“Come, O Children, Listen to Me…”

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Meditation on Psalm 34

Oct. 28, 2012

***

I will bless the Lord at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
   let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
   and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life,
   and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
   and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
   seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
   and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
   to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
   and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
   and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
   but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
   not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”  (Psalm 34)

***

      Even though he felt kind of conspicuous, he came to the Bible study anyway.

      Henry, at 100 years old, told me that he was pretty sure he was the oldest person at RenVilla, the nursing home, or Meadows, the assisted living center where we were gathering last Tuesday for our first Bible study together. 

    And he would be the oldest one there. 

    Henry’s friend, who had come along to be his guide, grinned and quipped, “Somebody has to be!  Somebody has to be the oldest!”

     “Look at me,” I said, feeling kind of conspicuous myself.  At 47, I was a youngster. “We’ll be a great pair,” I said. “The oldest with the youngest.”

    I had arrived early to meet Henry at his room and make sure he had someone to escort him to the study.  Henry had never walked from his room to the elevators and the long, sometimes twisting hallways that would take him to the Meadows activities room.

    When I arrived, Henry’s friend was just arriving, too.

    Henry shook his finger at me and laughed, “You wanted to make sure I was coming!” 

    We had some time before the study began, so we three sat down and talked. 

     As usual, Henry told me how blessed he is.  Every time I visit, that’s what he says. He has become like the Psalmist describes, someone who blesses and praises the Lord at all times. And then Henry tells me how he has no idea why he is so blessed.  He doesn’t deserve God’s blessings. But he thanks God for another day.  And for feeling as well as he does.

   He wanted to go to the Bible study to learn, he said.  But he worried about not being able to see well enough to read, even large print.  And he is quite deaf, so if you are talking to him, you have to lean in real close and speak as clearly as possible in a voice that we former teachers of young children used to say was an “outdoor voice” rather than “indoor.”

    But someone—I don’t recall if it was Henry or his friend—said, “You’re never too old to learn.” 

     And then we made our way through the long hallways, to the elevator Henry had never ridden in, and more long hallways and twists and turns he had never walked before.

    We talked as we walked.  Mostly I listened. Henry doesn’t need much prodding when it comes to sharing his life stories and the ups and downs of his faith.

***

     The stories of people and their encounters with God are what I like the most about the Old Testament.  But often I find myself turning to the Psalms in my personal prayer and devotional time.

      The Psalms read like poetry, but really they are songs, ancient Israel’s hymnal. Some “Psalms” were composed and sung as early as the Bronze Age – 1600 to 1200 years Before Christ.  But all still convey a sense of immediacy, urgency, and raw human emotion; joy, sorrow, fear, anger, loneliness, triumph, despair—you can find them all in the Psalms.  

     The Psalms have the power to soothe fears, calm swiftly beating hearts, and remind us how personal and intimate our God really is. They are filled with the promises of God, assurances of His goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. They draw us back to the One who is for us, always with us, and never against us. The One who has redeemed us.

“O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your faces shall never be ashamed.”

And

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

     But the Psalms are not just songs. They are scripture, the writers inspired by God. Paul often quoted from the Psalms when he was preaching on his missionary journeys. The Psalms would have been well known to Paul’s Jewish audience.

     The Psalmist speaks of what it means to live as His people, humble people who are saved by grace.  People who fear and respect the Lord, seek His face, praise His name, and attempt to walk in His ways.

    And when the Psalmist cries out,

    “Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord,”

    he doesn’t just mean “children” as in youth and little kids.  He means children as in Children of God—people of faith.  He’s talking to all of us!

     Because learning about God and studying His Word is a lifelong endeavor. The Spirit that comes to us at our baptisms is our teacher. We are called as Christians to study His Word with other Christians and seek Him in prayer so that we may continue to grow, Spirit transformed more and more into new Creatures every day. 

***

    When we baptize Khloe Grace in a few moments, she, too, will be a new creature, claimed by Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit.  We will welcome her into the Body of Christ, a member of not just this congregation, but the Church in all times and places. We will also recommit our lives to the Lord and vow to join with her family to raise Khloe in the nurture and admonition of Him—to show and tell her what it means to live as a Christian and to grow in faith alongside her.  We will pray that she will be an active member of a loving Christian worship community, where people care for one another and faith is nurtured the whole life through.

