Thank God for American Idol

28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle C

Last week I had the pleasure, and pain, of watching 30 young people, including my daughter, Kimberly, prepare for and perform their final auditions for American Idol in front of the three judges; Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick, Jr., and Keith Urban. It was a wild ride, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in all my life. For three days we were virtually locked up in a room at the Marriott hotel downtown while the contestants went one by one into the dreaded audition room.

Everyone was there with their closest family and friends to lend their support. All except one – Woody. Woody is a big man, probably about 350 pounds, but he has the sweetest voice. He had traveled to Salt Lake on a bus alone from Little Rock. He had no one close to him who could share in his worry if he was rejected or his triumph if he made it though. He was sitting by himself or pacing back and forth, singing softly to himself. I went up to him and asked him if he had anyone there to support him and he said no. His family couldn’t afford to come. I told him we’d adopt him into ours and he came to sit in our little group.

Woody was a gospel singer, and he was upset because the one song that he had sung throughout all the prior auditions, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, was not approved to be sung on television. Simon and Garfunkel don’t give up the rights to sing their songs, I guess. Therefore, Woody would have to sing one of his other two songs, which he didn’t think were as good as his first choice. He was very worried and almost in tears.

As it happened, Woody went before the judges just ahead of Kimberly, so we were sitting waiting just outside the special American Idol door when he came out. We heard him first. That big man had an even bigger voice. And he was shouting at the top of his lungs, “Yes! Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Praise the Lord! God is good!” and so on as he paraded down the hall with his precious golden ticket to Hollywood clutched in his hand. He rushed past us with the cameras in tow and went around the corner into the holding room where all the other contestants were waiting. Shouting all the way. We then heard the holding room erupt in applause when he entered it, still shouting praises to God. He must have gone on for a half hour.

Thank you, Jesus! Praise you, Lord!

Woody was alone. He had no family and friends to share his joy with. But the first person he thought to thank was the Lord. Instinctively, his first thanks were to God. Not his high school music teacher or the producers or the judges, but God. He had been given a special talent by his creator, and he was giving that talent back to him. Woody got it.

You know, I sat there watching many of the contestants come back into that room, some as heroes and some as failures, and not one other one thought to thank God publicly for the gift they had been given. In fact, most of them were just glorifying in how wonderful they were or wallowing in self pity. Here I am, basking in my fifteen minutes of fame.

Ten were made whole, only this stranger returned to give thanks to God.

We do sometimes think to give thanks when something wonderful happens to us, like Woody did. We recognize the gift when it’s something we like. It’s hard to squeeze out that thank-you when the gift is somewhat disappointing. Do we ever stop to think that everything we have is a gift? Our lives, our possessions, our friends and family; all are gifts from God. When we wake up every morning is the first thought that pops into our heads, “Thank you, Lord, for giving me another day”? Or is it, "O God, not morning already!" as we roll over and hit the snooze button?

In order to be truly thankful we have to recognize the nature of the gift and of the giver. And sometimes the gift is not what we wanted or expected.

I thought Woody was wonderful in the pure joy he unleashed upon us. But I was even more proud of my daughter, Kimberly, in how she gave her thanks to God. You see, Kimi didn’t get a golden ticket. The judges heard her beautiful voice and didn’t pass her onto Hollywood stardom. Jennifer Lopez asked her if she had had any formal training and when she said she sung opera, asked Kimi to sing some for them. Then she said, “Girl, that’s what you should be singing. That’s your voice. Keep singing that.” And so we had to endure the pain of seeing our little girl come out that door empty handed, but with a sad, sweet smile on her face.

You know that these reality shows love to get you on camera when you’re hurting. They love the reaction. But instead of crying or complaining or making excuses, Kimi looked right at the cameras and said, “It’s ok. I got some really good advice and now I know the direction I need to go. But before I go, I want to sing a cadenza.” And she then proceeded to sing a cadenza so high the microphone started crackling. That is how she handled her disappointment, by singing. She is happiest when she’s singing, and I think that’s how she was giving her thanks to God, by offering his wonderful gift to her back to him for all to see. Plus, maybe she also just wanted to show off to Jennifer Lopez, who I know could hear her through the door.

Sometimes the gift is not what we expected or thought we wanted. But the gift is always what we truly need. Kimi doesn’t belong in Hollywood. Maybe Woody does. Either way, both of their lives were changed that day, and maybe now they both are headed in the directions they were meant to go.

The ten lepers’ lives were changed forever the day they met Jesus. I don’t think the other nine lepers failed to return to thank Jesus because they weren’t grateful. I think they just forgot to thank him in the joy of the moment. Luke says that the leper returned and fell at Jesus’ feet only after he realized he had been cured. Maybe it took a bit longer for the others to realize they had been cured. Maybe it took a very long time. Maybe they didn’t realize it until they were well on their way to Jerusalem. Then, in their amazement and joy they simply forgot to go back and say thank you. How many times in your life can you say the same about some gift you’ve been given? How often has it taken you a long time to realize that the gift came from God?

It’s not about us. It’s about the gift. As St. Paul tells Timothy today, “If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” God cannot deny himself. God’s nature is to be faithful to us, because that’s how love is. He won’t allow himself any other way, no matter how we react to the gifts he gives us. We may not recognize the gift or acknowledge the giver, but he will still give.

Thank God for that.