WHO’s Your Boss?
Luke 12: 32-40 NRSV

Personnel directors of one hundred corporations were asked to describe their most unusual experiences interviewing prospective employees. Here are some:

-A job applicant challenged the interviewer to an arm wrestle.
-Interviewee wore a Walkman, explaining that she could listen to the interviewer and the music at the same time.
-Candidate fell off chair and broke arm during interview.
-Candidate announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and French fries in the interviewer’s office.
-Candidate said he never finished high school because he was kidnapped and kept in a closet in Mexico.
-Balding Candidate excused himself and returned to the office a few minutes later wearing a headpiece.
-Applicant said if he was hired he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.

My favorite: The applicant interrupted interview to phone her therapist for advice on how to answer specific interview questions.

Employee job descriptions are subject to company expectations and supervision.   

Did you see this TV show? A young man named Ronnie was a shift supervisor who happened to be training a woman named Sarah for what he thought was her new job as a waitress at a Boston Market restaurant.  

As they worked, Ronnie talked about how much the customers irritated him. “I literally hate customers more than anything in the entire world. I hate them so much,” he told Sarah. “It’s all about them all the time and their demands,” he continued, adding his disdain at having to suffer through the day serving customers.  

Oops! Sarah was, in fact, the “Chief Brand Officer” at Boston Market who was a subject on CBS’s Undercover Boss. Ronnie was shocked to learn the trainee was actually a bigwig at the company. Even after he learned who she was, he still failed to show any remorse at his comments.  

“I could tell them my attitude would change but I don’t think it was that terrible,” he said, out of earshot of Sarah after the big reveal. Let’s hear about Jesus’ concept of employee relations from Luke 12: 32-40:

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 

Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.  

“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”  

Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?

Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. 

That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. 

This is a great illustration of how the kingdom of God takes the attitudes and values of the world as we know it, and turns them inside out.  

Jesus told us in the Gospel of Mark that the Son of God came not to be served but to serve. The God of the universe cares for us and wants to serve us! No other human religion of faith has such a belief. 

Notice what the master in Jesus’ story does. He grabs an apron and begins to serve his servants. On the other hand, our friend Ronnie, is a bad example of a person whose job it is to serve others who complains at having to “suffer through the day serving customers.” 

Jesus began the discourse with two traditional images for action: girded loins and lamps lit. Girded loins prepared one for running and moving around. The clothes were tied up in a fashion similar to an apron. Having your lamps lit refers to being able to move around at night.  

Taken together, the images painted the idea of quick, nighttime travel. In the context of Luke 12, the night referred to the trials (the dark times) before the Final Judgment. In other words, the Christian community was to be prepared for fast action, in spite of persecution, when they least expected it. 

What does this mean today? It means being able to be ready with a Christian witness and response when you encounter evil and wrong in our world. I was showing folks this morning a copy of a $ 50 off your abortion coupon from the Orlando Women’s Center as just such an example. The kicker – the coupon is good only on Sunday. 

Remember, Jesus finished these few verses with an admonition. Be ready! You don't know when the Son of Man will come. We still don't know, but we are forewarned. 

We need to be at peace with every day, for each new day may be the start of eternity. Life is far too tough for us to wander off the track of being ready. Let us focus on the small things and know that the larger things will take care of themselves. 

Bernice had been employed at the same office for over 50 years and was the boss’s top secretary. Everyone was jealous of her. Every day when Bernice showed up for work she would open the drawer to her left, peek inside, and then lock it.  

When she finally died, her coworker Sandy, who was dying of curiosity, made it her mission to figure out what was in that drawer. After days of searching she finally found the key. Sweating with excitement she slowly opened up the drawer. 

Inside was a folded piece of paper. Slowly she reached inside and took it out, while cautiously looking over her shoulder. After a few seconds of trepidation she opened it up. It said the following “Put only one spoonful of sugar in the boss’s coffee.”

 

Wow. That's being ready to serve someone else, isn't it? 

Perhaps the most practical thing to take from this message is this: Charles Kingsley said it best: “Have thy tools ready; God will find thee work.” And God, who is our Boss, will take care of us!  

The paper passed down by this church says: “Biblically Affirm Salvation in Christ.” Amen.

“Leave God  out   of  it”
Luke 12: 13-21 (NRSV) 

Do you remember the old joke about the priest, rabbi, and the televangelist? 

