Thanksgiving (Observed)

Luke 17:11-19

In preparation for this week, we recently watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in our house. It’s a classic, isn’t it?

You got Peppermint Patty inviting herself and others over to Charlie Brown’s for dinner.

Charlie Brown goes with the flow, being a good friend, and even though he has family plans to visit Grandma, he still tries to host his friends.

Who does that?

Amid everything, Charlie Brown enlists Snoopy’s help in preparing the meal. 

Then, of course, there’s the scene where they all sit down around the Ping-Pong table to unknowingly enjoy a feast of popcorn, candy, and buttered toast prepared by Snoopy and Woodstock, the little yellow bird. (This is the part that gets the children laughing hysterically. What child wouldn’t want candy and popcorn for dinner?)

But this is also when Peppermint Patty’s expectations for a perfect Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing weren’t fulfilled. Peppermint Patty boils over, and her anger rises to the surface.

But look, she invited herself over, invited others without asking, set her own expectations for Thanksgiving, and then threw a temper tantrum when things didn’t go as she had thought they would. 

In a way, there are parts of this story that you can all relate to at Thanksgiving, aren’t there?

The uninvited guests, the failure to achieve the perfect holiday, opinions on what food should or should not be served, the minefield, and arguments between family and friends. 

Honesty, when Thanksgiving is presented like this, who wants it?

But isn’t this an image of your lives?

A challenge is how you handle unfulfilled expectations, not only today, but throughout life: do you lash out, yell, and scream, or do you learn to call out to God for His mercy, for His peace and forgiveness, His patience?

Look at the Ten Lepers in the Gospel this evening. The disease that covers their skin has not only rendered them unclean, but it’s also forced them to live apart from their family; there’s no holiday or feasting for them, just a realization they cannot help, nor heal themselves, as they dwell in isolation.

The only thing these lepers can do is cry out for mercy, and that is exactly what they do when they see Jesus; they cry out with every ounce of their hoarse voices, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Interestingly, here, all ten lepers call out together, “Have mercy on us.” They see themselves as a collective community in their misery.

This is interesting because of the widespread American belief that the family’s togetherness is the main focus of Thanksgiving, even though we live as individuals the rest of the year. 

Peppermint Patty confesses this idea after recovering from her meltdown, that what’s most important is spending time with friends and family.

Spending time with family and friends is good; it’s actually a gift from your Father in heaven.

But as you look at these Lepers, only one of them now returned to thank Jesus for the gift of being cleansed, forgiven, and returned to his family.

A Samaritan.

Someone who wasn’t even seen as a friend, much less a member of the family of Israel. Yet, he gets it and returns to Jesus to give Him thanks for the mercy, forgiveness, and new life he received in the Words of Jesus.

This is important because the Leper can now reunite with his family, eat and break bread with them, drink from the same cup, and be part of fellowship and community. 

This is pretty cool.

Many of us have separated ourselves not only from our families but also from each other due to the leprosy of sin that goes well below the skin and penetrates the heart. We boil over when family and friends invite themselves over, we get upset when the menu for the big dinner isn’t just right, and we struggle to navigate the emotional landmines planted between us and by us during these days of family gatherings.  

In light of this, we must once again learn to confess the leprosy of sin and to stop being individuals; instead, we must call out to God for mercy, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

In a way, this reflects what we do as we will soon sing the words of the Sanctus. We sing as a family, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to the Son of David,” and in this way, we pray to be saved, we ask for God’s mercy, to be cleansed, and forgiven of all our sins.

And then approach this rail on bended knee to receive the greatest meal of Thanksgiving in the flesh and blood of your Savior Jesus Christ.

In fact, throughout many parts of the Scriptures and the history of the Church, this meal, the Lord’s Supper, is called the Eucharist or εὐχαριστέω, which means “to give thanks.” Because of this, it’s the greatest Thanksgiving meal you could receive, as through it, you share in the meal of God’s eternal family, where you receive the bread of Christ’s body and drink from the one cup of His blood for the forgiveness of sin. 

What a gift it is to be members of this eternal family of God.

Remember this if things do not go as planned over the next couple of days, if your Thanksgiving does not live up to expectations, the meal just isn’t right, or you’re overwhelmed by the conflict and strife that has existed between you and others.

Don’t be overwhelmed, but call out to Jesus when things begin to spiral and say with your fellow Lepers, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on me.”

And then return to Him and thank Him for dying on the cross to cleanse you of your sin, to grant you His mercy, and to make you members of His eternal family. +INJ+

Pastor Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI