What comes after Thanksgiving?
Don’t say Christmas…. or Black Friday… or nausea.
Ok, you’re probably all saying that because that’s where our minds go when asked that question. Children’s eyes are now FIRMLY fixed on the many benefits of Christmas.
Our eyes… (assuming everyone reading this is mostly an adult), should be fixed on the truest benefit we’ve received because of Christmas, Jesus. Now, that sounds trite and rather lame. Yes. But it is true in a far more dynamic way than just saying “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.”
We are to be fixed on Jesus because what comes after Thanksgiving is Worship. Take some time and re-read the story of the healing of the 10 Lepers in Luke 17: 11 – 19. (it is below if you’re wondering).
We have men who were given EVERYTHING. Literally. We cannot understate this. They were given everything from Jesus: Health; Family; Jobs; Community; Acceptance; Hope. When the world (and their disease) stripped everything away from them, Jesus returned everything.
The story is mentioned to us by Luke not because of the power of Jesus’ hands and healing. We’ve seen all this done before. Luke tells us this story because of the one who returns. What comes after Thanksgiving? Worship. And the dreadful Samaritan shows us what that looks like.
Instead of running home, he runs back to his knees in front of his Savior. Instead of hugging his family, he hugs the feet of the Christ. Instead of returning to civility and acceptance he returns to the One who returned it all back to him.
What comes after Thanksgiving for us, Church? Please let it be worship.
Luke 17: 11 – 19 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”