I Should Have Written That Thank You Note!

Sermon Notes:  November 18, 2007

Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, 9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248 - (480) 895-8766

Luke 17:11-19 NRSV

11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were made clean.  15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  And he was a Samaritan.  17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean?  But the other nine, where are they?  18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

A.  Introduction

  1.  Today’s Scripture:  Luke 17:11-19

    a.  Imagine that you are one of the people in today’s Scripture lesson.  You’re not Jesus, not one of the disciples, or even a priest.  Imagine you are one of those ten lepers standing on the road to Samaria.  You have a terrible disease.  You’ve lost the sense of feeling in most of your body.  And your entire body is covered with oozing, bleeding sores.  Several fingers, your left ear, and part of your nose have rotted away.  Your own family considers you a grotesque monster, and has tossed you out of the house.  You subsist on the meager handouts given to you by strangers.  Everybody is afraid of getting the dread disease from close contact with you.  And many would throw rocks at you or harm you in some way, if you come too close to them.  So you cry out the demeaning and legally required warning, “Unclean, unclean, unclean.”  What a dread, horrible disease you have.  In your day there is no known cure.  All you can look forward to is pain and then death.  Misery loves company, and you are thankful for your fellow lepers.  Of course, you’d prefer to be with “whole” people.  But that day is over.  You will never hold your spouse or children again.  You have only the company of other lepers.  At least the ten of you can band together for comfort and conversation.  So you stand beside the road begging, and hoping that people will be compassionate.  Maybe today a rich man will come and give you enough money so that you don’t have to beg all day.  Then you see a stranger approaching.  He doesn’t look rich.  He is followed by twelve men.  One in your group recognizes him and whispers, “He is a famous Rabbi, and those are his disciples.”  Someone else speaks up, “I’ve heard about him, too.  His name is Jesus and he has healed people, and even raised a man from the dead!  Maybe he will help us.”  So you all begin to cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” (Luke 17:13 NRSV)  Jesus stops and looks into each of your faces with compassion.  Then he speaks, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” (Luke 17:14 NRSV)  Under Old Testament law it was the Temple priest, not a physician, who alone had the authority to pronounce a leper cured. 

    b.  So you and your nine friends dare to dream the impossible dream and you make your way down the road toward the Temple.  You stumble only a few paces until the healing power of the Master begins to manifest itself.  It is too good to be true.  But it is true!  You now have feeling in your entire body.  Your limbs are again strong!  The terrible sores disappear as you stare at them!  Your missing fingers regenerate before your very eyes!  You touch your face, and your nose and ear have been restored!  Now all are cheering, shouting, laughing and crying!  You slap each other on the back, grab hands and dance!  There is one last hug and then all of you take off at a delirious pace toward Jerusalem!  Soon the priest will be declaring you healed and clean once again!  Soon you will be back with your family and old friends!  You quicken your pace, for it is true, amazingly, fantastically, wonderfully true, you are healed!  Jesus has done it.  But wait.  One of your number is missing.  Where could he be?  Later you encounter him in the Temple.  His face is shining with a radiant glow.  You ask, “Where have you been?”  He tells you, “When I was healed I couldn’t help myself.  I began praising God with all my might.  And then I remembered that I had not said thank you to the Rabbi Jesus who had healed me.  So I ran back to where he was and fell on my face and gave thanks.  He smiled at me, and then had a sad look on his face.  I thought perhaps as a Jew he was unaccustomed to a Samaritan bowing at his feet.  I heard him say to his friends, “Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17-18 NIV)  When your friend walks away, you silently bury your face in your hands and weep, “Why didn’t I go back?  Why didn’t I go back and say, ‘Thanks!’”