   Because as Henry knows, you are never too old to learn, even if you are the oldest person in the Bible study.   Even if you are 100 years old!

   And you are never too old to share the stories of your faith and life.

   To say to God’s people,  “Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” 

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word that speaks of your mercy, compassion, and faithfulness to us, though we have not always been faithful to you. Transform us by Your Spirit into the humble children of God You want us to be. Remove all distracting thoughts from our minds, Lord, as You draw us nearer to You, so near we may we truly “taste and see that the Lord is good!” Give us the desire to dig deeper into Your Word and listen, really listen to Your voice, eager to obey.  Give us wisdom and love to nurture one another in the faith until we see Christ face to face. In Him we pray.  Amen.     
   

“We Are Able”

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Meditation on Mark 10:32-45

October 21, 2012

***

   They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’

     James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’

    And Jesus said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’

     Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

      When the ten heard this, they were angry with James and John.

      So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:32-45)

***

      Some of you may have noticed some new signs on the doors of our church when you came in this morning. Our children’s bell choir is selling a Christmas ornament to raise money for special T-shirts they will wear when they play during worship.

     The ornament is a small, pewter bell threaded with red ribbon. It has a simple but excellent message, “Worship the Lord!”

      We don’t need a lot of money for the shirts. There are only 7 children in our Joyful Jinglers. We could have asked the parents to buy them. But I wanted a way for the congregation to show their support for this young group that is beginning its first full season together. It would be a way to bless the bell ringers—and their families—for the sacrifices they are making to come to 8:30 a.m. practices every Sunday.

     I hope the ornament will be a reminder to us to pray for the children every time we see it. You can hang it most anywhere—not just on a Christmas tree. Please pray for Richard, Michelle, Jade, Adrienne, Anna, A.J., and Abi.

    Our children and grandchildren are the future of this church.  Ten or 20 years from now, they may be serving on session or teaching Sunday school! And wouldn’t it be amazing if they were still playing in our bell choir or even leading the next generation of Joyful Jinglers?

    You know, I was thinking about our bell choir yesterday when I was studying this week’s gospel lesson.

    The bell choir is an excellent place to learn to be a Christian servant. In our group, each student usually plays one handbell, one musical note.  No one is more important than another as no note is more important than another. All the notes are needed for every song!

    When we play, we have to be quiet and listen to one another. We have to pay attention as the notes are played, and wait our turn. We don’t want to be too early or too late or our note will drown out someone else’s—and make an unpleasant noise!

    We stop and laugh if that happens. Then we try again. We are patient.

    Playing handbells is harder than it looks! We encourage one another. Everyone goofs up sometime. Especially me!

    All of our music is new to us. Every time we play, though it may be an old familiar hymn to you, for us, we are singing to the Lord a new song!

   The time we spend together speeds by. Before we know it, it’s time to put down the bells and race to Sunday school.

   And we can’t wait till we get together and play again. We know that eventually we will play beautiful music together for the Lord. We always keep our goal in focus—worshiping Him!

   We believe we can do this.

   In Christ, we are able!

***

   

    James and John, in our gospel reading today, are not like our bell choir, though they, too, have confidence in Christ.

    The sons of Zebedee say to Jesus,‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’  

     They want to be exalted with Him in His kingdom, exalted above all others, including the other disciples. This is in spite of what Jesus just told them about what will happen to Him in Jerusalem—how he will suffer and die and be raised from the dead.

     Jesus answers them patiently, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

    James and John insist, “We are able.”  But they are not saying yes to suffering and dying with Jesus, which is what Jesus means when he speaks of the cup and his baptism.  Two others will suffer with Christ, a thief on a cross to His left and another on a cross to His right, when Jesus is crucified. And to the one who asks the Lord to remember him in His kingdom, Jesus says, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise!”

    The other disciples find out about James’ and John’s request—and they are angry.  Jesus explains to them that the rulers of this world are ungodly people who seek power to “lord it over” other people and exalt themselves.

    This isn’t how it is when we are in Christ. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many. He was slave of all.  We are called to try to outdo one another with kindness and good deeds.

    And it is only because of Christ that we are able to do any good at all.

