The Parables of Jesus: The Prodigal Son, 4/24/16

Sermon April 24 – the prodigal son          Lk 15:11-32

The context – vs the Pharisees

The Pharisees statement – tax collectors and sinners

Lost sheep, lost coin, lost son

They are cast as the elder son, the sinners as the prodigal

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. ²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Series on parables

Prodigal son

Timely even in Jesus day

Even in Jesus day, people had trouble w their kids

The fact that Jesus told this story tells me that Jesus cared about this

He had no children, but he got it

People worried about their kids

People still worry about their kids

Don’t let your worry about your kids ruin your life

Side bar, he ignores the law……. Jesus was unscriptural [not a biblical literalist]

There is a new way, a new sheriff in town – focus on the law is gone, now we focus on grace

¹⁸ If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him,¹⁹ his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. ²⁰ They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” ²¹ Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.  Deut 21:18

Retitle the story – the parable of the lost sons.  Both are lost.

Some of us have had the prodigal but we have all been the prodigal

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory romans 3:23

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way; Isaiah 53:6

The sons request means—he wants his father to die.

This is horrible……… you cant die soon enough for me… I want it now

And so we are all pulled by the voice of the world—where he found no consolation; only an empty longing for home;

We long for return - Henry Nouwen

To be united with our parents to be connected

Me and Dad – I didn’t even know what I did…………..

There is so much sadness in this story.

So much needless suffering.  Most of it self inflicted.

Whatever he had lost, be it his money, his friends, his reputation, his self-respect, his inner joy and peace—one or all—he still remained his father’s child.

When we cant see the grace- HOW SAD

But we have trouble returning because of the older brother

We have low self esteem

And someone is going to judge us

Older brother

Last week we talked about the unmerciful servant and how he focused on what someone owed him, instead of what the king had done for him.  Jesus wanted peter to think not about what was done to him, but instead to think about what was done for him by God

If you catch yourself being plagued by jealousy, anger, touchiness, sullenness, or a subtle self-righteousness.  If you catch yourself complaining and being riddled with resentment, you might just be dealing with older brother syndrome.

The sad proximity of virtue or sainthood and self-righteousness

Self-righteousness so easily becomes attached to our virtue and we are no longer virtuous

  the resentful “saint” is lost but it is so hard to see because it is so closely wedded to the desire to be good and virtuous.

Returning home from a lustful escapade seems so much easier than returning home from a cold anger that has rooted itself in the deepest corners of his being. 

 resentment is not something that can be easily distinguished and dealt with rationally.

Then there is the Father!  Thank God!  This story just took a turn for the better!

Many Xians would have the prodigal kneel and beg for forgiveness

Extravagant.  Wasteful!

·        Here is the God I want to believe in:

·        a Father who, from the beginning of creation, has stretched out his arms in merciful blessing,

·        never forcing himself on anyone, but always waiting,

·        never letting his arms drown in despair,

·        but always hoping that his children will return so that he can speak words of love to them and let his tired arms rest on the shoulders. 

·        His only desire is to love us.

Here lies hidden the great call to conversion:  to learn to look not with the eyes of my own low self-esteem, but with the eyes of God’s love.  As long as I keep looking at God as a landowner, as a father who wants to get the most out of me for the least cost, I cannot but become jealous, bitter, and resentful toward my fellow workers

or my brothers and sisters.

Party – a party was thrown

I realize that I am not used to the image of God throwing a big party.  It seems to contradict the solemnity and seriousness I have always attached to God. 

We can eat out any time that we want.

No big deal for us, huge for people that live in food scarce times

But when I think about the ways in which Jesus describes God’s Kingdom, a joyful banquet is often at its center.

We long for return, so do it

Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, Come home, come home, ye who are weary

But the good news here is not just that we come home.

Jesus sets and example for the Pharisees and the sinners present…….

We are invited to Become the father

The Parables of Jesus: The Unmerciful Servant, 4/17/16

Sermon 4-17-16 The unmerciful servant- Mt 18:21-35

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

 ²¹Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  ²²Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^{[f]  23}"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^[g] was brought to him. ²⁵Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.  ²⁶"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' ²⁷The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.  ²⁸"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.  ²⁹"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'  ³⁰"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.  ³²"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' ³⁴In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 ³⁵"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Peter wants to be unforgiving

I forgave 7 times!!!  When can I exact revenge?
Let me do enough to be religious and then I want to go back to being human

As if it were optional, for many Christians, Forgiveness is pushed over in the corner, like maybe one of these days I will get around to it

Jesus makes it clear that it is a central part of being a part of the kingdom. 

Here is that kingdom thing again…….. what does it mean?

