 7-15c). Naaman is a powerful Syrian commander, not a humble outcast, but his leprosy makes him desperate. He expects a grand, magical display from the prophet Elisha. Instead, he is given a simple, even humiliating, instruction: go and wash in the muddy Jordan River seven times. His pride initially rebels, but his servants convince him to obey. When he emerges from the water, he is not only physically cured but spiritually transformed. He returns to Elisha, not just to offer a gift, but to make a profound declaration of faith: "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel." Like the Samaritan, this foreigner's healing leads him to turn back in praise.

Psalm 111 is the song that both the Samaritan and Naaman could have sung. It is a pure, joyful expression of the very thing the other nine lepers forgot to do. "Great are the works of the Lord," the psalmist declares, "He has gained renowned for his wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." This psalm is the liturgy of a grateful heart, one that actively remembers and praises God for His mercy.

Finally, 2 Timothy (2:8-15) gives us the foundation for all Christian gratitude. Paul, writing from suffering, urges his protégé to "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead." This act of remembering is the wellspring of our thanksgiving. We give thanks for our own healing and blessings because we first remember the ultimate act of God’s love in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s call to be a worker "who has no need to be ashamed" is a call to live a life worthy of that great gift—a life of grateful service.

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A Journey in Song: Our Musical Guides

Our music this week guides us on this journey of remembrance and thankfulness, giving voice to the very gratitude the scriptures commend.

The Entrance Hymn, "Lift every voice and sing" (#599), is a powerful anthem of thanksgiving born from a history of suffering and deliverance. By beginning our worship with this hymn, we immediately place ourselves within a community that understands the deep connection between hardship and praise. It is the song of a people who have not forgotten God's saving acts, setting a tone of profound, hard-won gratitude for the entire service.

As we prepare to hear the Word, the Sequence Hymn, "O Spirit of Life, O Spirit of God" (#505), becomes our prayer for a receptive heart. We ask the Spirit to "fall afresh on us," to melt, mold, fill, and use us. It is a plea for the very Spirit that moves a person from simple relief to transformative gratitude—the Spirit that turned the Samaritan back to Jesus and opened Naaman's eyes to the one true God.

At the Eucharist, the Communion Hymn, "Let thy Blood in mercy poured" (#313), is a moment of deep, personal gratitude for the ultimate healing: the forgiveness of our sins. As we come to the table, this hymn focuses our hearts on the source of all wholeness, Christ's sacrifice. It is a humble prayer of thanks for the spiritual cleansing that makes us truly "well."

Our Post-Communion Hymn, "O bless the Lord, my soul!" (#411), is the perfect, exuberant conclusion to our worship. A paraphrase of the great Psalm of Thanksgiving (Psalm 103), its lyrics are a direct command not to be like the nine who forgot: "nor let his mercies lie forgotten in unthankfulness." It is a joyful explosion of praise, commissioning us to go forth and live as the one who returned, with a life defined by the forgotten art of gratitude.

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A Closing Note on Our Journey

There is a profound difference between being cured and being made whole. A cure fixes a problem, but wholeness restores our relationship with God. This week's lessons teach us that the bridge between the two is gratitude. It is the conscious act of turning back, of remembering the source of our healing, and of offering our praise. This week, let us not simply move on from our blessings. Let us practice the forgotten art of returning to say "thank you," and in doing so, discover the deeper joy of being made truly well.

Music is my passion. I hope that this is something you feel and experience when we share music together in worship; it always has been. When I feel like my faith is faltering or lost, I consistently turn to music. It not only addresses my current ailment; it makes me whole. Even though I will not be physically with you this week, please know I am worshipping with you in spirit. Colton will be providing beautiful music to the glory of God, and I know he will bring the same reverence and compassion that I strive for each week. It is with immense gratitude that I am able to share this gift of music. I know this gift is from God, and even when we may sometimes turn our backs or feel there is no hope, I am always called back to the love of Christ and the healing that only he can provide.

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A Prayer for the Week Ahead

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

For the Church, that it may be a community of profound gratitude, always remembering your wonderful deeds and welcoming the faith of the outsider and the stranger, 
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the grace of humility, that we may set aside our pride and accept your healing in whatever simple and unexpected forms it may come,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

That we may not be counted among those who forget your mercies, but may be like the one who returned, with a heart overflowing with thankfulness and praise,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For all who are in need of healing in body, mind, or spirit, that they may be cured by your power and made whole by your grace,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

That in all things, we may "Remember Jesus Christ" and live lives of grateful service, showing forth your praise not only with our lips but in our lives,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Grant that your Church may persevere in bearing witness to your name, that your people may see your salvation and be made whole; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.