  2.  Today’s Message

    a.  Have you ever found yourself in that position?  Have you ever forgotten to say, “THANK YOU?”  It seemed to make Jesus sad that only one out of the ten lepers remembered to say, “Thank you.”  The Lord is telling us that God wants us to be a thankful people.

    b.  This morning I raise the question, “Why is it important to take time to say thank you?”  The Bible gives us three important reasons:

 

B.  Saying thank you is a sign of character.

  1.  Man choking on a bone.

    a.  A fellow named Fred was eating at a little diner in New York with some friends.  He got a bone stuck in his throat and was having difficulty breathing.  Pats on the back and not even the Heimlich maneuver helped.  His friends were about to call the paramedics when the waitress told them that there was a doctor’s office just a few doors away.  Fred’s buddies carried him to the doctor’s office.  Now Fred was really choking.  The doctor immediately began to give Fred oxygen through his nose.  The doctor said he’d try to remove the bone, but that he might have to send him to the hospital.  Fortunately, the doctor was able to quickly dislodge the bone and remove it.  When the nurse presented Fred with the $50 bill for the office call and services rendered, he complained:  “But I wasn’t here even ten minutes!  That seems high.”  The doctor replied, “Well, maybe right now that seems like a lot.  However, what amount would you have agreed to pay when they first brought you in and you were blue, and close to choking to death?”

    b.  An ungrateful person is one who shows a lack of character.  And here I’m not just speaking about those we would dismiss as “ingrates.”  I’m talking to you and me, for all of us at times are guilty of not being thankful.  For instance, nearly all of us are quick to petition God to do things for us.  And yet too many of us are slow in remembering to say thank you for the Almighty’s many blessings and answers to our prayers.

  2.  Steve Carlton

    a.  Do you remember the baseball player Steve Carlton?  Carlton won the Cy Young Award for being the best pitcher in his league four times!  In his day he was the best pitcher, and one of the most highly paid players.  Steve Carlton was making over a million dollars per year back in the early 1970’s.  What is not widely known is what happened after the 1973 season.  That year Carlton’s record was 13 wins and 20 losses.  Steve Carlton asked to meet with the management of the Philadelphia Phillies to renegotiate his contract which was a binding long-term contract that could only be broken by mutual consent.  Now renegotiating contracts is nothing new.  And it is not unusual for an athlete to request a bigger salary.  The owner angrily asked, “Steve, you didn’t have the best year, so why are you asking for more money?”  Carlton replied, “I’m not asking for more money.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to play baseball, and I do not want to take advantage of the team that employs me.  I’m asking you to reduce my salary.”  How’s that for character!

    b.  Saying thanks is an expression of character.  Jesus praised the Samaritan who came back to say thanks.  Jesus praised the man for his faith saying, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19 NIV)  The Master appreciated character whenever he saw it.  He knew this was a quality individual and he acknowledged that quality.  Saying thank you is a sign of character. 

 

C.  Saying thank you makes you a better person.

  1.  Beetle Bailey

    a.  In the Beetle Bailey Comic Strip, General Halftrack decides to eat with the men in the Dining Hall.  As he sits down, he takes a good look at the un-appetizing food that has been “slopped” on his tray.  He begins to understand why the men call it the “Mess Hall.”  So the General prays, “Oh Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly happy.”  The General looks at his food again, looks up to heaven, and cries, “I’m not getting through, am I?”

    b.  General Halftrack is not a grateful person.  People who refuse to acknowledge their blessings become bitter and not better people.  Un-thankful people are negative thinkers, not much fun to be with, and seldom exhibit acts of kindness.  Thankful people respond to their blessings by being kind and compassionate to others.  They become better people, as did the Samaritan in today’s Scripture lesson.

  2.  Catherine Lawes

    a.  In 1921 Lewis Lawes became the warden of Sing Sing Prison.  At the time no prison was tougher than Sing Sing.  But when Lawes retired some twenty years later, that prison had become a more humanitarian institution.  It was a model for other prisons to follow.  Those who studied the prison system credited Lewis Lawes with the transformation.  Lawes credited his wife:  “I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.”  So what did Catherine Lawes do to effect such a change?  She treated the prisoners with respect and dignity.  She and her children came to cheer the prison basketball team.  They sat right there with the convicts cheering for the team which of course always played at home!  There was a convicted murderer who had gone blind.  Catherine taught him to read by Braille.  There was a deaf man in the prison, who was unable to talk with others.  Catherine learned sign language and taught the deaf man and others signing.  And thus gave the man a group to communicate with.  Over and over again Catherine Lawes did kind things to help the prisoners be better people. 

