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“Kindness Is All That We
Need” Sermon
Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – July 14, 2019
Centenary United Methodist Church Psalm
82; Luke 10:25-37 Today we are going to consider one of the most remembered stories
that Jesus told to his listeners.
His imagination was inspired to create this story when a teacher
of the Law asked him the question, "What must I do to receive
eternal life?" Jesus answered, "How do you interpret what
the Scriptures say?" The
teacher responded, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your
neighbor as you love yourself." (Luke 10:27) Jesus said, "You are
absolutely correct! Act on
this with a spirit of kindness and you will live abundantly." Jesus' answer, however, was not as complete as this
teacher would have preferred.
He may have thought, "Certainly Jesus does not mean that my
neighbor must be people of every race and religion?" The teacher asked
Jesus, "Who exactly is my neighbor?" The master storyteller created his drama of the
Good Samaritan on the spot, tailor-made for the teacher of the
Law. At the conclusion of
his story, Jesus asked, "Which one of the three do you think acted like
a neighbor to this man who had been attacked by robbers?"
The teacher answered, "The one who expressed kindness."
Jesus once again responded, "Bring kindness into every occasion
during your life and you will live abundantly." The Parable obviously came from Jesus' imagination
and was not a story that was based on any actual event.
This understanding is evident when we review the cast of
characters who played vital roles in this drama. A man was beaten by
robbers and was left for dead.
First, a priest came by who saw the man lying in a ditch and
walked by him. Next came a man from the priestly tribe of Levites.
He, too, saw the man and equally steered clear of him. Finally, a man from Samaria came by, saw the man,
and immediately rendered assistance.
The wounded man was still alive and the Samaritan took him to an
inn where the man could recuperate.
He even went the extra mile by telling the innkeeper to
take care of him and if there were any additional expenses that
resulted, he would reimburse him on his return trip to Samaria. For this story to be an actual historic event,
someone would have had to be there to witness the lack of responsiveness
by the priest and the Levite.
He would have had to follow the Samaritan and be a witness to the
exchange he had with the innkeeper.
Since this story was among the numerous parables Jesus used to
teach people how to live in this world, no witness was required. Aside from Jesus directly answering the teacher's
question, he did not pass on the opportunity to lift up the short
comings of two pious men who were steeped in Hebrew Laws, traditions,
and faith. Both men lacked
a key ingredient – kindness. Jesus cancelled the importance of these two
actors in this drama. Their
station in life and their accomplishments had not helped them in
this crisis. What showed up
was their lack of compassion. Today, pastors may go to great lengths and
experience the sacrifice of their congregations so that they can earn a
Doctoral degree. Their motivation for needing this degree is only known
to them. However, it does sound like what the Pharisees would have done
to increase their self-importance while on the stage of their
profession. This may sound unfair but, in many cases, the
doctorate has only given pastors one thing – a new professional title
that separates them from the herd of pastors.
Does what these pastors learned during their advanced studies
deepen their skills of spirit as a pastor? What Jesus was emphasizing in his answer to
the teacher was that eternal life can be experienced by anyone simply by
expressing their kindness to a stranger.
The clergy, of all
people, passed by a wounded man as if he were not there. They did not
want to get involved. Where
they were going was far more important to them than even seeing if the
man was still alive. They both
knew and chose to ignore The Golden Rule. One day a college student wanted to report to his Sociology class the results from his testing a theory that he had developed since his childhood. His theory was that well-intentioned people should never give money to people who live on the street. He knew that the money would only be used for drugs and alcohol. He gave fifty dollars to one of the loitering
panhandlers that he met.
The event was being recorded from across the street by another student.
After receiving the money, the man expressed profound gratitude
for the student's generosity and kindness.
