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And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Luke 17:15-16
As I listen once again to the story of the Cleansing of the Ten Lepers in the Gospel of Luke, I am reminded of the importance of saying “thank you” to God and to others. While Sunday worship gives us a great opportunity to say and sing words of thanksgiving and praise, it’s important to be grateful throughout the week as well. We can express gratitude with words and actions. Starting or ending each day by listing what we are grateful for is a spiritual practice that encourages attentiveness to the blessings of the day.
The prayer before meals is another good practice that reminds us that all that we have comes from our Creator God. When I was growing up, my mom, taught us the value of writing thank you notes whenever we received gifts. The first time a guest sent me a thank you note for providing hospitality, I was so touched, and I realized that thanking God and others for kind and thoughtful acts is as important as thanking them for material things.
Do we remember to thank God for the gifts of Creation, Food, Clothing, Shelter, Family and Friends? Perhaps the best way to thank God for these gifts as well as the gifts of Love, Mercy, and Redemption is to love and cherish what God loves and cherishes. Do our actions show love for all of Creation and for all of God’s people? Sometimes, but not always. We can do better. Let’s commit to being brave and grateful, like the healed leper who returned to thank Jesus.
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