    b.  Then tragically in 1937 Catherine Lawes died in an automobile accident.  The prisoners knew something had happened when neither the warden nor his wife showed up for work that day.  When they heard that Catherine had died the prisoners openly wept.  The following day Catherine’s body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison.  That morning the acting warden was notified of a large unauthorized gathering of men at the main gate.  He thought they might be going to riot until he saw their eyes.  Tears streamed down cheeks, and he knew what they wanted.  The acting warden spoke to the prisoners, “All right, men, you can go.  Just be sure to check in tonight.”  And he opened the gate without another word and a parade of more than one-hundred criminals walked, without a guard, three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their respects to Catherine Lawes.  And every one of them checked in that night!  What was the difference at Sing Sing Prison from 1921 to 1937?  It was Catherine Lawes.  Her kindness touched the hearts of the hardened criminals.  In gratitude to her these men became better persons.  Likewise, it was the kindness of Jesus that touched the heart of the Samaritan in today’s Scripture lesson.  And in gratitude this man, who did not have the advantages of his Jewish comrades, ended up growing the most and exhibited a mature spirituality.  Saying thank you makes any of us better men and women.

 

D.  Saying thank you affirms others and builds relationships.

  1.  Birthday Party

    a.  Eight year old Billy was invited to a birthday party.  The party was for a girl named Amy, who was in his class at school.  Billy said, “Yuk, it’s a girl’s party.  I don’t want to go!”  His mother had other ideas.  She wanted her boy to have a positive attitude toward girls, and for him to grow socially.  So she bought a gift, made Billy dress up in nice clothes, and took him over to Amy’s home.  As he got out of the car, she said, “Now Billy, before you leave the party, don’t forget to thank Mrs. Martin.”  Billy had a miserable time.  He was the only boy there.  And to make it worse Amy kept smiling at him and trying to sit by him.  Later when mom picked her boy up she asked, “Did you remember to thank Mrs. Martin for the party?”  Billy said, “I was going to.  But the girl in front of me said, ‘Thank you Mrs. Martin for the lovely party.’  And Mrs. Martin said, ‘Don’t mention it honey.’  So I did not.”

    b.  Billy was not thankful for Amy’s birthday party.  He did not want to affirm or build a relationship with her.  When we are not thankful to those who bless us, we in effect tell them that they are not important, and that our relationship with them does not matter.  The same is true for our relationship with God.  A healed leper from Samaria went back to thank Jesus and spend time with the Lord.  Are you spending time to thank the Lord and be in relationship with Him?

  2.  Century Plant

    a.  A retired couple in their mid seventies from the Midwest, named Al and Joyce, decided to give Arizona a try.  They weren’t sure if they would make it their permanent home, or even their winter home, so they rented a place for a year to see how it went.  The home was quite nice and it sat on a large lot with desert landscaping.  In the front yard was a huge Century Plant.  Al was quite impressed watching this Century Plant send up a huge twenty foot stalk adorned with large clusters of yellow flowers!  Later the plant withered and died, as the locals told him it would.  One Saturday, his wife Joyce discovered him out in the front yard removing the dead plant and digging several holes.  Joyce asked, “What are you doing?”  Al said, “I’m planting two Century Plants.”  She asked, “Why in the world on this hot Arizona day when it’s 110 degrees are you digging holes in the front yard of a rental property to plant two Century Plants?  They won’t bloom for a hundred years!  And you and I won’t be around to enjoy them.”  Al responded, “Dear, they actually bloom in twenty to thirty years.  And, yes, we’ll still probably both be gone.  But so what!  Someone thirty years ago planted the one I got to see and enjoy blooming.  So I want to let someone else thirty years from now enjoy these two plants when they bloom!”

    b.  It pleases God when we remember to personally thank Him for His many blessings, as did the Samaritan in today’s Scripture lesson.  However, what pleases the Lord the most is when we express our thankfulness to Him by passing His blessings on to someone else.  Doing that builds our relationship with God and others.  It strengthens the bonds between us and the Lord and it affirms other people. 

 

E.  Conclusion:  Recap

  1.  Saying thank you is a sign of character.

  2.  Saying thank you makes you a better person.

  3.  Saying thank you affirms others and builds relationships.

 

 

I Should Have Written

That Thank You Note!

 

1.  Saying thank you is a sign of character.

 

2.  Saying thank you makes you a better person.

 

3.  Saying thank you affirms others and builds relationships.

 

Luke 17:11-19 NRSV

11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were made clean. 