A priest, rabbi and televangelist were playing their usual Wednesday round of golf, and started discussing their weekly collections. They began to compare how they decided what portion of the collection to keep for themselves and what portion to give to God.  

The rabbi explains: "I draw a circle around myself and toss the money in the air. Whatever lands in the circle I keep for myself. Whatever lands outside the circle, I give to God."  

The priest then adds: "I use a similar method, except that whatever lands in the circle I give to God, and whatever lands outside the circle I keep for my personal needs."  

The televangelist then proclaims: "I also use the same method. Except, that I toss the money in the air and I figure that whatever God wants, he can take."  

Tithing is one thing, but how do we return God’s abundant blessings? Stewardship! 

Money and possessions are not easy topics for serious sermons and discussions in the church. Most of us would not like to be placed in the uncomfortable position of being forced to give up our wealth and possessions or to even talk about the need to fundraise in the church. But it works the other way too. 

Let me tell you a true story of a church in Georgia. A few years ago a church had an anonymous donor, who did not attend the church, make annual donations of about $100,000 to the church. The church is a 350-member congregation with an annual budget of less than $300,000. 

Members of the church weren’t surprised when the man bequeathed money to the church after he died. But there was stunned silence among the assembled members when the pastor broke the news that the man had owned 49 percent of the region’s Camden Telephone Company and had left the church $60 million. 

“This is a number that doesn’t have any reality,” the pastor said. The man’s will gave no instructions on how the money was to be used, so the church has set up an advisory board to decide how to handle the money.

The church has been besieged by calls from people asking for money. The pastor admits worrying that greed could consume his congregation. “How do we remain a Christian church with all this money?” he wonders. Jesus would agree that the challenge is a dangerous one: Luke 12: 13-21 - 

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed: for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 

Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’  

So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” 

Honoře de Balzac wrote, “As a rule, only the poor are generous.” Jesus agrees. 

As a general rule some folks give and then try to retain the right to what their gift is used for. This is especially true in churches. 

A church member angrily complained to the pastor that the church had purchased five new brooms, and he felt the purchase was unnecessary and wasteful. 

The pastor mentioned it to the church treasurer, who responded, “No wonder he was upset. How would you feel if you saw everything you gave in the past year tied up in five brooms?” 

St. Francis of Assisi preached, “…it is in the giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

John Raleigh Mott said, “The world asks, ‘How much does he give?’ Christ asks why does he give?”  

 

That's what Jesus' point is in this passage -- why do we do what we do?

One Sunday morning the pastor encouraged his congregation to consider the potential of the church.

He told them, “With God’s help we can see the day when this church will go from crawling to walking.” 

And the people responded, “Let the church walk, pastor; let the church walk.” 

He continued, “And when the church begins to walk, next the church can begin to run.” 

And the people shouted, “Let the church run, pastor; let the church run.” 

The pastor continued, “And finally the church can move from running to flying. Oh, the church can fly! But of course it’s going to take a lot of money for that to happen!” 

The congregation grew quiet, and from the back someone mumbled, “Let the church walk, pastor; let the church walk.” 

Instead we concentrate on accumulating possessions. 

 

Isn't it interesting that beyond routine maintenance this church's biggest problem is finding a new place to store anything new we get.

Did you know that the people in the United States possess about 1.9 billion square feet of personal storage space outside of the home? This self-storage space is in nearly 40,000 facilities owned and operated by more than 2,000 companies such as Public Storage, Storage USA, and Shur-gard.  

According to a recent survey, the owners of one of every nine homes rent a self-storage space. This represents an increase of 75 percent since 1995.  

As the amount of storage space required by homeowners has grown, so has the average size of the American house. The National Association of Homebuilders reports that the average American house increased from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,400 square feet in 2004, and it’s close to 3,000 feet today. 

So let’s get this straight — houses get bigger, average family sizes get smaller, yet we still need to tack on almost two billion square feet of extra space to store our stuff? We have been blessed as the wealthy landowner was blessed, haven’t we? 

But what about spiritual growth and eternal preparations? 

If we can’t follow God’s request to be generous with the abundance He has given  thenlet me give you a final piece of wisdom you can understand with simple human logic:

One day a famer sat in front of his house, smoking his corncob pipe. Along came a stranger who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t  got none,” was the answer, “Didn’t plant none. ‘fraid of the boll weevil.”

“Well how’s your corn?” “Didn’t plant none, ‘fraid o’ drought.” “How about your potatoes?”  “Ain’t got none, scairt o’ tater bugs.” “Well,” finally asked the stranger, “what did you plant?” 

“Nothin’,” answered the farmer. “I just played it safe.” 

Likewise a lot of churches and Christians are playing it safe as well. The rich man in Jesus’ parable thought he could play it safe too.  He left God out of his wealth.  

But out of the abundance that God has given He expects some to be returned to build up and strengthen His kingdom to reach out to His people. It is not wealth that is important but how that wealth is used. If we can’t do this then God considers us as good as dead. 

Remember the story of Peter and John in Acts chapter 3: They encounter a lame man begging in the Temple who asks for their help. Listen (Acts 3: 4-8): 

Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us.” So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. But Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have, I give to you; in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 

Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the Temple complex with them – walking, leaping, and praising God. 

God would not have us be stingy with the abundance he has given – wealth includes time, talent, and wisdom. All can be shared to build His kingdom and lift others out of the burden of sin. 

Amen.

 

“Stool Theology”

LUKE 10: 38-42

 

I was sitting in a restaurant the other day and saw a guy come in and sit down at a table near me. He was alone. But he never stopped talking on his cell phone the entire time he was there. He apparently was a construction supervisor whose employees couldn’t do a thing without him. 

At one point he was actually engaged in conversations on two different phones (one in each hand) at the same time. When the waitress brought him his food he looked at her and shrugged, as if to say, “what can you do?” (I had a few suggestions but I do believe you should never say those things out loud!) 

A recent survey published in USA Today indicates that people are working too hard in the United States. Here’s what 1,220 workers said about themselves: 

•        need more fun: 78 percent

•        need a long vacation: 77 percent

•        often feel stressed: 86 percent

•        feel time is crunched: 80 percent

•        want less work, more play: 71 percent

•        feel pressured to succeed: 65 percent

•        feel overwhelmed: 60 percent 

Everybody needs to have some way to reduce stress on and off the job. We are fortunate to be near a cluster of churches and faith communities that are members of the Evangelical Association. This is due to the sheer numbers of ex-UCC churches that exist in Pennsylvania, New York, New England, and Ohio.  

Our area is the largest but closely followed by two clusters of churches in North Carolina where the majority of two UCC associations left the denomination and formed their own faith community. 

The pastors of these churches try to get together on a monthly basis.  

One of the most important aspects of our meetings is the time we stop talking, take a few moments for being quiet, and then pray for each other and our churches. 

Some pastors come to the meetings late, on edge, and begrudging the time they will spend there. Yet that changes as we leave, slowed down and more focused on our ministry and ourselves.

 

That’s why I drive three hours roundtrip for a 2 and a half hour meeting. Each of us needs a time to listen, to be supported, and have a change of scenery.

Let’s hear from the Gospel of Luke (10: 38-42) what Jesus had to say about people that are busy and stressed out: 

Now as they went on their way, they entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.  

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” 

When animal trainers go into a cage of lions, they carry whips and pistols. But they also carry a stool. According to William H. Hinson, the stool is the most important tool. 

The trainer holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. The animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. In the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal. It becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented. 

Likewise, the stress of having too much to do can distract and paralyze us from realizing the important things and making us focusing on things that don’t matter just right now. 

Many of us live in a “if only…” state of mind where we have said to ourselves,

“if only I had known he had a few days to live,” or “if only I had done this or that then such and such…” You know what I’m talking about. 

If only Martha had realized that Jesus would be in the house for a short time and stopped doing the laundry, the dishes, the sweeping, and went and listened to him instead. If only Martha had learned to prioritize her life she would have been setting there listening instead of complaining about her sister. 

Now don’t misunderstand – work still has to be done, the piper still has to be paid.

But I think Jesus is suggesting to Martha that she reconsider what is important and start putting her faith and trust in God first, and then letting things get done as they get done. 

Thomas ά Kempis said it best, “Let temporal things serve thy use, but the eternal be the object of thy desire.”  

If that’s not clear enough then hear what Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, “Live near to God, and so all things will appear to you little in comparison to eternal realities.” 

Friends if we can get a hold on the eternal truth of salvation in Christ many things that cause us pain, worry, fear, and stress would become easier to deal with or would disappear entirely. Jesus gives us the ability to do our best and to learn to accept that that’s all we can do. 

