“The feeling of using my gifts to praise God and giving back to the church that has molded my faith is like no other,” said Abby Berghane, a longtime member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lake Mary.

I remember an occasion, while I was in seminary, getting sick but still needing to go to class … especially Hebrew. It soon became the inside joke of our Hebrew class that if you were sick and people needed to stay away, you announced as you were walking into class and sitting away from everyone that you were unclean, “Tame! Tame!” (pronounced tä·mā’).

While it may have been a humorous thing to do for us in seminary, the lepers that we read about in Luke’s Gospel would’ve been required to shout this as they wandered around, when they went anywhere outside of the leper colony. This cry was a warning to those around them that they were unclean, and the people would part like the Red Sea to avoid being anywhere near these people and becoming infected themselves. “Tame” was the cry that separated them from human contact and interaction. “Tame” was the cry that cemented their loneliness and despair. 

The lepers had heard of all Jesus had done, how he had healed the sick, so when they saw him, they approached … but not too close! After all, that wasn’t allowed! They cried for mercy to their Master, to be released from their lonely and miserable lives, and Jesus in his great mercy healed them, telling them to go and tell the priests so they could be declared clean once more. 

After what had possibly been years or most of their lives, these lepers were now clean. And after going to show themselves to the priests, they would finally be allowed to go home, to see their families and children again, to be members of society … to be seen again. With mere words, Jesus had set them free from their infirmity.

But after they left, only one man notices he has been healed and came back. We see this powerful image of a man, laying at the feet of Jesus, thanking and praising him with a loud voice. This Samaritan, not even a Jewish man who would’ve known of Jesus, recognizes who Jesus is and, by faith, believes. And because of his faith, Jesus proclaims that not only his body is made well, but his heart is now healed. Not only has he demonstrated faith, but a desire to know Jesus personally.

Like the Samaritan in this story, when we see God working, freeing us from all the things that distract and hinder us, all we can do is to come with praise and thanks to the feet of Jesus. That in itself will strengthen our faith for the next time we encounter hardships and remind us to fully rely on him. And the more we recognize God’s involvement in our lives, the more we’ll expect it, and the more it will become a natural part of life. 

Toalster

This Samaritan, along with the other nine lepers, was healed both by the power of God and because of his faith in Jesus. But what really made the difference in this story was that he returned to the feet of Jesus to begin a personal relationship with him.

Let us pray that when God works in our lives, however that might be, we will recognize it and show the same praise and gratitude that this man did, further deepening our relationship with our healer and savior. Amen. 

The Rev. Becky Toalster is rector Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bartow.