One Thankful Soul: Remembering God during this season of Thanksgiving
Dean Jason Curry • November 23, 2017

 The story of the healing of the ten lepers, which is found in Luke 17:11-19, continues to remain one of my favorite stories of the bible. Over the past twenty years, I’ve heard countless sermons delivered from this text, yet, the spiritual insights revealed in this brief passage of scripture do not dim or fade over the course of time. In short, Jesus encountered ten people who were afflicted with leprosy. They asked Jesus for help and healing, and Jesus told them to go to the priest. As they were going to the priest, the people were healed. Nine out of the ten neglected or perhaps refused to say “thank you” to God or Jesus for their restored health. However, the text says that there was one person who had both the inclination and the audacity to thank Jesus for healing him.

              Even though the story was recorded in salvation history approximately two-thousand years ago, the insights provided by the scripture are as relevant today as they were during Jesus’ day. We too know people who have asked God for assistance or a miracle and forgot or refused to thank God when they received it. We too know people who have listened to the voice of God (like the lepers who were going to the priest), stepped out on faith (with their marriages, businesses, academic goals and career plans), and received a blessing before they even reached their goal. We too know people who were not ashamed to give God glory in their homes, at their jobs or even among strangers because they recognized, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God had been good to them. Yes, the story of the healing of the ten lepers may be two-thousand years old; however, the insights are as relevant today as they have been for thousands of years.

               As I reread this passage of scripture during this season of Thanksgiving, I am encouraged by the one leper who glorified God after his body was healed. I remain in awe of this “one thankful soul” because there have been times in my life when I forgot to thank God for all of the manifold blessings that God unceasingly poured upon me. During this Thanksgiving season, I stand with the one leper who glorified God after he was healed (Luke 17:15). If you neither had had the time nor the inclination to glorify God for all that God had done in your life, I invite you to give God the glory today and during this Thanksgiving season. For all that God has done, for all that God is doing, and for all that God will do, during this Thanksgiving season, we pause to say “thank you.”



By Dean Jason Curry February 26, 2020
I was blessed to have had the opportunity to be raised by someone who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. My uncle, Mr. Bob Gore, who is much like a father to me, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others during the 1960’s. I continue to be amazed by the heroic and unprecedented sacrifices made by both the leaders and the participants of the Civil Rights Movement. To my surprise, Mr. uncle informed me that many African-Americans and white Americans did not participate in “The Movement.” Some people were resistant to Dr. King’s leadership because they were concerned about their employment or their physical well-being (e.g., it was possible to become injured or killed while marching). Like the Hebrews in Moses’ day, people “grumbled” against Dr. King (see Exodus 16:2). Nevertheless, Dr. King, additional leaders of the Movement and many followers stayed the course. The criticisms of white clergy (see Dr. King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”) , the threats and acts of violence, the loss of income and the ostracization by family members or friends did not dissuade them from their mission. The leaders often heard the “grumblings” of the people; however, they held on to their purpose. My uncle’s commitment to assisting African-Americans in the process of attaining our Civil Rights would prove to be instrumental in my character development and sense of political consciousness. I am eternally grateful for his involvement in my life. Leadership is a challenging phenomenon. Undoubtedly, leaders are essential for the cohesion of society. People need leaders, and in the absence of ethical and visionary leadership, the historical record throughout the world has proven that people will following myopic, ineffective, unethical and seemingly incompetent leaders. Moses and his brother Aaron were competent, ethical, divinely-inspired and visionary leaders; however, the people often “grumbled” against them. At one point, the Hebrews criticized Moses, and wished that he had not freed from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 13:3). Moses listened, but depersonalized their grumblings. Essentially, he said: “You are not grumbling against me, but against the Lord (Exodus 16:8).” Moses loved the people and cared for the people in spite of their grumblings. Moses prayed to the Lord during his challenging, leadership experiences, and the Lord provided the people with manna, which is bread from heaven (Exodus 16:15).” If God has appointed you as a leader at you job, in your home, at your church or in your civic or social organization, I want to encourage you to continue to be an ethical, visionary, competent and divinely inspired leader. Stay the course, even when you hear the grumblings of the people, and watch the Lord provide resources (also known as manna) for you.
By Dean Jason Curry July 23, 2019
As an African-American, I celebrate the recent election of four Congresswomen of color: Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Even though there were Congresswomen of color leading the nation on Capitol Hill prior to their arrival, their election to the most powerful and prestigious legislative body in the world should be celebrated given the racist and sexist history and extant racist and sexist climate of this country. As a Christian minster, I do not embrace each and every political position championed by these courageous, four women; however, I celebrate their achievements, support their vision for a more inclusive society and support their Constitutional right to dissent and challenge the status quo. Lost in this mainstream discussion about their views which are in opposition to the President, conservative America and racist America is the fact that they are Black people (i.e., people of African descent) whose brilliance, tenacity, vision and diligence earned them a place in history. Their very presence should be cause of celebration for America. I know many people who are affiliated with the Black Church celebrate their historic achievements and/or their current political position(s). I understand that some white, evangelicals cannot or will not celebrate black excellence. However, the caustic, racist, xenophobic political climate that they refuse to denounce poses a threat to both Black life and the Christian message. Much of the rhetoric which appears in national headlines is anti-Christian. For example, the popular chant “Send Her Back” is in direct contradiction to the Christian mandate to love one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:39) and to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35). The silence of the church as it concerns the racist, sexist, xenophobic, divisive and dangerous national narrative, means that church is in agreement with it. This silence cripples community, cheapens Christianity, causes faith to falter, truncates the truth, promotes a nihilistic threat to Black life as it dissuades a generation of people from wanting to embrace Christ. If it is not careful, the evangelical church that supports this caustic narrative will be on the wrong side of both human and salvation history. Jesus encouraged humanity to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:34-40). As members of the church universal, we have a Christian mandate to support a narrative which affirms the humanity and dignity of people wherever and however they may be found. As Christian leaders and laity, we must denounce any narrative which seeks to devaluate and dehumanize people. Indeed, we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). However, if the salt has lost its saltiness, what is it good for (Matthew 5:13)?