The problem: We learn to put stress in our lives from watching others.   

A photographer was taking pictures for a grade school yearbook. He was asking the youngsters questions to get them relaxed and more photogenic. He asked one six year old girl, “what are you going to be when you grow up?” The girl answered, “I’m going to be like my mother.” “What’s that?,” asked the cameraman. The little girl looked seriously at the camera and said, “Tired.” 

One day used to be a day of rest in our society. Very few stores, restaurants, or businesses used to be open on Sunday. No one washed clothes, mowed the lawn, or did any work other what was essential to safety or security for men or animals. 

We have lost our sense of Sabbath in the United States over the last 35 years or so as stores began to be open on Sundays and the day to get your house and yard work done. And the day for youth sports and flea markets. Church attendance declined. 

I will never forget my admiration and surprise when on my first trip to Germany as a pastor was in finding out that Sunday’s were still family days and that only gas station/convenience stores were open. It was a joy to go and sit by the riverbank eating a good dessert with conversation, while the children played. 

I remember thinking that while German society was largely secular there was still time for family, rest, and Sabbath. Sunday’s had that different feeling to them. 

We’ve lost that feeling and the attitude that people should rest at least one day per week. We’ve lost that sense of ever being able to get away from the phone.

Instead it’s run, run, run, from sun-up to sun-down, constantly chasing the carrot on the stick dangling in front of your face, while talking on your phone with one hand and updating your Facebook status on your IPAD with the other, hoping you’ll have time to twitter your followers later. 

Jesus calls us to quiet contemplative study, interaction, and relationship time. He tells us we must marshal our strength and time in order to develop a balance. Jesus calls us to let go of our worldly concerns and find peace, solace, and rest in Him. 

That’s what the concept of Sabbath is all about. 

Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants, is a successful businessman, but many know and respect him more for how faith guides his work. Cathy’s restaurants have been closed on Sundays since 1948. The CEO of the nearly one thousand Chick-fil-A restaurants doesn’t mind losing millions of dollars of business to honor the Lord’s Day. 

At his first restaurant in 1948, Cathy hired Eddie J. White, twelve, an African--American. This was an unpopular choice during a time of segregation. Cathy also mentored an orphan, Woody Faulk, from the time Woody was thirteen. Woody eventually became vice president of product development at Chick-fil-A. 

Cathy founded a successful foster home system called WinShape Homes. There are now eleven homes in the United States and one in Brazil. His daughter Trudy and son-in-law John were Southern Baptist missionaries at the Brazil home for ten years. His Camp WinShape and the WinShape Foundation provide scholarships for kids and college students.

 

 One of Cathy’s favorite sayings is “It’s easier to build boys and girls than to mend men and women.” So Chick-fil-A Kids Meals don’t come with promotional toys from the latest popular movie; instead, they offer VeggieTales books, audiocassettes of Focus on the Family’s “Adventures in Odyssey,” and other character-building materials.

Woody Faulk gives a good summary of Cathy’s character: “He’s the personification of James 1:22: ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.’ I sincerely owe my life to that man.” 

We need to stop, listen, and honor Jesus by doing, no matter how busy we are. We need to sit on the stool instead of shaking it at animals. Amen.

“Stupid Questions”
Luke 10: 25-37 (NRSV)

Is there such a thing as an unguided missile?

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Day light savings time - why are they saving it and where do they keep it?

Did Noah keep his bees in archives?

Do pilots take crash-courses?

How come wrong numbers are never busy?

How did a fool and his money get together in the first place?

How do you write zero in Roman numerals?

Why is it called a "drive through" if you have to stop?

Why is an electrical outlet called an outlet when you plug things into it? Shouldn't it be called an inlet?

How come you press harder on a remote control when the battery is weak?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why's it still #2? 

Have you ever asked a question that you knew was dumb immediately after asking it? For some reason the human brain frequently hiccups and we say and do “dumb things” that suggest we aren’t thinking all that well. 

I was recently at an ice cream shop and bought two quarts of soft serve ice cream and the girl behind the counter asked me if I was going to eat it there or take it out. 

I quickly said, “take out,” but followed up by asking, “Do people buy by the quart and eat it here?” A co-worker’s quick response, “Rarely, but we’re taught that the customer can have it anyway they want it.” 