An integral part of being a Christ follower.

Don’t think that this is easy- it is a constant battle

Peter begins in one direction….Jesus turns it around.

          Jesus does that- paradigm change

          We are not just asked to change a few ideas, jesus goes for

paradigm change

Peter wants to know how much he should offer grace to another,

Jesus shows him how much grace he has received.

When we realize how much we have received, our outlook changes….

          Its hard to upset with DH when I consider how much grace I have

been given

4 characters

1.   king-

2.   unmerciful servant-

3.   servant 2

4.   the books for accounting

who do the characters in the story correspond to?

God is the king, Peter is servant 1,

He is holding the books

The second servant is the person that we need to forgive

what role do we play in the story??

The actions of the king

Wants to settle accounts- he is a good businessman- bring me the books.

Calls in servant

Servant asks for mercy= Be patient, I will repay

The king does not say, “ok, I will give you more time”…..the Debt is cancelled- this is a giant grace!!

$20?  $500 sometimes its better to release the person than to hold on to it.

 

The actions of the servant

Asks for mercy and receives it

Finds a fellow servant, throws him into debtors prison

I love what the other servants do

          Always carry yourself in a way that you are open to being questioned

          We will never learn if we don’t listen to those who disagree

The other servants know what is right…..they are distressed at the injustice

People know what is right….

the size of the debt

1 denarius is a day’s labor.  100 denarii = 1/3 year’s salary or $11,000

6000 denarius = one silver talent x 10,000 owed

60 million days of work 164000 years of working.

2 billion, 800 million dollars [at minimum wage]

not large vs small

but unrepayalbe sum vs a small sum

Can the debt be paid

As a side bar, What kind of a servant racks up this kind of debt?

Servant thinks….Boy this is a stupid king………look how much he has loaned to me…

He thinks I am going to pay him……….

He is ungrateful and he doesn’t get it.

He does not understand why the debt is forgiven

I will pay back the debt

Can he pay it back? 164,000 years

Does the king release the debt because of what the servant says?

No

Is it because it is good business?

The king has become a bad businessman

The king is no longer in the good business business.

It does not make sense it does not add up in the book.

The king lets the accounting system go

If I stay with the system, the debt will never be cancelled

          My kids don’t balance checkbook.  I do sort of

Joni horn balances to the penny. 

So for some profound reason, he tosses the book- makes no worldly sense

There is something going on inside of the king that makes him want to forgive.

People are more important than the debts

Email from josh

How sad that the servant, even after being forgiven, is unforgiving

He sees a fellow servant and busts him

The servant holds onto the book.  He refuses to set aside the book.

As long as we hold onto the book, the other person will never be free.

Torture-Great ending…..parable about grace that ends in torture….

What is the torture……..surely Jesus did not mean that people should be beaten…

The servant could not put down his book.  He carried it in to see the king, he carried it in the streets, he carried it to prison.

If you want to stick with the book, then you will pay by the book.

He clings to his books, his idea of right and wrong.

And he totally misses grace

He spends the rest of his life in prison, a prison of his own accounting

This is possible for people….to know God’s grace, but still hold the books

Go home and lose an argument!!

living by the book is not an attractive way of living

life rooted in the books – shapes everything

we keep track and we keep score

If u hold others to the books, then u yourself are also tortured by the judgment.

it is a torture of the heart and soul

it looks like good business, but it is a form of torture

it is judgment, it is hatred, it is separation it is hell on earth

do you want to live in an account ledger relationship with God?

NO  Hell NO

What the king does in the story is to decide that we will not live by the books

The man asks for grace, the king gives the grace

This is good news - God has tossed out the books. In Jesus

If the gospel gets a hold of you, then you have to toss the books.

Because you have seen what torture they can be, and now you are free.

God’s love and grace are amazing!

What happens to the debt- the books r gone, but what about the debt?

Forgiveness costs someone

When we exact revenge, we make them pay.

When we hold out forgiveness,

We take the pain, we absorb the hatred meant for them, we absorb the energy

we take the pain and we die to the book keeping system so that someone else can go free

This is amazing, this is holy.  This is spirituality at its finest

What happens to the debt.  Who pays it.  Where does the $ go?  Who eats it?

The master writes it off as a bad debt

Jesus tells a story about a king who pays the price, bears the cost and sets aside the book keeping so that a servant can have new life.

This is what we are to do – set aside the books

I think of 1 cor 13:5– love keeps no record of wrongs.

