There are few who move out. There are many who move in. That statement certainly applies to our nation. Despite the threats of this or that person moving north of the border or to some European nation infested with a pandemic because this person or that person got elected, we still have a country that few move out of, and many want to move in to. We are blessed in many respects. We are also challenged to become better in many areas, but we are blessed. We pray this remains so in the years ahead for our present young folks, so that our thanks to God will be continuous and true as time marches on. There are few who move out, and many who move in. Not only in the context of our nation of red, white, and blue, but also in the setting of a leper colony. Once you move in, it’s almost impossible to move out. A truer observation would be, “Once the many are forced into that village of contamination, one can move out only through a miracle of healing.” Easy in, but not easy out. In a leper colony, the easy out is when they carry out your dead body. It’s no wonder they yell so loud, raising their voices to fever pitch; “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us. We had to move into this village years ago and we cannot move out.” Lepers in the time of Jesus were no more than caged animals. Restricted in movement; forced to live in the city garbage dump; no friends to rely on. About as bad a situation as a roomful of patients with coronavirus. So, Jesus does what he does best. And if you think I’m referring to his healing power, I’m not. What the Lord does best is mercy. His miracles are made possible only through a heart that loves every part of his creation, except sin. But today, Thanksgiving Day, is centered more on the reaction to mercy rather than the mercy given. On the opposite reactions of returning to render thanks, or walking away without going out of one’s way to say “Thank you.” I believe we would all agree that “going out of the way,” which the Lord did, deserves another in return. After Jesus, we highlight the other All-Star in this Gospel story, the leper who returned to offer thanks. And we raise him/her as a model this day for all of us who have moved into the Kingdom of God, into this community, with the hopes of never moving out. Of course, the difference between our situation and that of the 10 lepers is, through faith, we’ve moved into a glorious community of believers, with all our health issues, personality traits, and idiosyncrasies, whereas the lepers cannot escape fast enough. Their community is not glorious at all. The one nameless leper who returns to Jesus is the Bible’s one continuous reminder for all people in all places and times to thank our Savior for his merciful actions that have moved us out of the community of sinners that Adam & Eve shoved us into, moving us out of that horrible place into the kingdom of light. We thank God for countless blessings bestowed, both physical and spiritual over the years. But more so for the move caused by his mercy; moving us from the country of Hades to the nation of Heaven. A good move indeed.