In our everyday lives we go straight to autopilot and we don’t fully integrate our experiences. The low information culture with the low expectations we live in  encourages these types of dumb questions. But they are actually very valuable because they can be a great source of information for us. 

Alfred North Whitehead once said, “The ‘silly question’ is the first design of some totally new development.” Innovation does often come from inquiry. 

Listen to a question Jesus was asked one day as he taught (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 neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you shall 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 in, 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 mercy.” 

 Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” 

The reason why “who is my neighbor” is a stupid question is that Judaism and the Rabbi’s had answered that question so well that most Jews already knew the answer before they really knew the question. You were taught it. 

Laws governed every relationship you had with every possible scenario you could encounter. You just acted the part.  

Jewish Lawyers were experts in the law and this guy was using sarcasm to  suggest to Jesus he was being too simplistic in giving answers everybody already knew. 

Jesus’ reply contrasted the “right answer” with a new and improved version that would apply to everyone. Just as Jesus sent His 70 disciples out to everyone, including gentiles, the new definitions and behavioral instructions apply to all. 

The road to Jericho is not an easy one – Jerusalem is about 3500 feet above sea level while Jericho is 1500 feet below. It is twenty miles of rough dangerous road. Even as late as the 1930’s it was known as the robber’s road. No one travelled it alone and having a neighbor would be necessary to stay safe on the road. 

It’s a parable about the dangerous world Jesus and we live in.  

Mercy and grace will be the new normal. The “law” will no longer be a set of automatic customs and traditions, but a living breathing, “spirit,” that will inspire compassionate acts of love to occur. Receiving grace creates living in grace. 

Out of the abundant life we are given as followers of Jesus and inheritors of His kingdom our gratitude will lead us to both planned and random acts of kindness. 

For the serious Christian and theologian I have always felt the story of the “Good Samaritan” has a legitimate claim on how why America became who it is today.  

Historically, Christians have long debated what’s called the “Just” (as in Justice) War question – Is there a time when a Christian nation is justified in military aggression? I think the answer is found in how you view the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Few quibble over defensive reactions and/or the need to act to help your neighbor recover from a devastating attack or illness. But what if the Good Samaritan had come upon the man as he was being attacked, slightly before hand, or watched the robbers hide prior to the attack? What would Jesus have had us do then? 

How you answer these questions says more about your faith (and foreign policy outlook) than you may have ever realized. Jesus knows we will be forever torn between the ethics of law and the ethics of love.  

Jesus “changes” the question from “who is my neighbor” to “whom can I be a neighbor too,” and the answer He gives to this stupid question is a world changing shocker to the Jews and the Gentiles.  

Jesus answer is that “anyone who needs my help claims a piece of my love.” It is not neighborhood that defines our actions but neighborliness.  

Wow, have you ever heard that before? 

If you want to know why America did what it did around the world over the last 200 years – look no further than the story of the Good Samaritan.  

This story has colored the history of America and it explains why we are both loved and hated around the world.  

Some countries know us for our open pockets, open arms, and loving assistance. 

Others see us as meddling, egotistical maniacs who would promote our own self-centered and toxic culture on others, because they don’t understand Jesus’ teachings. We give help and assistance but so others may have it. 

The reason why America became great was because of the abundant blessings of God which have been used to live our neighborliness to the world. 

And upholding that ideal and living that dream was inspiring and beautiful. 

Those who would say America was NOT built on Christian principles don’t understand how the Good Samaritan doctrine is our linchpin to the American identity and our link to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

It is this rejection of a national ideal, and the idea that church and state can be separated, that has brought us to where we are today. The ethics of the Good Samaritan are effective if it permeates a culture like ours. Even if you don’t know the story and don’t live it the culture reflects it. 

Rising debt, unenforceable laws, rampant violence, and the culture of the “me is entitled” mentality have arisen out of a culture that has forgotten or rejected even the need for God or an acknowledgement that society must have rules or else chaos reigns.  

Our government is in ruins because we too are in ruins. It was first our schools, then our churches, then our government, then our families, and now it is our very individual lives. And we are letting it happen. 

It explains the issues behind the politics of the Travon Martin – George Zimmerman trial. One sees the clash between the “Good Samaritan” and those who influence the “thug” world mentality of the urban culture. Both of these persons are victims of the stereotype because we’ve lost sight of our neighborliness and love. 

There’s a reason that Christians are being attacked because they supposedly don’t want gay marriage and abortion on demand – it invalidates the Good Samaritan concept. Evil has used these two issues to create chaos and dissension in our society.