If I see myself as wounded, I look for the perpetuator

If I see myself as whole, I have to let go of the offense

If I concentrate on what others have done, I am wounded

If I concentrate on what God has done, I am so overwhelmed by grace that I cant help but change

Today jesus asks us to Set aside your system of accounting
Offer forgiveness to any persons that the Holy Spirit would bring to your mind
Lets move forward into the rest of this day and into our future with a clean heart.

let us pray

Parables of the Kingdom: Pearl, Treasure & the Rich Man, 4/3/16

Sermon 4-3-16 parables of the kingdom pearl, treasure and the rich man

Matthew 13:44-46 New International Version (NIV)  The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Luke 12:13-21 New International Version (NIV)  The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”  16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’  18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’  20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

New series

I have been reading a lot of Richard rohr lately.  Good stuff.  Makes you think.

Some of his stuff is in here some where.

4 weeks on the parables

Today – the treasure, the pearl and the rich fool

These get right at the heart of the kingdom

What is this kingdom????????????????????????

The apostles creed and the lack of mention of the kingdom in it

We have left the kingdom thinking and made salvation a transaction, then we go on w our lives

There is nothing sweet about these parables. 

Jesus is pretty serious about this kingdom stuff

Jesus isn’t just the nice guy who carries the lamb

Jesus challenges people - he boldly confronts our arrogance

John 6:66

These parables ask..

What is really important?

What would you give up for it?

What are things in life that you have sacrificed for?

Opening day at the k.

Time for a couple of softball stories that illustrate how easy it is to get off track and forget what is important.

Gary Vaughn chainlink story

Gary glenn story.

Bud young and the 1500 pontoon boat. No 1200 no 800 pontoon boat. [move]

Self is still in the way

E. Stanley Jones

Jesus is God’s yes to me. I respond with “yes”. That is it. The beginning, the rest of my life is my yes to God’s world. 

We say yes to Jesus once, then repeatedly say no no no no

The disciples left everything to follow Jesus, except themselves.

                                                                                   

Self is concerned with position, place and power.

Un surrendered  self is always in the way.

Regarding the ego, Stanley jones said,

Wherever I go, I go too – and I spoil everything.

Are you dead to self? Dog is told to play dead, looks dead except his tail is wagging – so it is with many Christians…….. yes I've died to self, but my tail is still wagging.

We Christians like, 1 Timothy 6:10-12

 ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

Whew that takes us off of the hook.

We can still have all of our money as long as we don’t love it.

Problem is, we do.  We do love our stuff.

We let ourselves off of the hook but don’t apply the principle.

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

 Richard rohr stuff

 Why does Jesus teach us to get stuff out of the way?

We love it.  We want it.  We depend upon it

It gets in the way. 

At the feeding event…….. video…….. I have come to believe that having too much is just as bad as not having enough.

It is hard to live a life of great compassion when your life is busy taking care of all of your stuff

When dad died, oh we had the stuff

Retired minister moves to patio home

 Stuff is a diversion

We never begin to experience true conversion until we die to our love for stuff

Yes Jesus died for my sin on the cross, but he also showed us on the cross how to live.

Emptying yourself and making yourself available to others

The path to salvation is marked by more than a sinner’s prayer.

You can say a few words and keep your life, keep your pearls

The path to salvation is also marked by release of desires and worry.  It is marked by walking away from the love of earthly things.  Only then can we be healed by god and be used by god to heal others

How to find happiness in this life

Get rid of selfish attitudes

          I want what I want when I want it

          If you don’t play w me, I am going home

          If it is not my way, then I am going to quit

We are imposing conditions on our happiness

If you find this attitude within yourself, get rid of it

Sell it to find what really matters

Lose your life to find it.

The man w three wishes

          I want my wife to die

          I want my wife back

          I don’t know what to ask for….money? health? Immortality? Love?

God says, ask to be happy no matter what

Find your treasure not in things, not in circumstances, but in God

And so it is our 40 year anniversary.

Why have we grown?

1.    Good worship and programs

2.   You invited your friends

3.   We removed barriers to growth.  In other words, we set aside our comfort and personal preference to reach others.  We killed our sacred cows and reorganized to pursue the mission.

This is unusual, and I praise you for it.  To have a heart that says I will give up my preference, I will sell it all for the kingdom, this is what jesus was asking his followers to do.

Thank you for -

Seek ye first the kingdom of God

Stories Jesus Told; Seeds and Yeast - Matthew 13:31-33 02-14-10

Ash Wednesday is this week!

