A wise minister I knew of placed a large number ‘9’ above his desk. Learning from him, I have post-it note with a ‘9’ on my office wall. ‘9’ is a reminder to give thanks.

Jesus and the Ten Lepers

It comes from an incident in Luke 17. Jesus is travelling between Samaria and Galilee —foreign territory, where people had no covenantal claim on God’s love or promises. There, Jesus is met by ten lepers. They kept their distance, as they were required to, but they refused to be ignored. They cried in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” And Christ did. He sent them to the priests. The priests weren’t doctors; their role was to declare whether someone was clean and able to return fully to community and religious life. He sent them, and ‘as they went they were cleansed’. Christ had mercy. 

One of them, seeing that he was healed, turned back and praised God with a loud voice. He fell at Jesus’ feet in gratitude. Jesus then asks him the question, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Then, to this one thankful foreigner, Jesus says, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well”. The word translated as ‘well’ can also mean ‘saved’. All 10 were shown Christ’s mercy. But only one experienced salvation, because he received Christ’s mercy with faith and gratitude.

Responding with Gratitude

As such, ‘9’ is an important reminder. It’s easy to call on God when we need something. In Luke 17, all 10 cried out to Jesus for help. And God is gracious—he gives generously, even to those who don’t deserve it. But only one received God’s generosity rightly. Only one was filled with thanksgiving and praise. Only one was saved. 

Annual Thanksgiving Day

Our Annual Thanksgiving Day (ATD) is coming up soon on Sunday 20 September. It’s an important part of our St Michael’s calendar. ATD is an opportunity to express our gratitude to God and all He has done for us, and to let our love overflow and bless others. We celebrate ATD near ‘St Michael’s Day’ which falls on 29 September. Traditionally, Michaelmas was held at the turn of seasons, and was a time to ‘settle’ accounts. We can’t settle accounts with God. We can’t repay Him for his goodness to us. But we can thank and praise Him! We can let His grace flow through us.

That’s our goal when we come together as one big church family on Saturday 19 September for a Thanksgiving Breakfast. From 9-10:30am, at the Wollongong church grounds, we’ll eat and enjoy spending time together before we fill the cathedral for a short service of gratitude. It will be edifying and interactive – great for people of all ages. This time of thankfulness and unity will set the tone for the coming weeks as we hear about our ATD projects. It’s a chance for us to express our thanks to God, by giving beyond our normal generosity to God’s broader work in His world.

Remember to be Thankful

‘9’ reminds me daily to be grateful. As JC Ryle reflects on the incident in Luke 17, he says:

‘Let us pray daily for a thankful spirit.  It is the spirit which God loves and delights to honour. […]

Above all, let us pray for a deeper sense of our own sinfulness, guilt, and undeserving. This, after all, is the true secret of a thankful spirit. It is the man who daily feels his debt to grace, and daily remembers that in reality he deserves nothing but hell – this is the man who will be daily blessing and praising God. Thankfulness is a flower which will never bloom well excepting upon a root of deep humility.’¹

In Him,

Mark Smith
Senior Minister

1. JC Ryle, Expository thoughts on Luke ↩︎