A Great Full Life

Today's Scripture

On the wall in my office, I used to have a framed piece of paper with this saying: A Grateful Life is a Great Full Life. I have tried to live it every day - some days better than others. I think that in today's Gospel, Jesus is sharing this message in a much more profound way.

There is plenty to say about this whole Gospel, the nine other lepers, why did one foreigner come back, etc., but today I want to focus on two things "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." AND “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” These two statements say a great deal about gratitude.

First - the returning leper does two things - glorifies God and thanks Jesus (while falling at His feet). When we look at these together, we see that this man knows who healed him (Jesus) and knows that He is God. He knows that God is the source of the goodness He has received. Second, Jesus equates this man's properly directed gratitude with faith. I think it is easy for us to miss this connection. By thanking Jesus and praising God, the man is expressing His belief in Jesus as the Son of God. What does the former leper receive in return (yes, in addition to having already been healed of his leprosy)? He is saved! At this point, Jesus is no longer talking about leprosy (that saving was already done, and also done for those who didn't return). He is talking about saving the man's eternal life.

Let's put this together then. His gratitude to God for the good he has received expresses a faith that will bring him to eternal life. In other words: a grateful life is a great full life. What could be fuller than an eternal life?

On this Thanksgiving Day, when we are grateful for family and friends and food on the table, let's be sure to properly direct our gratitude to the one who is the source of all good things. In that spirit, let me express my great gratitude to God for the gift that all of you are for me. I think of many of you personally as I reflect and write each day. Your lives, your goodness, your struggles, our shared struggles and victories are the lens through which I hope to interpret every word of Scripture because I believe that is what God means to do with it: speak it into our very lives with direction, encouragement and hope. I am SO GRATEFUL for all of you, and indeed my life is in turn great and full. Happy Thanksgiving.