15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  And he was a Samaritan.  17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean?  But the other nine, where are they?  18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

 

I Should Have Written That Thank You Note!

Sermon Notes:  November 18, 2007                                                             Rev. Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, 9248 E. Riggs Road, Sun Lakes, Arizona 85248 - (480) 895-8766

Luke 17:11-19 NRSV

11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.  Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they went, they were made clean.  15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.  And he was a Samaritan.  17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean?  But the other nine, where are they?  18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

A.  Introduction

  1.  Today’s Scripture:  Luke 17:11-19

    a.  Imagine that you are one of the people in today’s Scripture lesson.  You’re not Jesus, not one of the disciples, or even a priest.  Imagine you are one of those ten lepers standing on the road to Samaria.  You have a terrible disease.  You’ve lost the sense of feeling in most of your body.  And your entire body is covered with oozing, bleeding sores.  Several fingers, your left ear, and part of your nose have rotted away.  Your own family considers you a grotesque monster, and has tossed you out of the house.  You subsist on the meager handouts given to you by strangers.  Everybody is afraid of getting the dread disease from close contact with you.  And many would throw rocks at you or harm you in some way, if you come too close to them.  So you cry out the demeaning and legally required warning, “Unclean, unclean, unclean.”  What a dread, horrible disease you have.  In your day there is no known cure.  All you can look forward to is pain and then death.  Misery loves company, and you are thankful for your fellow lepers.  Of course, you’d prefer to be with “whole” people.  But that day is over.  You will never hold your spouse or children again.  You have only the company of other lepers.  At least the ten of you can band together for comfort and conversation.  So you stand beside the road begging, and hoping that people will be compassionate.  Maybe today a rich man will come and give you enough money so that you don’t have to beg all day.  Then you see a stranger approaching.  He doesn’t look rich.  He is followed by twelve men.  One in your group recognizes him and whispers, “He is a famous Rabbi, and those are his disciples.”  Someone else speaks up, “I’ve heard about him, too.  His name is Jesus and he has healed people, and even raised a man from the dead!  Maybe he will help us.”  So you all begin to cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” (Luke 17:13 NRSV)  Jesus stops and looks into each of your faces with compassion.  Then he speaks, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” (Luke 17:14 NRSV)  Under Old Testament law it was the Temple priest, not a physician, who alone had the authority to pronounce a leper cured. 

    b.  So you and your nine friends dare to dream the impossible dream and you make your way down the road toward the Temple.  You stumble only a few paces until the healing power of the Master begins to manifest itself.  It is too good to be true.  But it is true!  You now have feeling in your entire body.  Your limbs are again strong!  The terrible sores disappear as you stare at them!  Your missing fingers regenerate before your very eyes!  You touch your face, and your nose and ear have been restored!  Now all are cheering, shouting, laughing and crying!  You slap each other on the back, grab hands and dance!  There is one last hug and then all of you take off at a delirious pace toward Jerusalem!  Soon the priest will be declaring you healed and clean once again!  Soon you will be back with your family and old friends!  You quicken your pace, for it is true, amazingly, fantastically, wonderfully true, you are healed!  Jesus has done it.  But wait.  One of your number is missing.  Where could he be?  Later you encounter him in the Temple.  His face is shining with a radiant glow.  You ask, “Where have you been?”  He tells you, “When I was healed I couldn’t help myself.  I began praising God with all my might.  And then I remembered that I had not said thank you to the Rabbi Jesus who had healed me.  So I ran back to where he was and fell on my face and gave thanks.  He smiled at me, and then had a sad look on his face.  I thought perhaps as a Jew he was unaccustomed to a Samaritan bowing at his feet.  I heard him say to his friends, “Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17-18 NIV)  When your friend walks away, you silently bury your face in your hands and weep, “Why didn’t I go back?  Why didn’t I go back and say, ‘Thanks!’”