Stories Jesus told: Seeds and yeast -Mt 13:31-33 2-14-2010

31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
33He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Ash Wednesday is this week

Jesus makes it simple and clear
The nature of the kingdom is simple and clear
When you hear people making it complicated, watch out
Some latest fad, some latest teaching
There is nothing new under the sun
The simple loving grace of God beckons humans

1. In the kingdom of heaven
The seed becomes a tree
a.that is its purpose
there is a genetic code inside of it that calls it to be
Its what we do
Olathe oak
We hold each other up, we provide shade
b.It takes time
Be patient with yourself

Number of people that I talk to that are down on themselves….
Beating down one’s self because you don’t feel spiritual
Feelings of spirituality are fleeting
True spirituality makes a person humble, useable by god
When you start to feel real spiritual, you better watch out
Get acclimated to feeling unworthy-this is characteristic of the saints
Be patient with yourself.

Fruits and seeds
A woman dreamed that she walked into a brand new shop in the marketplace and, to her great surprise, found God behind the counter.
"What do you sell here?" she asked.
"Everything your heart desires," replied God.
"That is just wonderful," said the woman. "If that is so, I want peace of mind and love and wisdom and happiness and freedom from fear."
And, after a moment, she added, "Not just for me. For everyone on earth."
God smiled and said. "I think you have me wrong. We don't sell fruits here. Only seeds."

Don’t worry about being a genius….
Do you think the disciples were spiritual geniuses
share Gods love and put yourself in a position to grow.

This is a miracle

2. In the kingdom of heaven
The leaven acts on you, the dough
A little bit at a time
The love of god interacts with those places that are hard to get to
The innermost places of your heart
You change a little at a time, just like a big ship
Look back on your life- are you more gracious than you used to be? Are there things that used to bother you but now they don’t?

Story – illustration: a Time when I was acted on by another.
The words of my father act on me a little bit at a time
Jeff you talk too much
The words of a favorite professor, inscribed in my heart and mind, speak to me for my entire life and call me to change

But pastor, I have an Amazing story of conversion?
Yes but it still takes time for you to apply what happened to your life. For you to understand it.
The holy spirit acts on you a little bit at a time.

3.In the kingdom of heaven
You are the leaven, acting on others
Don’t have to close the sale
Jesus did not say the kingdom is like a person with a hammer
The kingdom is like a person with a guillotine
The kingdom is like yeast-acting on others
Sneak in, show up, be there.

Have you made an impact on the life of someone else?
How did it happen?

You are an active agent in the hands of a living god
You are the seed that becomes a tree

The great danger of life is that we will tire from our tasks, our purposes, our energy will wain – no matter how amped we are about something – time takes its toll.

The great Russian writer Solzhenitsyn, now self-exiled in Vermont, writing on the difference between communist countries and democratic America: "In the United States, the difficulties are not a Minotaur or a dragon - not imprisonment, hard labor, death, government harassment and censorship - but cupidity, boredom, sloppiness, indifference. Not the acts of a mighty, all-pervading repressive government but the failure of a listless public to make use of the freedom that is its birthright."

If you are a seed-
Where is your passion.
What is that which God has put inside of you?
Where is the point where your heart meets thee needs of others
An agent has a power, a dream, a persistence.

Do you see yourself as overwhelmed? Are you self focused? Does your ego get in the way of the cause? Do you do what you do out of obligation? Would you rather just maintain the status quo then risk effective change – or

Are you in touch with your passion? When we are, we possess enthusiasm and energy. You concentrate on your life purpose. You lead out with a surrendered ego. You have a clear vision. You are willing to take risks. You are confident.

Years ago the kids used to sing, I am a promise, a possibility

conclusion
Daffodil bulbs that came to life

Seeds dormant for 200 500 1800 years can come to life
You are a force, a power, an active agent in the hands of a living god

Stories Jesus Told: The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

Sermon 2-7-2010 the good Samaritan-Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" ²⁷He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'^[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[d]" ²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." ²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" ³⁰In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' ³⁶"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" ³⁷The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Bob Fillmore likes to talk about “sitting under a scripture”

What must I do to inherit eternal life? What does the law say?

Love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself. - Who is my neighbor? – tells story

Why did Jesus tell this story?

He is answering a question about inheriting eternal life…….

He does not say, say the sinners prayer or even believe in me.

A shift in theological paradigms……….

No longer simply to believe

But a choice to live a life based on the principles of Christ

Its not what you believe that counts, its what you believe enough to do. 87

This story gives us a real glimpse into what Jesus taught.

As we sit under this story, there are multiple things to consider.

Jesus did not tell this story in hopes that we would walk on by

We are the righteous. We don’t hang w folks like that.

I might get hurt. It might be a trap. I am going back to the safe haven

I am a believer, that is what Christianity is about

He is not setting up the priest and the levites as examples to follow…..

Jesus did not tell this story in order to make someone feel guilty

You didn’t stop, you are bad. You didn’t do enough, you are bad.

