Faith, Hope, and Gratitude: Sermon for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost, Oct. 12, 2025

-- the Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire

Readings:

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

Psalm 111

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

On October 1, the church's calendar of saints recognized the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux. As I was going about my prayers that day, I did some investigation into her life, and I found this tale of an encounter with the saint:

A man from Canada spent years traveling to Europe and doing a lot of work to promote the message of Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower from France. And then, he wasn't given the credit; someone else was, instead.The saint herself appeared in a vision to the man much later, thanking him for his work. She told him, "Heaven is the essence of gratitude."As the vision prepared to depart, the man suddenly burst out, "Wait, wait, what do you do in heaven?" Therese replied, "In heaven, we love, we love, we love."

Our gospel for this week is first of all, about gratitude, what Therese identified as the essence of paradise. Anyone who has ever been ill knows that when one is fully well, there is such a deep feeling of release and relief that one feels almost reborn. The pain and suffering of the past fades into a distant memory-- this is why there is not a world of only children on the planet.

Jesus hears the cries of ten lepers from a distance, without even touching them or any special words. Lepers are outcasts in society. One of the lepers is a Samaritan, which makes him a double outcast. The crying out is also significant—lepers were supposed to cry out and warn others of their presence, since leprosy was contagious. But this time, they cry out not a warning but a plea for healing in this case means being cleansed in body as well as in soul. Kind of like the fact that when one has a wound, the first thing we do is clean it. Only after that important step do we move to stitches or staples and the knitting back together of the edges of the wound.

The cleansing itself is done matter-of-factly, and indeed, it is not the important part of the story and receives very little description. Jesus simply tells the men to go show themselves to the priests who had to verify that they are now clean of their disease and thus able to rejoin society. The cleansing takes place along the way to see the priests—the lepers are willing to set out even before they are healed. This is similar to the prophet Elisha healing Naaman the Syrian in our first reading. Naaman was asked to do a simple thing—wash in the Jordan, and had to take it on faith that this would work. The lepers have to take it on faith that they will be healed along the way to see the priests.

Jesus tells them to go and show themselves to the priests, which one only did when they were free from the disease. As they travel toward the priests, their disease leaves them.

Ten lepers are cleansed of their disease, but only one comes back to thank Jesus. And that one was a Samaritan, at that-- someone who wasn't expected to appreciate Jesus at all, given that they followed a related but separate religion- yet who often seem to be the group of people most likely to engage with Jesus.

One in ten gives thanks, assuming a position of the utmost humility and reverence. As many of us enter the season for our parish's annual pledge campaigns, this makes me think of the biblical expectation that one was to give one tenth of their income to support the Temple and the priests. One in ten makes "Eucharist," or thanksgiving-- even as that delays his being declared healed by the authorities. The faith that guided the one who turned back was entwined with his gratitude; neither faith nor gratitude exist independently of the other.

This season is the season of stewardship because it is the season of harvest and ingathering. As the seasons make the natural world around us change its vesture from green to gold and red, we are visually reminded of the incredible beauty and life all around us. Of abundance. Of a time when partisans of either winter or summer can agree that the temperatures are darn-near perfect. We can see and experience these things, if only we take the time, as a sign of God's call us to give thanks for the outrageously generous and beautiful creation all around us. And as we become aware of the gifts we receive from God, we too are healed of the fears or anxieties that may close our hearts to the awareness of God's many mercies in our lives.

Therese described heaven as being a place where gratitude reveals itself in loving and treasuring the gifts we have been given by God's grace and mercy. What is something that you can give thanks for, that reminds you of God's grace, right now? Because especially in times of trial such as we live through right now in our lives, the only thing that can help our hearts loosen their grip of grievance, bitterness, and self-centeredness is gratitude that helps us see the light that sometimes gets engulfed in the darkness.

Today's gospel gives us a reminder of the interdependence of faith and hope that is also the subject of a famous passage from the letter to the Hebrews: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith generally comes first, but hope builds on the foundation of faith. Faith is rooted in the past and a present conviction based on the past, while hope looks to the future with anticipation. Faith provides the trust that the hope will be fulfilled. Without hope, faith is hollow. Without faith, hope is just wishful thinking.

Faith is now; hope is future. Faith points us toward God; hope makes us steadfast. And love, binds both together into action. Likewise, healing frees us to step into a future where we restore our relationships with God and each other. Healing is where we let go of the hurts we have borne in our lives and free ourselves from the shackles that have separated us from each other and God.

How much different would our lives be if we tried to anchor every day in gratitude? Would that not help us retain a sense of perspective, strengthening our faith that comes from what we have already seen, and build up our hope, which is crippled by fear, anger, retribution, and resentment? As St. Therese remarked,

"It is the spirit of gratitude which draws down upon us the overflow of God's grace, for no sooner have we thanked God for one blessing than God hastens to send us ten additional favors in return.  Then, when we show our gratitude for these new gifts, God multiplies God's benedictions to such a degree that there seems to be a constant stream of divine grace ever coming our way."