  2.  Today’s Message

    a.  Have you ever found yourself in that position?  Have you ever forgotten to say, “THANK YOU?”  It seemed to make Jesus sad that only one out of the ten lepers remembered to say, “Thank you.”  The Lord is telling us that God wants us to be a thankful people.

    b.  This morning I raise the question, “Why is it important to take time to say thank you?”  The Bible gives us three important reasons:

 

B.  Saying thank you is a sign of character.

  1.  Man choking on a bone.

    a.  A fellow named Fred was eating at a little diner in New York with some friends.  He got a bone stuck in his throat and was having difficulty breathing.  Pats on the back and not even the Heimlich maneuver helped.  His friends were about to call the paramedics when the waitress told them that there was a doctor’s office just a few doors away.  Fred’s buddies carried him to the doctor’s office.  Now Fred was really choking.  The doctor immediately began to give Fred oxygen through his nose.  The doctor said he’d try to remove the bone, but that he might have to send him to the hospital.  Fortunately, the doctor was able to quickly dislodge the bone and remove it.  When the nurse presented Fred with the $50 bill for the office call and services rendered, he complained:  “But I wasn’t here even ten minutes!  That seems high.”  The doctor replied, “Well, maybe right now that seems like a lot.  However, what amount would you have agreed to pay when they first brought you in and you were blue, and close to choking to death?”

    b.  An ungrateful person is one who shows a lack of character.  And here I’m not just speaking about those we would dismiss as “ingrates.”  I’m talking to you and me, for all of us at times are guilty of not being thankful.  For instance, nearly all of us are quick to petition God to do things for us.  And yet too many of us are slow in remembering to say thank you for the Almighty’s many blessings and answers to our prayers.

  2.  Steve Carlton

    a.  Do you remember the baseball player Steve Carlton?  Carlton won the Cy Young Award for being the best pitcher in his league four times!  In his day he was the best pitcher, and one of the most highly paid players.  Steve Carlton was making over a million dollars per year back in the early 1970’s.  What is not widely known is what happened after the 1973 season.  That year Carlton’s record was 13 wins and 20 losses.  Steve Carlton asked to meet with the management of the Philadelphia Phillies to renegotiate his contract which was a binding long-term contract that could only be broken by mutual consent.  Now renegotiating contracts is nothing new.  And it is not unusual for an athlete to request a bigger salary.  The owner angrily asked, “Steve, you didn’t have the best year, so

 

why are you asking for more money?”  Carlton replied, “I’m not asking for more money.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to play baseball, and I do not want to take advantage of the team that employs me.  I’m asking you to reduce my salary.”  How’s that for character!

    b.  Saying thanks is an expression of character.  Jesus praised the Samaritan who came back to say thanks.  Jesus praised the man for his faith saying, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19 NIV)  The Master appreciated character whenever he saw it.  He knew this was a quality individual and he acknowledged that quality.  Saying thank you is a sign of character. 

 

C.  Saying thank you makes you a better person.

  1.  Beetle Bailey

    a.  In the Beetle Bailey Comic Strip, General Halftrack decides to eat with the men in the Dining Hall.  As he sits down, he takes a good look at the un-appetizing food that has been “slopped” on his tray.  He begins to understand why the men call it the “Mess Hall.”  So the General prays, “Oh Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly happy.”  The General looks at his food again, looks up to heaven, and cries, “I’m not getting through, am I?”

    b.  General Halftrack is not a grateful person.  People who refuse to acknowledge their blessings become bitter and not better people.  Un-thankful people are negative thinkers, not much fun to be with, and seldom exhibit acts of kindness.  Thankful people respond to their blessings by being kind and compassionate to others.  They become better people, as did the Samaritan in today’s Scripture lesson.

  2.  Catherine Lawes

    a.  In 1921 Lewis Lawes became the warden of Sing Sing Prison.  At the time no prison was tougher than Sing Sing.  But when Lawes retired some twenty years later, that prison had become a more humanitarian institution.  It was a model for other prisons to follow.  Those who studied the prison system credited Lewis Lawes with the transformation.  Lawes credited his wife:  “I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.”  So what did Catherine Lawes do to effect such a change?  She treated the prisoners with respect and dignity.  She and her children came to cheer the prison basketball team.  They sat right there with the convicts cheering for the team which of course always played at home!  There was a convicted murderer who had gone blind.  Catherine taught him to read by Braille.  There was a deaf man in the prison, who was unable to talk with others.  Catherine learned sign language and taught the deaf man and others signing.  And thus gave the man a group to communicate with.  Over and over again Catherine Lawes did kind things to help the prisoners be better people. 

