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To become a person who is loving and unselfish is the work of a lifetime and can only be done with the Lord's help. The healing miracles in the Word illustrate the way the Lord can heal our spiritual illnesses. The Lord healed those who came to Him or called out to Him. The Lord can heal us when we acknowledge His power to heal us and our need for His help. It is also important for us to do our best to live by His commandments and refrain from doing what is wrong.

ACTIVITY: Call upon Me (for teens and adults)
When we are troubled by spiritual illness, the Lord assures us that He will help us if we call on Him. One way to approach the Lord and seek His help is to read the Word, looking for truths that can help us in our time of need.

SING: O Lord of Life, the Truth, the Way

THE LORD HEALS TEN LEPERS

[As He entered a village, ten lepers who stood afar off] lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And...as they went, they were cleansed.
(Luke 17:12-14)

The healing of the ten lepers pictures the way the Lord can help us when we seek a cure for our spiritual illnesses. Leprosy symbolizes mixing false ideas with true ideas, which creates problems in our lives. But if we look to the Lord as our authority, then He can help us distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.

READ: "The Ten Lepers" a family talk by the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner
When we turn to the Lord in His Word, He can help cure our minds and cleanse our hearts.

READ: "The Healing of Ten Lepers" by the Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen (for preschoolers)
The Lord told the lepers to go show themselves to the priests. They obeyed the Lord and on their way to the priests, their leprosy was healed! One came back to thank the Lord for doing this wonderful miracle. When we take the time to think about what the Lord does for us and then thank Him for these things, we are like the leper who took the time to thank the Lord.

PLAY: Stopping to Thank the Lord (ages 8-12)
Dramatize the miracle of the Lord healing ten lepers.

PROJECT: Having Leprosy and Being Healed (ages 4-8)
Children will be able to demonstrate what the Lord did for these ten men by pulling a strip of paper behind the cut-out of a hand so that it is first white (leprous) and then healed.

PROJECT: The Lord Heals Ten Lepers (ages 8-14)
Color the scene and the figures. Then cut out and assemble the project pieces to make a diorama of this miracle. Try reading the story from Luke 17:11-19 and moving the figures as you read.

COLORING PAGE: Ten Lepers Healed and One Gives Thanks

ONE HEALED LEPER RETURNED TO GIVE THANKS

Acknowledging the Lord and acknowledging that all salvation comes from Him
constitute the beginning of the life from God with a person.
(see Arcana Coelestia 10083:6)

We spend most of our time being somewhat oblivious to what the Lord does for us. This is like the nine lepers who were healed of their leprosy but continued on their way. They appear to have taken what the Lord had done for them for granted. But one leper returned to thank the Lord, falling down on his face at the Lord's feet. This is a beautiful picture of the humility that we should have when we stop and consider the extent of what the Lord does for us.

READ: "The One Who Gave Thanks" by the Rev. Grant Odhner
In mercy and grace the Lord wills our health, wills that we be healed and turn to Him, so that we may have life ever more abundantly. We can't be aware of all that the Lord does for us. But He wants us to periodically recognize the extent of our need for Him, so that we welcome His help and healing.

COLORING PAGE: One Leper Thanks the Lord by Jacquie S. Bostock

PROJECT: Picturing the Leper Who Thanked the Lord (ages 4-8)
Imagine the leper smiling as he looks at his hands and sees that the leprosy is gone. The Lord has made him well! You may also want to show the leper coming before the Lord to thank him.

COLORING PAGE: One of the Ten Lepers Thanks the Lord by Marguerite L. Acton

GIVE GLORY TO GOD

To give glory to God means to worship the Lord from His Divine truth by a life according to it.... The meaning of "giving glory to Him," is to live according to the Divine truth, that is, according to His commandments in the Word.
(Apocalypse Explained 874)

Think how comparatively easy it is to thank the Lord with our lips. Saying the blessing at mealtime or using the Lord's prayer at bedtime is one way to thank the Lord and give glory to Him. But it is much harder to thank the Lord by making the best use of the life He has given us, using our talents to help others and doing our best to live according to the commandments given in the Word. Yet this is how we truly show our thanks and give Him glory!

READ: "What Shall I Render to the Lord?" family talk by the Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith
It is good to say "thank you" to the Lord, but the most important way to thank Him is by making good use of all that the Lord gives us to help us be closer to Him and to heaven.

