Thank You - Sermon by Rev. Stephen Milton

In Thank You, preached on Thanksgiving Sunday, Rev. Stephen Milton explores the healing power of gratitude through the story of the ten lepers. Only one—a Samaritan outsider—returns to thank Jesus, crossing social, religious, and physical borders in his act of faith. Rev. Milton contrasts this ancient gratitude with today’s culture of ratings and transactions, where appreciation is often reduced to stars and reviews. True gratitude, he reminds us, is not about judgment or worth but about humility and connection—a soul-level recognition of grace freely given. Drawing on examples from handwritten thank-you notes to a restaurant covered in messages of thanks, Milton shows how gratitude can dissolve boundaries, foster generosity, and make us whole in spirit. In a divided world, he calls us to rediscover gratitude as a sacred practice that heals both giver and receiver.