Is there an answer? Read, study, and learn both our national history and your Bibles. American is and has been the only country ever in the history of humanity to live out the story of “the Good Samaritan.” 

Begin to stand up and be counted as an individual who will no longer go along with the dangerous culture. Be different. Care, love, and increase your neighborliness. 

Hear this: Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”Amen.

“ADVANCE  MEN”
LUKE 10: 1-20 (NRSV)

Even though it happened about 50 years ago I can still see them clearly. They were walking down the street of my childhood home as big and as bold as you can be. It probably was a Friday night and lots of people were out strolling around. Times and distances were different then, and “going downtown” was still in. 

As they walked along every eye that could see was trained on them. You could hear people stop talking when they saw these four young men come closer. Older women gasped, young girls jumped up and down, and most men got angry. 

They were followed by two people who were passing out flyers announcing the upcoming concert by the green-haired “Beatles mania” band touring the country. Believe me, you either liked the Beatles or hated them. 

This incident is a perfect example of what used to be done in a pre-TV, low tech world. In order to garner publicity and attention, circuses, travelling shows, evangelistic revivals, and even musicians sent advance men ahead of their itinerary to stir up interest and encourage ticket sales.  

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. Sometimes it depended on the humor, or lack thereof, of the local police department. Sometimes the people received it well and other times it bombed.  

I would label the green hair stunt a success as I still remember it so many years later. You may have similar memories or experiences as well.

Listen to our Gospel Lesson for today where Jesus sends out his advance men: 

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.  

He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.

Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking, whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.  

Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this; the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.” 

“Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightening. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

God may not require you to dye your hair green to be his “advance man” but he might require you to sacrifice your time and talent in order to witness to His glory. 

Jesus’ teachings are, for the most part, hard teachings. The kumbaya crowd can't or won't hear them - Jesus' doesn't endorse verse 3 of "They'll know we are Christians" as human pride and dignity are abominations in the Lord's eyes.

 

 There are winners and losers; the judged and those who will be saints. If you can’t realize this and see the sheep and the goats, then being a Jesus disciple, a Christian, will be hard for you.  

You will be like people with green hair walking among blondes and brunettes, causing a stir, being source of jokes, stirring hatred, and brewing controversy.

The average Christian in today’s America is under pressure to cave in and submit to gay marriage and abortion on demand regardless of what the biblical standards are. What will it be like next week, next year, in 5 years? 

Jesus warns us that His disciples will be like sheep among wolves.  We already are if you consider the gay lobby who would declare us haters and discriminators with an almost frenzied passion.  

Jesus tells us that some people, some towns, and some countries will recognize him while others do not. 

The number listed here, which is not mentioned anywhere other than here in Luke’s Gospel, has been thought to be symbolic of the number of known countries (Gentile) in the world during Jesus’ lifetime, thus emphasizing Jesus’ mission to not just the Jews, but to the whole world.  

This seems to be confirmed when Jesus mixes Jewish and Gentile cities as sites of future woe as they have rightfully earned judgment that will fall upon them. 

In the final analysis this passage has had a great impact on our concept of mission work and the ministry. Jesus has promised that to them who He has called both success and failure, both rewards and sufferings. He has also shown that His enemy, Satan, is present here on earth as an enemy to His disciples. 

Jesus told His disciples that while they would have power over the enemy they must not brag or flaunt it because the true prize is their home in Heaven. As Christians and disciples the people will accept or reject us. We need to deal with it. 

Mandisa Hundley, a gospel singer, was one of the twelve finalists on American Idol. When she met with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson to find out if she had made it through to the next round, she instead got a stinging comment from Simon. Eyeing Mandisa, who was a large person, Simon asked, “Do we have a bigger stage this year?” 

When she entered the room to learn the judges’ verdict, Mandisa looked right at Simon and said, “Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you. But this is what I want to say: Yes, you hurt me, and I cried, and it was painful.  

But I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you, and that you don’t need someone to apologize first to forgive somebody. And I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you. I wanted you to know that.”

Simon apologized and hugged the singer, and Mandisa discovered she was going on to the next round.  

Today Mandisa is the most requested Gospel singer on the Christian Conference tour. 

We are Disciples of Christ, examples for Christ, and representatives of His Kingdom, let us learn to live with that commission from Christ. Amen.