READ: Actions Speak Louder than Words by the Rev. Michael Gladish (teens and adults)

ACTIVITY: Give the Glory to God (teens and adults)
It is good to thank people who do kind things for you. And it is appropriate to accept the thanks that other people may offer you. But we should remember - deep down - that all good and truth come from the Lord. It is He who inspires all of us to do good things. To help us reflect on this concept, you may want to try the following. Think of people to whom you feel gratitude for something they have done for you, talked with you about, or shown you by the way they live their lives. Then write about your gratitude, framing it in this way - at least in your own mind. This an effective way to give the glory to God!

DISCUSS THE BLESSING - Oh Give Thanks unto the Lord (ages 12 and up)
Explore the meaning of the words from Psalm 107:1 that are often used as a blessing before meals in New Church homes: "O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for His mercy is forever."

SING: O Give Thanks unto the Lord (2 part round)

WORD SEARCH: Thank You Lord (ages 11-16)
Circle the words that are things that the Lord gives us and for which we should be thankful.

ACTIVITY: Making Known His Deeds (ages 9-14)
To make known His deeds means telling people what the Lord does for you. Can you make a list of some of the things that the Lord does for you? What kinds of gifts has He given you? In what ways does He help you every day of your life?

WHY WE NEED TO THANK THE LORD

The Lord demands humility, worship, and thanksgiving for a person's own sake.
For if someone possesses humility he is able to accept good from the Lord.
(see Arcana Coelestia 5957)

Why does it help us to thank the Lord? It is partly because the very act of thanking the Lord is a reminder that we are not self-sufficient. And the more convinced we are that the Lord is the source of all that is good and true, the easier it is for us to come before the Lord with a humble heart and receive the blessings He wants to give us.

READ: "Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving" by the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner

READ: "Saying 'Thank You' to the Lord" family talk by the Rev. Kenneth Stroh
The Lord loves us and wants to make us happy. Whether we thank Him or not, the Lord continuously gives us precious gifts. He asks us to be thankful, because when we come before the Lord with praise and thanksgiving, it opens our hearts and minds to Him. Try to thank the Lord every day of your life.

THANKSGIVING DISPLAY: Thank You Lord (all ages)
Make a display that shows what you would like to thank the Lord for giving you. This could done as a three-dimensional display on a table or shelf or made into a mural on a wall. To thank the Lord for family, have a child draw a picture of the family or use a family photo. To thank the Lord for the precious truths of His Word, you could add the Word to your display or a highlight a favorite quote. Be sure to consider spiritual blessings as well as natural ones in making your display.

SING: Chant Your Songs of Glad Thanksgiving

COLORING PAGE: Let Us Be Thankful (ages 3-8)

PROJECT: Being Thankful for Home and the Word
A lovely project to help us focus on the special blessings the Lord gives us, such as our families, homes, and the Word. After coloring the two project pages - one picturing the Word and the other having a doorway into a home, attach the two pictures so that you can open the doors and see the Word inside.

ACTIVITY: Thanksgiving Quotation Cards (ages 8 and up)
Print and cut out the cards so that a family or other group can take turns reading them aloud.

PROJECT: O Give Thanks unto the Lord (ages 6-12)
Use the graphic organizer to thank the Lord for seven things for which you are grateful. Use the space in the center to draw the Lord or write His name since He is the source of everything good and true.

COLORING PAGE: O Give Thanks by Robert Glenn

CONFESSING THE LORD WITH HUMILITY OF HEART

True confession of the heart involves acknowledging
that everything good comes from the Lord.
(Arcana Coelestia 3880:7)

When we humble ourselves before the Lord, then we can worship Him with our minds and hearts, and be prepared to receive Him ever more fully into our lives.

READ: "A Grateful Heart" by the Rev. Eric Carswell
Even when we do not feel thankful, we can act in ways that thank the Lord - attending church, saying prayers, and helping others. But if we reflect on what the Lord has given us, including talents with which He has blessed us and the loving friends that we have, we may find that we have no difficulty feeling grateful to the Lord.

PROJECT: With Grateful Hearts (ages 4-10)
Within the outline of a heart, draw pictures of things for which you want to thank the Lord, such as family, friends, pets, etc.
SING: To Thee, O Jesus Christ, We Raise

POSTER: Bless the Lord, O My Soul (all ages)
Print and display this lovely, color poster to help you reflect on all that the Lord does for us. The words of blessing to the Lord (from Psalm 103) are surrounded by a beautiful border painted by Marguerite L. Acton.

SING: O Render Thanks to God Above