***

     Friends, it is that time of year when the nominating committee is seeking the Lord about the future leadership of our congregation.

     Some of you may be approached about serving on session.

     Some of you may be tempted to say, “No,” right off the bat.  You may have served on session before.  You may remember times of conflict. Or you might think you are too old, too young, or that you just don’t have the time or energy to do the job.

    And it’s true that serving on session is a big commitment and responsibility.  But it is a calling, a ministry, and not a job. And it is time to put aside our past and look to the future with hope and faith.

    Think of session as a group kind of like our bell choir.  Every session is a new group within the church, and will continue to be a new thing. Because every day is a new day. Every moment we are new Creations in Him.

    Here at Ebenezer, we are learning a new song. And it isn’t scary because He is teaching us how to do this as we go along. God is in this!

    And when we learn how He wants us to serve Him, and when we learn to follow God’s Son together, it will feel as familiar and comfortable as the hymns we sang as children.

    Those of us who gather for session and committee meetings are friends. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord, who nurture and encourage one another in the faith. We care about each other; we care for one another; and we are not in competition.

     We gather to pray, “Lord help us to be your servants. Help us to love one another and build Your church.”   

     We listen and take turns speaking. We are careful not to drown out anyone’s voice or make an unpleasant noise.

     We laugh. We laugh! And we lift one another up. Because life is hard, and we need each other in this journey of faith!

    And we always keep our goal in focus. Worshiping Him.

    We can do this, brothers and sisters!

    In Christ, we are able!

Let us pray.

   Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ, who was slave of all and whose life was a ransom for many. We believe in Your salvation through Him and seek Your forgiveness.  Thank you for blessing us with faithful members who are cheerful and willing to serve and for the beautiful children in our church, children who want to participate in our worship by playing Christian songs on their bells!  We pray You would build their faith and confidence as they learn to worship you with their lives. We ask that you would draw them nearer to Your heart and make your loving presence known to them.  And we pray that you would help us to love one another. Guide us in Your will and build our faith and confidence, so that we would never doubt what you have called us to do.  Because we know, Lord, that in Christ, we are able!  In His name we pray.  Amen!

“The Promise of Rest”

Meditation on Hebrews 4:1-13 for Oct. 14, 2012

***

     Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

      For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “As in my anger I swore, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” though his works were finished at the foundation of the world.

      For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as follows, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this place it says, “They shall not enter my rest.”

      Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he sets a certain day—“today” —saying through David much later, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

      For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day.

      So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.

       Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

       Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

      And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. (Hebrews 4:1-13)

***

     

   ‘So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them on the sixth day. 

     God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. 

      God said, “See I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.  And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.  And it was so.

     And God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.  And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day. 

    Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.  And on the seventh day, God finished the work that he had done.  So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.’ (Genesis 1:27-2:1)  

    I thought about God’s creating work yesterday while I considered my previous week of ministry, beginning with Sunday’s communion worship, followed by a guest speaker and potluck.  It was busy, but certainly nothing like God’s week of labor, when he spoke creation into being and made human beings in His image.

    Still, for me, it was busy.

    On Monday and Tuesday, there were visits, office hours, phone calls and emails, Sunday worship planning, bulletin prep, and Facebook devotions. Worship committee met with me on Wednesday to plan music and programs through Advent, which include worship at RenVilla in November and tentatively an ecumenical, multigenerational Christmas choral program with the Renville United Methodist Church.  Something new and exciting for our community of faith.

    And then there was planning for adult Sunday school, a missionary couple’s visit in November, and music preparation for our children’s bell choir—the Joyful Jinglers.  And there were conversations with committee chairs to plan the agenda for session Wednesday night.  

    On Thursday afternoon and evening, Jim and I went first to Willmar for his work then on to Hutchinson for the rehearsal and planning for the outdoor wedding service of Lacey Aalderks and Dave Willems that I was blessed to preside over Friday evening.

     On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling so tired.  It had been a good week.  A fruitful week.  A week when the Lord had used me for His purposes, and I am grateful for that. But I was ready for rest! To cease from my labors. And I still had a sermon to write and an order of worship to finish up. 

