Acting Like You're in Love With Henry VIII's Consort

Suggested Reading: Luke 17:11-19

In high school, I participated in a lot of theater productions and several UIL theater contests. In one particular contest, we were performing Anne of the Thousand Days, the story of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. At one point, one of the king’s many love interests was pulled away from the man she loved and taken to the king. In the judge’s assessment after the performance, that scene cost us a lot of points. The judge told us, “I didn't buy that those two were in love. They got pulled away from each other and they never even looked back. People who are in love look back. They try to see the person they are in love with for as long as possible. Especially if they will never see them again.” Essentially what he was telling us was that we couldn't simply say these two people were in love; they had to act like they were in love or no one would ever believe it.

Being in love, in a lot of ways is just like being thankful. In Luke 17, we are given the story of a man who was thankful. He had been with a group of lepers, outcasts because of their disease, who asked Jesus to heal them. Jesus instructed them to go show themselves to the priests and they would be healed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-- and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:15-16, NIV). This man wasn't simply grateful. He acted like he was grateful.

This Thanksgiving,  we have the opportunity not only to give lip-service to our gratitude but to act like we are grateful. More and more, Thanksgiving is about the tradition of giving thanks rather than the act of giving thanks. Instead of taking our time and allowing everyone to express gratitude for something, one person expresses thanks and we call it good. Rather than taking time to savor our blessings or to serve someone because of our gratitude for God’s blessings, we hurry through the meals and the rush to watch the football games and complain about the messes we have to clean up. But if we really are thankful, people should be able to tell we are thankful by the way we behave.

Gratitude isn’t simply something we feel because we have been blessed. Gratitude is something other people can see in us.

Nursery Workers and Uncertain Nationalities

Suggested Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Several years ago, I got the chance to interview candidates for a nursery worker position for our church. We only had a couple interviews, but one of the young ladies who applied stood out from the rest. Not only did she have more prior experience than the others but she dressed more professionally, had a more personable demeanor, and simply impressed me more. That young lady ended up getting the job and has since become a well-loved friend of the family. Primarily because, initially, she simply stood out.

In Luke 17, Jesus has an encounter with ten lepers, all of whom he healed, but only one of which came back to thank him. These lepers all lived in an area along the border between Samaria and Galilee and, all being outcasts from both societies, they probably had a good mix of both Jews and Samaritans. But the only thing we know about any of these men, other than that they all had leprosy, is found in two verses. 'One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan' (Luke 17:15-16, NLT).

Did you catch that? We have what might be a mixed group of men, both Jewish and Samaritan. Might. But we don't know. The only thing we know for sure about this group, aside from the leprosy, is that this man was a Samaritan. Why? Because being grateful and demonstrating his gratitude made him stand out enough for that detail to be recorded.

We live in a dark, fallen, ungrateful world. And when we demonstrate gratitude -- real gratitude --  it stands out. People are surprised by genuine gratitude when they encounter it in a society filled with attitudes of entitlement and give-me-give-me mindsets. Demonstrating genuine gratitude sets you apart and causes people to take notice of you. And, when we are trying to win the world for Jesus, standing out because of our gratitude is not a bad place to start.

Murder, Love, Leprosy, and Gratitude

Suggested Reading: Luke 17:11-19

One of the television shows that my wife and I used to enjoy watching together was Castle. It was a crime dramedy series about Rick Castle, a mystery author who gets permission to shadow Kate Beckett, a beautiful New York City police detective, as she solves murders on a weekly basis. Naturally, the two are attracted to each other but nothing really developed between them until she was shot in an assassination attempt. As she lay on the ground bleeding, Castle professed his love for her, not wanting her to die without knowing how he felt. Up until that point, Kate had suspected Castle had feelings for her. Sometimes, his behavior hinted at it, though their professional lives made such a romance problematic. But Kate never knew for sure until Castle actually said it out loud, until she heard it from his lips.

In Luke 17 we see Jesus heal a group of ten lepers.  One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”  He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan (Luke 17:15-16, NLT). Notice, the man came back shouting and thanking him. Most translations simply say that he came back with a loud voice. Either way, the author's intention is clear: when this man returned to show his gratitude he was loud enough to be heard.

We don't have to shout at people, but we have to remember that even when we act like we are grateful people can't always discern our motives. We can't read each other's minds and we can never assume that the people to whom we are grateful know that we are grateful, even if we act that way. Real gratitude is something that can not only be seen but heard. If we never tell our parents that we are grateful for their guidance and protection through the years, they might think we are grateful, but they might never know for sure.  If we don't tell that person who helped us out, or who gave us a gift, or who went out on a limb for us that we are grateful, they might suspect we are grateful, but we can't assume they know.

Gratitude is meant to be heard. Make certain that you voice your gratitude if you are grateful to someone. Otherwise, they may never really know. While we're at it, God knows our hearts, but I'm pretty sure God likes to hear our gratitude, too.