Psalm 65, Luke 17:11-19, and 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Sometimes I reflect on important virtues as I live my life of faith. Sometimes, humility, sincerity, courage, consideration, generosity, zeal, and gratitude are never missing. Among them, designating and celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday during the harvest season is a precious tradition of ours. Harvest simultaneously makes me think of the time when I sowed seeds. Likewise, at the beginning of 2026, we made resolutions and planned what we needed for our lives. On the one hand, I think these resolutions have planted something in our lives.
I intended to do my best in ministry this year, but I believe I need to put in more effort. Actually, the air in Alberta was really good this summer because there were no wildfires. I believe God has given Alberta’s residents and farmers a precious gift. I was very worried because church attendance dropped during the summer. Of course, this is also a cultural result of Canada’s long winters. So, looking at my own religious life, I planted hope and zeal this spring, and planted worry this summer. In autumn, I am planting gratitude.
I thank God for granting church members more time of life despite their health issues, both big and small. Quite a few things have happened inside and outside the church this year, but I am grateful for them as well. My permanent residency has had many twists and turns, but I am grateful for them, too. I have felt the need to learn the language and culture, but I am grateful to feel more at peace than I did in my first year of ministry. Every day I come to confess how grateful I am to have a place to rest and a ministry to care for. It is also a great joy for me to look at the faces of the church members and pray whenever I start work in the office. So this autumn, although I have concerns, I am planting gratitude that transcends them.
Beloved, an episode in Scripture appears only in the Gospel of Luke. Ten men with leprosy come to Jesus. Because the medical system at the time was very poor, they were religiously and socially driven out. It is similar to when humanity suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, when people were quarantined and lost their lives due to the lack of proper medicine. However, in addition to this, people with such diseases were considered impure, so they were religiously judged and could not receive food or medical treatment. Jesus met these people. This was an unconventional act within Judaism at the time. Under the purity laws, they were considered impure together. It would have made the disciples tremble even more when they faced it. Today in Canada, it is a very rare situation with fewer than 15 cases of Hansen’s disease per year, and the infectivity can be suppressed within a few days through drug treatment. However, such treatment was not available in Israel 2,000 years ago. It was a droplet-transmitted disease and, above all, frightening because its cause was unknown. However, Jesus speaks to ten lepers in a way that is somewhat difficult to understand. “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” These are the people the Priests do not want to meet. And they themselves are not happy to meet the priests. This is because the very people who turned their backs on lepers and expelled them from society were those very priests. But surprisingly, they went to the priests, as Jesus said. Jesus commanded them not to understand, but to obey. And they were cleansed. A miracle happened. Why did Jesus send them to the priests? This symbolic act restored their status. He gave them the chance to show their cleansed bodies to the priest and live in the community again. Now, they can meet the family they miss. They can now have jobs and buy whatever they want to eat. Instead of spending the night under a tree in the meadow exposed to sandstorms, they can sleep in a warm house. They can also gather in the synagogue to participate in religious ceremonies and worship God. Jesus gave them a great turning point in their lives.
However, one thing is worth noting. Of those ten, only one returned to Jesus to express gratitude and give glory to God. He was even a Samaritan. He was a person who was always regarded as a second-class citizen by the Israelites. People from this region suffered immense damage under occupation by other great powers, so they should have been pitied; instead, they were criticized as a disgrace to the nation. However, that one person came to Jesus with more gratitude than the others. Jesus’ generous love brought about a miracle. Even a person treated as a stranger and despised by his own people gives glory to God and remains a proud protagonist to this day, 2,000 years later. Jesus even praises this miracle, saying He is not the main character, but that the person with leprosy created it. “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Beloved, I hope that we plant generosity in our lives today. I also want you to remember the things you are grateful for more often. Let us spend Thanksgiving Sunday remembering God’s love, who gives abundant grace. Therefore, we hope that through us, miraculous things will happen every day, and that the families, neighbours, and local people we meet today will give glory to God and give thanks. Amen.