      So I made myself a cup of tea and pulled out my Bible to consider the promise of God’s rest in Hebrews—our epistle reading today. This passage reaffirms our need as Christians to observe the Sabbath, one of the 10 commandments the Israelites received and continue to hold sacred today.  Yes, though we are the people of the New Covenant, not bound by law or circumcision, but by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we are also called to cease from our labors one day each week. Because God ceased from His labors on the seventh day—and not because He was tired. God never needs sleep!  He did it to show us the importance of ceasing from our labors and taking time to contemplate His goodness and His creating work in our lives.

    But what does the writer of Hebrews mean when he says that the promise of entering God’s rest is still open to us?  What does it mean that we should take care that none of us fail to reach it? What is this warning to not be like the Israelites who failed to enter God’s rest because they were not united in faith? What is the writer talking about when he says, “Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs”?

      This sabbath rest, to which the writer of Hebrews refers, is the same sabbath rest in Genesis that God experienced on the seventh day of Creation.  This sabbath rest that we read about in Hebrews, however, is something that has both already happened AND has not yet come to fruition.

     Creation is not yet complete!  All of Creation, including human beings, are still in the process of re-creation, redemption in Jesus Christ. Creation is complete when, as Paul says in Phillippians 2:10 and 11: “When every knee shall bend, in heaven on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

    Creation isn’t over until it’s over.  Until we in our resurrected bodies see Christ face to face. And our Lord says, “Well done.”

    So I have good news for you, my friends!  The Sabbath isn’t just one day of the week that we are called to cease from our labors and worship God. The Sabbath rest is God’s promise in Jesus Christ!  It is part of God’s gracious gift to those who believe. And it is still open to everyone who seeks it in faith.

     If you feel tired, like I do sometimes, my brothers and sisters, it isn’t just because you need more sleep.  It is because you haven’t made every effort to enter God’s rest! You have let yourself get too busy to notice that you are neglecting your personal devotional time with the Lord.  You have been relying on your own strength too much – and not relying enough on Him.

      Peace doesn’t just automatically come to you when you cease your labors one day a week, come to worship, and take a nap on a Sunday afternoon. You aren’t going to find peace and rest by sleeping in one day a week, either!

     You have to seek God’s rest, His peace, regularly. You have to seek Him and cast all your burdens on the one who wants to carry them for you and strengthen you with His Spirit! You have to pray—without ceasing, if you want His peace, His rest, to be a way of life. It is a promise to claim by faith.

     Brothers and sisters, we are a forgiven people! We are reconciled with God the Father in Christ the Son.

     The day of salvation is today! 

     Let us therefore make every effort, united in faith, to enter God’s rest, and experience Christ’s peace. Now and forever!

Will you pray with me?

   Holy Creator God, we thank you for Your Word that is living and active and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.  Let us never seek to hide from you or seek our peace and rest in our work or leisure time activities. Send Your Spirit to awaken and remind us, Lord, to seek your face daily, listen for your voice, and reach out and receive your spiritual gifts.   Thank you for your recreating work in us and all of Creation!  Thank you for your faithfulness to use us, though we are weak and allow ourselves to spend too much time doing so many things, when the important thing is just taking time and making space to be with You.  Thank you for Your salvation in Christ and for the peace and rest we experience as Your gift, Your promise to all who believe!  In Christ we pray.  Amen.

   

    

   

   

    

       

   

"Chance Encounter"

Sermon for Oct. 7, 2012

Luke 10:25-37

***

    “Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

   But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’

     Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

     But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.      

       The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”

      Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’

      He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’

      Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (Luke 10:25-37)

***

    We met at a baby shower, Michelle Dikken and I.  A chance encounter.

    The shower was here at the church and it was for Christi Weidemann, Jeff and Jane Dikken’s daughter.  Christi and her husband Jon had a brand new baby – Cole Robert, born in February. 

     Because it was a Saturday morning, my mind was in two places. I was meeting and welcoming people at the shower and trying to figure out how everybody was related to everybody else. And I was also thinking about what still needed to be done to prepare for Sunday worship, the next day.

     Somehow, after moving from table to table to visit with people, I ended up at Christi’s table, right next to Michelle Dikken.

     I hope I get this right. Michelle is married to Laurel Dikken’s son, David, who is Jeff Dikken’s brother.

