Luke 17:11-19 and 2 Kings 5:1-14.

When was the last time you really said thank you to someone and meant it from the
bottom of your heart?

A couple of weeks ago I called to book my car in for its MOT. On the day I duly
turned up to drop off my car, to be greeted with the words, we don’t have an MOT
tester anymore. Unfortunately, the person who booked you in did not write your
registration down correctly so we could not call to let you know. My heart sank, I am
totally dependent on my car. It was ever so tempting to get cross but I managed to
walk quietly away. Then the panic set in, what on earth was I doing to do my MOT
was due to expire in just over a week, how was I going to get to work in Chichester,
would any other garage have space to do it soon preferably that day as I had
arranged to work from home. In desperation I rang or dropped into almost every
garage in Cranleigh and perhaps unsurprisingly the answer was sorry, no we do not
have any availability.

I was about to give up but saw just one more garage tucked away down an alley on
an industrial estate. I opened the door and tentatively asked if there was any
possibility that they might be able to MOT my car that afternoon. There was a
moment of silence, the garage owner listened to me as I explained what had
happened and amazingly his response was, I am sure we can squeeze you in
somewhere, take a seat. I was so unbelievably grateful for his kindness, to a slightly
frazzled complete and utter stranger. I thanked him effusively, returning a few days
later to give him a cake to express my gratitude.

I wonder if there someone that comes to mind who you would like to thank
particularly this morning, who has shown you care or kindness this week?

This evening our gospel passage comes from Luke. Many of you will know that I
always find Luke’s gospel especially engaging. Luke seems to highlight the plight of
the lonely, the isolated, the ill and the oppressed so poignantly. Today’s passage is
no exception; we are told the story of Jesus healing ten lepers.

There is perception that leprosy is a disease of the past, rare if not eradicated by
modern medicine. Sadly, that is not the case, 475 of the poorest people in the world
are diagnosed with leprosy every day and at least 25 of those will be children. It is a
curable condition but if left untreated can cause severe physical disability, blindness
and even death. Leprosy causes immense isolation, children are not able to attend
school, adults are unable to work and sufferers are trapped in a cycle of poverty. It is
shocking that in 2025, people are being affected by leprosy, in exactly the same way
as they were 2 millennia ago when Jesus performed this miracle.

I wonder if we could pause for a moment to pray for all those who will receive the
devastating news that they have leprosy today and express our gratitude for all who
are working to deliver the desperately needed medical care that could end their
suffering?

Jesus was travelling through the region between Samaria and Galilee. At the time,
Samaria was a region whose residents were considered to be outsiders, ethnically
and religiously impure by the Jews. Jesus entered a village and 10 lepers called out
to him, ‘Master’ they cried. They recognised the potential that this man Jesus had to
heal them and they placed their trust in him. And yet the lepers still kept their
distance, perhaps fearful of the response they might receive. They had spent their
lives on the very margins of society, forced to beg and rely on others for survival.

And yet Jesus hears them. He instructs them to go and show themselves to the
priest and on the way there they are all healed. Cured from leprosy, the disease that
had isolated them for so long. However, it is only the tenth leper, a man from
Samaria who returned in true gratitude to Jesus to give thanks for his healing,
prostrating himself at Jesus’s feet and glorifying God. The Samaritan who was
doubly unclean both as a result of the place of his birth and because he had
contracted leprosy. He had experienced more suffering than most of us can even
imagine and Jesus released him and healed him. Instead of running to celebrate his
good fortune with his friends and family, he returned immediately to the source of his
new life to give grateful and sincere thanks.

I wonder if you can remember the last time you really paused and spent time
thanking God for something?

Similarly, our Old Testament reading tells of the healing of Naaman the Syrian.
Naaman too was a true outsider because of the place of his birth and as he also had
leprosy. The prophet Elisha instructed Naaman to bathe seven times in the river
Jordan. He was initially reluctant to comply. It would have been a truly humbling
experience for a man of his position to be seen to bathe in the river in this way but
eventually he gave in. Naaman was rewarded for his obedience and willingness to
show his vulnerability, he too was healed from leprosy. He offered himself to God,
declared his faith and promised to worship God alone.

I wonder what it is that stops us expressing our gratitude to God? It is perhaps easy
to become distracted or overwhelmed thinking about the next task on our to do list?
Have we become so focussed on asking God for what we think we need that we fail
to recognise what he has already given us?

As I sat down to write, I was reminded of the words of gathering from the Book of
Common Prayer.

‘And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God yet
ought we most chiefly so to do when we assemble and meet together to render
thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands.’

What are the great benefits of your faith in God? What is it that you would most
sincerely like to give thanks to God for? Let us spend a moment in silent prayer
lifting to God what we feel most grateful for this morning.