Although the Thanksgiving holiday was still a few days away, the spirit of thanksgiving was abundant at church on Sunday morning, November 19. The service began with the orchestra playing “You are My All in All,” followed by “Fanfare and Processional on Crown Him with Many Crowns.” Before the choir sang “How Great Is Our God,” David Lambert read Psalm 145, which in verse praises God, saying, “I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.” The choir song, backed by the accompaniment orchestra and featuring a mixed trio (pictured), echoed that spirit, saying, “Name above all names; Worthy of our praise; My heart will sing how great is our God.”

Before the mid-service prayer, the congregation sang joyful songs of praise, including “Come Ye Thankful People, Come,” “We Are So Blessed,” and “Jesus, We Just Want to Thank You.”  For the first special, a men’s quartet sang “Grateful for His Goodness.” The Scripture reading was Luke 17:11-19, telling the account of Jesus healing ten lepers, and then Caleb Copko sang “Master of the Wind.”

Darrel Lee gave the morning message, focusing on Luke 17:17, “And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” Jesus was emphasizing the power of appreciation and thanksgiving to God. All of the ten lepers had recognized Jesus and understood that He had the power to heal them, since when they saw Him they said, “Jesus, Master have mercy on us.” However, after receiving the miracle, nine went on their ways and only one, a Samaritan, came back and “with a loud voice glorified God.” Brother Darrel suggested that man may have always had a thankful heart. Even suffering from leprosy, he may have determined to live with thankfulness. Brother Darrel then made a comparison between sin and leprosy: leprosy separated the sufferers from their communities, while sin separates the sinner from God and from fellowship with the saints. He also pointed out some differences, one being that leprosy works from the outside in, while sin works from the inside out. Just as the ten lepers needed healing from their disease, each person needs to be delivered from the sin he was born with. God is a good God and has provided a way for that to happen. Each individual can say, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on me,” and He will make a change. Brother Darrel encouraged everyone to follow the example of the one thankful leper, falling at Jesus’ feet and giving Him glory and thanks.