"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.