In Luke 17:11-19 an individual’s life is changed, and God’s heart is moved by the coming together of gratitude and faith in response to a divine healing.

Ten men living with leprosy approached Jesus as he was traveling along the road between Samaria and Galilee and appealed for “mercy.” Jesus instructed the men to go and show themselves to the priest, and as they went their way they were healed.Next, one of the ten men reacted to his changed condition with both gratitude and faith.  The others did not.  Luke writes, “One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”

In returning to give thanks the man demonstrated that his plea for mercy was substantively different from that of the other nine men.  Perhaps a plea for mercy was all that the other’s request consisted of:  a plea for a handout, an application for assistance, a request for bread, a needle for a fix, a dollar for a drink, a raincoat for a trick, a job to tide me over till next week.

Such requests for subsistence are presented to the church daily, and many do not carry with them a genuine longing for relationship, no desire for discipleship, no request for communion, no expectation for transformation, no intention to get involved and engaged with Christ’s mission; it is simply a plea for mercy, not a prayer request for a transformed life.  And because the plea for mercy is not a prayer request for a changed life, once the assistance is received, the bread is eaten, the needle is used, the drink is imbibed, the trick is turned, and the money changes hands, it is back to business as usual with no afterthought of giving God thanks.

But the one who prays to God in faith and in love returns in gratitude to God with a heart of thanksgiving and a mouth filled with praise when the signs of divine healing become evident.

Notice Jesus’ reaction to this lone worshiper: “Were not ten made clean? Where are the other nine? Was none of them moved to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?  Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well. Your gratitude bespeaks an interior transformation in both your well-being and your world view.”

Two thousand years later this lone worshiper teaches us about gratitude and faith, about the importance of taking stock of what God has done, and returning thanks to God.  The lone worshipper teaches us that turning around to give thanks to God is An Act of Personal Stewardship.  As such, it entails 1) Gratitude rooted in a Recognition of God’s power. 2) An In-gathering Reflecting Social and Cultural Diversity; and 3) Giving Characterized by Turning Around.  ‘Turning around’ is also an act of personal stewardship that entails the following:

1. A change in itinerary. How is our daily and weekly schedule in life impacted as a result of worship and spiritual stewardship?  What sacrifices in time and schedule do we make in order to show our gratitude to God?
2. A re-allocation of personal resources in view of newly found faith. How are our finances impacted as a result of our gratitude to God and our faith in Jesus Christ?  Do we view giving to God simply as a duty or as an act of worship?
3. A public offering of thanks in response to God’s very public show of grace. The lone worshiper was not afraid to give thanks publicly in part because his life was changed in the public arena.  We give thanks in the gathered community on Sundays not to impress others, but because we are all grateful for God’s goodness in our lives.