This does not mean that God only blesses those who are grateful. We can learn that when one lives a life of gratitude, we suddenly see with new eyes and recognition all the blessings we already have. We go from scarcity to abundance, and from trying to gain the advantage out of fear to embracing, sharing, and unifying through the assurance that we are loved and cared for.

In a world filled with contention, division, and strife, may we seize upon these four axes: Having the faith in both God and ourselves and others, faith that turns hope into conviction. Seeking cleansing of all that separates us from the love of God or love of others, and seeking the healing that the grace and mercy of Jesus alone can give. Then we can engage in our thoughts and actions the work of heaven: to love, to love, to love, and to share mercy and grace with those near and dear, and those all around.

Amen. 

Music Notes from Denise, October 12, 2025

This Sunday we will read the familiar command in Luke 17 from Jesus to the Samaritan who he has just healed: “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Our music will reflect the place that faith has in our everyday lives.

Our Sequence hymn will be Healing river of the Spirit, written by Ruth Duck. In Voices Found leaders guide, Marilyn Haskel and Lisa Neufeld Thomas write, “The River Jordan figures frequently in the Old Testament stories of our salvation history. John was baptizing people in it when Jesus came to him and asked to be baptized himself. It divides the time when the mantle of spiritual leader passes from Elijah to Elisha.”  In this Sunday’s reading in 2 Kings 5, “it is the body of water where Naaman, the warrior from Damascus, is told to bathe seven times to cleanse his body of leprosy—a sign that the God of Israel comes to all with healing and grace. Ruth Duck, the writer of this hymn, likens the Holy Spirit to this familiar image of the healing river that is not mighty or roaring but gentle, comforting, and peaceful The images are baptismal and transformational. Our human wanderings, like the winding of the river, can ultimately bring us back to our source of being with the help of the Saving Spirit.” (Voices Found Leaders Guide 2004 Church Publishing Inc.) Ruth Duck was an internationally renowned hymn writer who spent her life turning sacred words and ancient liturgies into hundreds of groundbreaking hymns which captured God’s inclusive love and heart for justice. She passed away in December of 2024 and in the United Church of Christ’s website (ucc.org/hymnwriter-ruth-c-duck-remembered), Carolyn Winfrey Gillette wrote that, “Duck’s work, with hymns “filled with beautiful images…that creatively allude to biblical references,” inspired her own hymnody journey. She stated “I am confident that Ruth’s beautiful, faithful words will be a blessing to the Church for years to come.” (ucc.org)

The Offertory will be a joint anthem by the children’s Chapel Choir and St. Martin’s Choir. It’s a new arrangement of the classic This Little Light of Mine by Mark Patterson. It starts with a soulful beginning sung by the Chapel Choir and then it explodes with radiance and joy when the adults join in singing: “Shine, Shine, Shine”. Sherry Algren has made little white lanterns that the children will hold to demonstrate their “little lights”. It should be an enjoyable compilation with a festive accent by Becky Brewer on the tambourine! (2012 Choristers Guild. All rights reserved)

Our Communion hymn, O Jesus, I have promised, is a traditional hymn in our blue hymnal but we will sing the words to a new tune, Hatherop Castle, composed by Geoffrey Beaumont in 1960. It was recommended by one of our own Altar Guild members, Angela Logan, who has fond memories of singing it in her church as a youth. She gave me a copy that was found in a songbook, Thirty 20th century Hymn Tunes published by Josef Weinberger Ltd. in 1960. The choir will lead the first stanza and the congregation can join in on the rest.

Our final hymn brings us back to our original theme about healing and faith, O for a thousand tongues to sing, written in 1739 by Charles Wesley. “If I had a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all.” So said Peter Böhler to Charles Wesley, inspiring the first line of the classic hymn, “Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer’s praise” (Psalter Hymnal Handbook.) Written to celebrate the one year anniversary of Charles’ conversion to Christianity, this declaration of Christ’s power and victory in his own life, rich in Biblical imagery of the Kingdom of God, becomes our own hymn of praise. We stand with the angels before the throne of God, lifting our voices as one church to glorify the one who “bids our sorrows cease.” We proclaim Christ’s victory as a declaration of our faith and hope that we will see the Kingdom of God full realized and lift our song of expectation. (Hymnary.org)

Circle of Concern: Holiday Support

Help bring joy to a family this holiday season.

The holiday season is just around the corner and we’re reminded that while food on the table brings comfort and sustenance, it’s the memories we make around the table that stand out. For many of the families we serve, however, the holidays can be a difficult reminder of what’s out of reach.

That’s where you come in.

With your help, we can bring joy, relief and a sense of normalcy to area families through our Holiday Extras Program.

Each holiday season, we provide families not only nourishing foods, but also retail gift cards enabling them to purchase something special for each family member. For parents struggling to make ends meet, gift cards represent more than dollars. Gift cards bring opportunity to shop for, and choose the items that will bring joy to their families. Perhaps that’s a toy for a toddler that helps him learn, winter athletic gear for a budding soccer star, or the first item on their little girl’s holiday wish list.

Here’s how you can help:

• A gift of $50 can give a child, or a struggling senior a magical holiday.

• A gift of $200 supports a family of four with holiday cheer.

• Any amount you give can bring light to those who need it most.