Thanksgiving is a day for food, football and family. It’s also the perfect day to stop and thank the One who gave us all of it. This short devotional takes about ten minutes. Read it before the meal, after dessert or on the drive to Grandma’s.
Read: Luke 17:11–19
Jesus was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee when ten men with leprosy called out to Him from a distance. Leprosy was a skin disease that forced people to live apart from their families and friends. The men begged Jesus for mercy, and He told them to go and show themselves to the priests. On the way, all ten were healed.
When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him—and he was a Samaritan. “Were not all ten cleansed?” Jesus asked. “Where then are the other nine? Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?”
Luke 17:15–18 (BSB)
Think about it
Ten men were healed. Only one turned around. The other nine weren’t bad people. They were probably thrilled, hurrying home to hug their families. They just never came back to say thank you.
Gratitude is more than feeling glad. It’s turning around to thank the One who gave the gift. The man who came back didn’t only get healed skin. He got to meet Jesus face to face and hear Him say, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well!”
That’s what Thanksgiving can be for your family: not just a day we feel grateful, but a day we turn around and thank God together.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name. For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.
Psalm 100:4–5 (BSB)
If this year has been hard
Maybe this Thanksgiving comes with an empty chair at the table, or a year that didn’t go the way you hoped. Giving thanks doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. The Bible tells us to give thanks in every circumstance, not for every circumstance. God is still good, and He is still with you. If you’re hurting, our page on hurt and suffering is for you.
Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (BSB)
Talk about it
For kids: Why do you think only one man came back to say thank you? What’s something God gave you this year that you want to thank Him for?
For teens and adults: When have you been like the nine, glad for something good but never stopping to thank God? What would change this week if you turned around and gave thanks more often?
Try this: the thankful jar
Set out a jar and some small slips of paper. Everyone writes or draws one thing they’re thankful for, folds it and drops it in the jar. After the meal, take turns pulling out slips and reading them aloud. Keep the jar going until Christmas and read them all again on Christmas Eve.
Pray together
God, thank You for being so good to us. Thank You for our food, our home and each person at this table. Thank You most of all for Jesus. Help us be like the man who came back, and remember to thank You every day, not just today. Amen.
Bible verses for Thanksgiving
Looking for a verse to read before the meal, write on place cards or drop in the thankful jar? Here are nine short Bible verses for Thanksgiving, each with a note for families.
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 107:1 (BSB)
This is the Bible’s simplest thank-you, repeated in several psalms. Young kids can learn it before dinner.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders.
Psalm 9:1 (BSB)
To recount means to tell again. Go around the table and have everyone name one thing God did this year.
The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Psalm 126:3 (BSB)
Write it on place cards, or on a slip for the thankful jar.
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145:15–16 (BSB)
These two verses make a simple table grace: every bite on your plate started in God’s open hand.
When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you.
Deuteronomy 8:10 (BSB)
God told Israel to thank Him after eating, too, so save a short prayer for after the pie.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
James 1:17 (BSB)
Ask the kids to name a good gift from this year, then talk about who it really came from.
Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.
Psalm 95:2 (BSB)
Singing counts as giving thanks. Sing a favorite worship song together before you eat.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 (BSB)
When a holiday gets crowded or tense, remember the three short words at the end of this verse.
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15 (BSB)
The best gift of all isn’t on the table. It’s Jesus, God’s gift too big for words.
A Thanksgiving prayer
Here is a prayer to read aloud before you eat. Try letting a different person read each sentence.
Father, thank You for this day and for this table. Thank You for the food in front of us and for everyone who grew it, carried it and cooked it. Thank You for the people beside us, and we remember with love those who aren’t here this year. Give us generous hearts toward neighbors who have less. Most of all, thank You for Jesus, Your indescribable gift. Help us keep giving thanks long after the dishes are done. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Questions about Thanksgiving and the ten lepers
In Luke 17:11-19, ten men with leprosy begged Jesus for mercy. He told them to show themselves to the priests, and on the way all ten were healed. Only one, a Samaritan, came back praising God and fell at Jesus’ feet to thank Him. Jesus asked, “Where then are the other nine?”
Luke doesn’t say. The other nine probably weren’t bad people; they were likely thrilled and hurrying home to their families. They just never came back to say thank you. The one who returned got more than healed skin. He met Jesus face to face and heard, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well!”
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.” First Thessalonians 5:18 says to “give thanks in every circumstance.” And Luke 17:11-19, about the one man who came back to thank Jesus, makes a short family reading before the meal.
Giving thanks doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. The Bible tells us to give thanks in every circumstance, not for every circumstance. If there’s an empty chair at the table or a year that didn’t go the way you hoped, God is still good, and He is still with you.
We’d love to see you on Sunday. Clarity Church meets Sundays at 10am at Edinbrook Elementary in Brooklyn Park. Come as you are.