Luke 17:11-19
Lead in: In 2 Kings and in Luke 17 we hear the stories of two men afflicted with the dreaded disease of leprosy. Healed of their disease, both were given a chance to return to a life they thought was gone forever.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you were unexpectedly given a chance at something that you thought would never be yours again.
Lead in: At the time of Naaman and at the time of Jesus, if one was diagnosed with leprosy, it was like a life sentence of isolation that made one a social outcast.
Prompt: Who are the social outcasts of today?
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you felt like a social outcast, excluded or forgotten.
Lead in: When the ten lepers saw Jesus they cried out to him, “Jesus, master, have pity on us.” Seeing their need, Jesus did what he could. “Go show yourselves to the priests.”
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you encountered someone in need and did what you could. What did you learn?
Lead in: As we hear the story of the ten lepers, there is a glaring oversight that’s hard to miss. Of the ten lepers who were healed, it was only the foreigner who came back to thank Jesus. It’s a humbling reminder of those things in our life that we sometimes take for granted and fail to be thankful for.
Prompt: Not wanting to take any blessing for granted, what is it today that you want to thank God for?
Prompt: Not wanting to take anyone for granted, who in your life are you especially grateful for?
Lead in: Many of us live with our own kind of leprosy, the scars or wounds that we think make us unworthy of being loved by God. Yet, as Jesus showed in healing the ten lepers, we are all valued and precious in his eyes. Perhaps believing that is the faith that will save us.
Prompt: What might be the scars or wounds you live with that make it hard for you to believe that you are worthy of being loved?
Lead in: In Luke 11, Jesus heals ten lepers. The fact that only one returns to give thanks reminds us of how easy it is to forget to give thanks.
Prompt: There are practices that help us cultivate gratitude. Have you found any that help you?