The good ones stop and help. You didn’t, you are bad.

Guilt, shame,

While you are at it, wear nice clothes. Don’t play cards. Don’t drink smoke or cuss.

You are bad if you do bad things and you and bad if you don’t do good things.

Remember the movie the princess bride…..

Princess buttercup is being shamed………..

Boo boo boo

Bow to the queen-Queen of refuse- Bow to the queen of slime-The queen of Filth

The queen of Putrescence -Boo, boo, boo

Jesus was not in the business of guilt and shame

Jesus didn’t tell this so the Samaritan, whoever it was, could feel smug

Maybe that person was in the crowd that day, maybe it was a parable,

It was not his intent that this would be a one time thing.

Yes, I helped the broken man. I did the right thing.

I went on the mission trip. I wrote a check to Haiti.

We should never feel smug or satisfied when we do something good in the name of the lord.

The purpose of the story is not an invitation to interrupt your regular life to help someone, and then go back to whatever you were when it is over.

This is a story that invites people to make a life change and to stop the practice of justifying themselves.

The expert in the law wanted to justify himself…..

Get himself off of the hook. So do we

I do this, I do that. I go here, I go there.

Then the other 90% of my life I do whatever I want

Are you starting to feel the pain of this story?

In this story, Jesus invites us to touch the wounded.

Giving money is fine. The Samaritan did this.

Would it have been enough for the Samaritan to leave some money with the man, or to go to the next town and give money to the rescue mission, saying hey, there is a guy laying out there…..

Something happens when you touch the wounded. When you hug the weary. When you spend time with the lonely. When you wipe the brow of the sick.

Mother Teresa would not be remembered as mother Teresa if she only sent a check.

In this story, Jesus invites us into a lifestyle chg- what did Samaritan do?

1. Samaritan took no consideration of what country the man was from
2. went to him
3. bound up his wounds
4. put him on his beast/took him to the inn
5. cared for him at the inn
6. left money for his care
7. promised to come back and take care of anything else
8. he is full engaged in an act of caring

Priests and Levite walked by, on their way to their business

Samaritan put aside his business for the man

He Recognized that God’s business is his business

But if God’s business is our business, how much of it should we be doing?

How often should we be doing it?

I am not talking about some guilt laden list of rules

I am talking about the basic principles with which you live your life.

The Christian life is an invitation to live outside of ones self

To be outward focused. Other focused- what did Jesus teach?

• Take up your cross and follow me
• Go the second mile
• Lose your life to find it.
• Go ye into all the world

This story is not an invitation for you to help, the next opportunity that you get

It is an invitation for you to see every moment of your life as an opportunity to share gods love and grace with others.

Again, I am not talking about a guilt laden list of rules

I am talking about a change in your heart and brain that says, I am about them. I am looking for the lost, the broken the hurting. I will set aside my comfort and my preference and my schedule to be Jesus to the hurting.

And not really just to the hurting. But to everyone. I will “see” and care about every person. I refuse to pass any one by.

Mother Teresa quote……..

I celebrate WCC missions.! Awesome.! But I am gripped occasionally by a feeling that there is more. That we have yet to fulfill our potential. That God’s call beckons us to something more

I recently read the book, The hole in our gospel by Richard Stearns

And I wonder if some of the thoughts in this book will send us in God’s direction

Baseball is like church, many attend, few understand. Leo Durocher 169

We have drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium. Paul Harvey 169

Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God- Bob Pierce 9

The true gospel is a call to self denial, not a call to self fulfillment. – john macarthur 25

When we say that we want to be his disciple, yet attach a list of conditions, Jesus refuses to accept our terms. His terms involve unconditional surrender. 38

What if there are children who will suffer somehow because I failed to obey God?

15,000 Africans are dying each day of preventable diseases…..this would never be allowed to happen anywhere else……

Can you imagine the impact on our own culture if American Christians began using their riches as if they belonged to God? 208

If we truly love god, we will express it by loving our neighbors, and when we truly love our neighbors, it expresses our love for God. 66

Don’t fail to do something just because you cant do everything. 152

Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. Henry van dyke 257

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret mead 241

If you are looking for a way to give yourself away- bulletin insert

Worrying about the economy, striving to collect what we want in this life, we end up depressed-there is a reason for this. – we were created for something more….”just as the bird sings and the flower blooms when we are living out our true purpose we do so without effort. In fact, we find exhilaration from doing that which we were always intended to do.

Close the service….with a question….

What must I do to inherit eternal life- love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself-

which of these three was the neighbor? The one who showed mercy.

Go thou and do likewise.