     Michelle and I, among other things, talked about her church, City Hill Fellowship in Eden Prairie. She was excited about her volunteer work with one of her church’s outreach projects, House of Hope. The house, a partnership with an organization called Breaking Free, offers transitional housing and mentoring for women in Minnesota who are trying to rebuild and reclaim their lives, escaping the violence and abuse of human trafficking. Many women who get caught up in prostitution are runaways as young as 12 or 14 years old when men approach and coerce them into selling sex to survive on the streets—to have food to eat and a place to sleep.

      Michelle, along with other Christian women, has served as a volunteer counselor, mentor and friend to the women of House of Hope, some who think their lives are not worth saving or that they are beyond redeeming.

     That they are broken beyond repair.

     When Michelle talked about House of Hope and the women she wanted to help, the baby shower faded into the background. We lost all track of time and forgot, I think, that we were at a baby shower, even neglecting to pass on the adorable baby gifts that began to pile up in front of us.

      Though I talked with many people that morning, my conversation with Michelle was the only one I recall. The mental images of the women of House of Hope and the abusive and violent lives they were trying to escape lingered on and on.

       I felt compassion for these women, women whom I had never met.  I felt stirred, after this chance encounter with Michelle, to do something for them. 

      But what?  What could I do? House of Hope and Breaking Free are way out in the Twin Cities. Too far to drive from rural Renville every week to be a mentor or counselor.

     Still, my heart told me that these women are our neighbors, whom Jesus calls us to love.

***

      The Samaritan in our gospel reading today also felt moved to compassion when, in a chance encounter, he happened upon a traveler in desperate need.  The Samaritan knew right away what he should do.  He followed his heart and showed mercy, going way beyond kindness to a stranger.   He treated the man as if he loved him, as if he were a member of the man’s own family. And this, Jesus said, was being a good neighbor.

     The traveler had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead beside the road.  Most likely he would not have survived if the Samaritan had not intervened.  Especially since no other person passing by cared enough to give this man a second glance.   

    What makes the Samaritan’s compassion and acts of lovingkindness even more remarkable is that the traveler was a Jewish man from Jerusalem.  Jews detested Samaritans, and the feeling was mutual.

    Samaritans claim to be direct descendants of the Northern Israelites tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who survived the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.  Jews say Samaritans are not Israelites; they are descendants of colonists the Assyrians brought into the area from other lands that they had conquered.  

      Deepening the hatred between these two groups was that Samaritans opposed the building of the temple of Jerusalem. They believed the Lord should be worshiped on a mountain, instead. 

     You can imagine the shock of Christ’s audience when he told the story of the Good Samaritan, and explained to the Jewish lawyer how he could “inherit” eternal life—essentially by showing mercy to everyone in need, regardless of who they were and where they lived.

***

     Some time after the baby shower, I shared my conversation with Michelle Dikken with our mission committee. I told them how Breaking Free and House of Hope is reaching out to women and girls who used to be prostitutes. And the mission committee felt the same way I did! 

      But they changed the question from, “What can I do to help?” to “What can we do to help these women and the organization that reaches out to them?”

      Session showed their compassion when they approved the mission committee’s recommendation to donate the church’s portion of today’s Peacemaking Offering and the proceeds from our mission yard sale to Breaking Free.

      All that has transpired since my conversation with Michelle has led me to believe that my chance encounter at a baby shower was no chance encounter!  The Spirit arranged that meeting and said, “Pay attention,” when Michelle was talking about her volunteer work. It was the Spirit that revealed to us at Ebenezer people who are in need, whom our congregation is able to help when we work together.

       Brothers and sisters, today I say thank you for your faithfulness to Jesus Christ and His call to love our neighbors as much as ourselves.

      Lord bless you for your compassion and generosity to our neighbors in need, no matter who they are and where they live.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that we may be reconciled with not only you, but with one another.  Thank you for uniting us in Your Spirit and blessing us with compassion for our neighbors in need.  Thank you for being faithful to use us to mend broken hearts and be the loving presence of Christ for people who have no hope.  We pray, Lord, that the volunteers with Breaking Free will truly be able to help women and girls live new lives.  Fill these women with the hope and promise of being new creations in Christ and forgiveness through Him.  Lord, we ask that you continue to build our faith and lead us to serve and praise You all of our days.  In Your Son’s precious name we pray.  Amen.