A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a container of alcohol. The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was put into a container of good rich soil. At the conclusion of his sermon, the minister reported the following results. The first worm in alcohol, dead. The second worm in cigarette smoke, dead. The third worm in chocolate syrup, dead. The fourth worm in good rich soil, alive. The minister asked the congregation, “What did you learn from this demonstration.” Charlie, sitting in the back of the church, quickly raised his hand and said, “As long as you drink, smoke, and eat chocolate, you won’t have worms.” That pretty much ended the sermon.

Charlie missed the entire point, and it’s so easy to miss the real meaning of today’s Gospel. Many times we focus on what we do not have, forgetting the many gifts we have been given by God. The emphasis of today’s Gospel is not in the miraculous healing. To focus on the healing would be missing the beauty of the entire passage, which more closely resembles a parable than a miracle story. Instead, the real focus is gratitude or lack of gratitude on those who are healed. This Gospel story is really about all of us. We are the lepers in today’s story. We are not lepers in a literal sense, but as we live our life do we slow down long enough to say thank you, not only in word but in action toward God, loved ones and even ourself?

We gather around the Lord’s table today to celebrate the Eucharist. The word Eucharist means giving thanks. Maybe the most wonderful thing we could do today is to say to someone thank you by a kind word to someone. Just thank you. I realize at times that life is painful, unfair and very difficult, yet the Lord is present to uplift, heal and strengthen us like he did the 10 lepers. The key, however, is our response, our posture toward God, life and oneself. Thank you is a big, big deal in life because thanks is the frosting on a cake of life.