    b.  Then tragically in 1937 Catherine Lawes died in an automobile accident.  The prisoners knew something had happened when neither the warden nor his wife showed up for work that day.  When they heard that Catherine had died the prisoners openly wept.  The following day Catherine’s body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison.  That morning the acting warden was notified of a large unauthorized gathering of men at the main gate.  He thought they might be going to riot until he saw their eyes.  Tears streamed down cheeks, and he knew what they wanted.  The acting warden spoke to the prisoners, “All right, men, you can go.  Just be sure to check in tonight.”  And he opened the gate without another word and a parade of more than one-hundred criminals walked, without a guard, three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their respects to Catherine Lawes.  And every one of them checked in that night!  What was the difference at Sing Sing Prison from 1921 to 1937?  It was Catherine Lawes.  Her kindness touched the hearts of the hardened criminals.  In gratitude to her these men became better persons.  Likewise, it was the kindness of Jesus that touched the heart of the Samaritan in today’s Scripture lesson.  And in gratitude this man, who did not have the advantages of his Jewish comrades, ended up growing the most and exhibited a mature spirituality.  Saying thank you makes any of us better men and women.

 

D.  Saying thank you affirms others and builds relationships.

  1.  Birthday Party

    a.  Eight year old Billy was invited to a birthday party.  The party was for a girl named Amy, who was in his class at school.  Billy said, “Yuk, it’s a girl’s party.  I don’t want to go!”  His mother had other ideas.  She wanted her boy to have a positive attitude toward girls, and for him to grow socially.  So she bought a gift, made Billy dress up in nice clothes, and took him over to Amy’s home.  As he got out of the car, she said, “Now Billy, before you leave the party, don’t forget to thank Mrs. Martin.”  Billy had a miserable time.  He was the only boy there.  And to make it worse Amy kept smiling at him and trying to sit by him.  Later when mom picked her boy up she asked, “Did you remember to thank Mrs. Martin for the party?”  Billy said, “I was going to.  But the girl in front of me said, ‘Thank you Mrs. Martin for the lovely party.’  And Mrs. Martin said, ‘Don’t mention it honey.’  So I did not.”

    b.  Billy was not thankful for Amy’s birthday party.  He did not want to affirm or build a relationship with her.  When we are not thankful to those who bless us, we in effect tell them that they are not important, and that our relationship with them does not matter.  The same is true for our relationship with God.  A healed leper from Samaria went back to thank Jesus and spend time with the Lord.  Are you spending time to thank the Lord and be in relationship with Him?

  2.  Century Plant

    a.  A retired couple in their mid seventies from the Midwest, named Al and Joyce, decided to give Arizona a try.  They weren’t sure if they would make it their permanent home, or even their winter home, so they rented a place for a year to see how it went.  The home was quite nice and it sat on a large lot with desert landscaping.  In the front yard was a huge Century Plant.  Al was quite impressed watching this Century Plant send up a huge twenty foot stalk adorned with large clusters of yellow flowers!  Later the plant withered and died, as the locals told him it would.  One Saturday, his wife Joyce discovered him out in the front yard removing the dead plant and digging several holes.  Joyce asked, “What are you doing?”  Al said, “I’m planting two Century Plants.”  She asked, “Why in the world on this hot Arizona day when it’s 110 degrees are you digging holes in the front yard of a rental property to plant two Century Plants?  They won’t bloom for a hundred years!  And you and I won’t be around to enjoy them.”  Al responded, “Dear, they actually bloom in twenty to thirty years.  And, yes, we’ll still probably both be gone.  But so what!  Someone thirty years ago planted the one I got to see and enjoy blooming.  So I want to let someone else thirty years from now enjoy these two plants when they bloom!”

    b.  It pleases God when we remember to personally thank Him for His many blessings, as did the Samaritan in today’s Scripture lesson.  However, what pleases the Lord the most is when we express our thankfulness to Him by passing His blessings on to someone else.  Doing that builds our relationship with God and others.  It strengthens the bonds between us and the Lord and it affirms other people. 

 

E.  Conclusion:  Recap

  1.  Saying thank you is a sign of character.

  2.  Saying thank you makes you a better person.

  3.  Saying thank you affirms others and builds relationships.