Must Be Present to Win!

It’s an old and very popular marketing technique to celebrate the millionth customer entering a store. I remember growing up hearing about some unsuspecting shopper covered in confetti and balloons flying through the air as the owner celebrated the one millionth customer to shop at that particular store. How many times have we all wanted to be that person; the right person at the right time to receive a lifetime supply of groceries! I don’t think grocery stores do this anymore because the stores have been around so long that having one million customers isn’t special anymore. But businesses continue to offer prizes for the most loyal customers. One thing remains though whether it is the customer of the week or the one millionth customer; you must be present to win the prize.

In this morning’s Gospel we see another example of this. Jesus had been approached by ten men begging for mercy because they were suffering from leprosy. “They lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’” (Luke 17.13) After having been sent to show themselves to the priests, as was their custom, only one man returned to give thanks to God for his healing. Only one man was present to receive the greater gift from Christ.

“And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’” (Luke 17.19) What faith is Jesus speaking about? Was it the faith of ten men who had the courage to cry out to Jesus for mercy? Was it the faith to go and show himself to the priests? Or was it the faith to be present and return to Jesus to give thanks? In fact we don’t know much about the other nine except that as they went to show themselves to the priests they also were healed. But it was the one man who was present and returned to Jesus that was made well. That is the faith that Jesus is speaking about.

Jesus has a way of doing that. Most of the time, He doesn’t bother with those who are not present but speaks and blesses those who are. My brothers and sisters, today WE are the ones present and today God is blessing US because we have chosen to come and be present with Him this morning. It’s like taking last week’s Gospel and combing it with this week’s. Last week we were urged to repent and return to Jesus and this week we see the blessing for those who do.

Today we have been blessed by God simply because we are present with Him, and some of us may not even believe in His power to heal us but He can. Many of us here this morning may be struggling with issues in our lives that, like the ten men with leprosy, we just have to cry out to God, “Have mercy on us!” It might be illness, it might be a struggling marriage, it might be a struggling business, it can be anything really that causes us to feel pain, emotional or physical.

People with leprosy didn’t just suffer the physical pain of the disease, but were outcasts from society. So many other people in their own villages didn’t even have the heart to walk within twenty feet of these ten men. The can be said for us, and our suffering. Sometimes we even keep our suffering to ourselves just so we don’t have to be outcasts. But today can be different!

Today is different my brothers and sisters in Christ because we have chosen to be present with God and He will make us well if we ask Him. Go ahead and lift up your hearts to heaven and ask for His mercy. Ask Him to guide you through the next week of life and then return here next week to thank Him. Is there anyone of us who doesn’t need a blessing this week? Is there really anyone of us who is without struggle? You won’t offend God no matter how small the struggle. Just go ahead and ask Him, and then be ready for great things when you walk out of this church, just as the lepers were blessed when they began their journey and walked to the priests.

As we walk out of this church today we walk out knowing that God has the power to conquer all of our struggles if we ask Him. It might require a bit of work on our part, but anything worth something takes effort. The ten lepers were told, “Go, show yourselves to the priests,’ and so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.” (Luke 17.14) It wasn’t until they put their faith into action that Jesus cleansed them.

And that’s the clincher in today’s message that we should embrace. First we must be present with God in His Church and ask for His help. And then we must put that faith into action and do what He tells us to do. When we return next week, let’s remember these words from this morning’s Gospel. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And He said to Him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.’” (Luke 17.14, 19)

Today we’ve done the first part. We’re here with God. Now let’s get out there and work on the second part!