Grateful Hearts Luke 17:11-19 Mary Glenn the Week of November 30, 2014 New City Church of Los Angeles

Grateful Hearts Luke 17:11-19 Mary Glenn The Week of November 30, 2014 New City Church of Los Angeles

SERMON STUDY GUIDE

Gratitude is something that may not come natural to us but it is an essential spiritual practice and life rhythm. Gratefulness allows us to see what we have, not what we don’t have. No matter what we think we have or don’t have, we all have been offered the greatest gift of life through Jesus’ sacriﬁce and in receiving, we learn the value of gratitude.

Summary of the Sunday message: While journeying to Jerusalem, Jesus was approached by ten lepers who asked him to have pity on them. He responded to their request with healing but only one came back to thank him. How important is gratitude in the life of a follower of Jesus? Why does thankfulness matter? Does it change our sense of per- spective and purpose as well as our understanding of God’s love? This story gives us a glimpse into ways we can have grateful hearts and live in such a way that each day is a gift to be received.

In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a !gift to be celebrated with joy. — Henri J M Nouwen Discussion:

1. Reﬂect on a time when you gave a gift to someone and they didn’t thank you/express gratitude. How did it make you feel? Reﬂect on a time when someone gave you a gift that was meaningful to you. How did the gift impact you? How did you express gratitude to that person?

2. When is it a struggle for you to be grateful? Why at certain times is it hard to be grateful to God and others? What prevents us from being grateful? !3. What thought or point impacted you or brought out questions from the sermon? Bible study: read Luke 17:11-19 (ESV) 11 On the way to Jerusalem he (Jesus) was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voic- es, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Grateful Hearts Luke 17:11-19 Mary Glenn The Week of November 30, 2014 New City Church of Los Angeles

What this story teaches us about gratitude: • Gratitude does not begin in the intellect but in the heart • Gratitude keeps us connected to Jesus and increases our awareness of his presence in our lives • Gratitude helps us to have hope and peace • Gratitude can happen in the midst of pain and loss and can help us to find healing • Gratitude helps us to focus on what we have, not on what we don't have • Gratitude helps us to be generous with others !• Gratitude helps to create community Ways to create a rhythm of gratitude:

1. Identify and thank God for his many attributes (i.e. merciful, faithful, loving, etc.). 2. Journal at the beginning and the end of each day; list the things/people/events/gifts, etc. that you are grateful for. 3. The Prayer of Examen is an ancient Christian practice that helps us to reflect on God’s presence and our interactions with him through out the day. Part of the exercise includes identify- ing what we are grateful to God for. 4. Study the word/idea of thankfulness/gratitude in the Bible. What does the Bible teach us about how to be thankful, what it looks like, etc? How did Jesus express gratitude? 5. Take a daily gratitude prayer walk; while walking, thank God for things and people you no- tice and see. 6. Write thank you letters. Sit down and write a letter to someone who has had a positive influ- ence in your life - i.e. teacher, mentor, neighbor, family member, friend, someone who helped you in some way. It can be a short or long note but one that is specific in how the person impacted you. 7. Make a thankful tree: Arrange branches in a planter and cut out paper leaves. Place leaves next to planter with markers and through out the year invite people who come into your home to join you in writing something they are grateful for on a leaf and hang leaves on the ! tree. Next steps/challenges:

1. Think of one thing/person/event you are grateful for today. Why are you grateful? 2. Ask God to help you to have gratitude when you feel you are without. 3. Find a prayer partner (or 2) to pray with and grow together in a rhythm of gratitude by sharing what you are thankful for.