When the student went on his
way, the man went into a liquor store that was near where he had been
seated. This act seemingly confirmed the student's theory and now he had
the documentation to prove it. However, the man came out of the liquor store with
two large brown bags. The
college student recorded this candidate as he walked across the
street where other people were loitering in one of the community's park
areas. To his surprise, the
man had purchased sandwiches and bottled water from the deli inside the
liquor store and was sharing them with his friends. The student duplicated his test any number of
times. Not once did his
theory prove to be correct; other people being recorded had spent the
money on a better pair of shoes, on a jacket, and on food to be shared
with others. Given that his
theory was incorrect, the student changed what he presented to the
class. His new theory was
that the hesitancy of people to give cash to those living on the street
most likely was due to their bias and fears.
When we are hesitant to give them anything, we are revealing who
we are just as the priest and Levite had done. Could this man who lived in public shelters with no
titles or academic accomplishment to his name, be filled with as many
eternal-life-qualities as The Reverend Doctor Penelope Kay Smith,
who is a well-known pastor of a large congregation whose ministry also
enjoys the sizeable following from her television audience? There is a painting that has etched itself in my
memory ever since I saw it. The painting featured a pastor looking up
to Heaven with his arms outstretched in gratitude.
Inside his outstretched arms was his large church building, his
spacious home, his fabulous robes, an expensive car and all sorts of
priceless objects that symbolized the pastor's successful ministry.
Off to the left of the pastor was a shadowy figure who revealed
his identity only by a visible nail print in his wrist.
Under the painting were these words, "But, he turned away
sorrowful for he was a man of many possessions."
(Matthew 19:22) Jesus often allowed people to judge themselves by
holding a verbal mirror in front of them.
(Matthew 7:5)
This is what Jesus was doing for the teacher of the Law. So
many of us need to step back and take a look at ourselves to see what we
are communicating to others with our moods, attitudes, and words. Is kindness a dominate theme of what makes us the
one-of-a-kind person we hope that we are?
It is so easy to surround
ourselves with the symbols of our success and grow careless of what we
are communicating. Even the Creator of the Universe communicates from
a position of invisibility through the still small voice, through
people whose faith is the size of a mustard seed, and through events
that took place thousands of years ago in one of the most obscure parts
of the world. God
connects with us where we are in our spiritual journey.
If no one cares about their
journey, they will reap what they sow. The teacher of the Law had all the credentials
necessary to gain both fear and respect from his peers and the public.
He also had the knowledge of what it looks like to love God and
to love others as he loved himself.
However, was that teacher aware of what his spirit communicates
when he was off the stage and out of his role like the priest and
the Levite? A friend of mine is a highly skilled
OB/GYN physician.
She retired from her position in an area hospital and went to
Afghanistan to teach women how to increase their skills and techniques
as mid-wives. In
Afghanistan, where physicians are predominantly men, the delivery of
newborns must be assisted by women according to Muslim law. She was a valuable asset to the women whom she met.
She is a kind and gentle woman who allowed her spirit and skills
to do the communicating for her. During
her stay there, she became an angel to the Afghani women who may
not have known that she was also a fully-credentialed physician.
While living among these women who were expecting babies to
arrive shortly, she was a living example of what the Good Samaritan
was doing for the wounded man.
People do not need any
window dressing added to their lives to feel that
they are more than capable of expressing God's spirit right where they
are. John Wesley
referred to this understanding as the priesthood of all believers.
The Psalmist in our Old
Testament lesson wrote, "You are gods, all of you are God's children,
but you will die like mortals; your life will end like any prince."
(Psalm 82:6) We are all capable of being heroes when an
occasion to do so presents itself.
Expressions of loving energy happen everyday from
average people. We seldom find their deeds celebrated because news
outlets feature issues that feed our prejudices and fears. Authentic love comes in many different forms, none
of which are associated or connected with a person's window dressing.
Always at the root of expressing their form of love, is a spirit
of kindness and generosity. All
of us can live in eternity now. What
is needed is a willingness within us to express our love with total
abandon to everyone who is in our sphere of influence. This is the way
that we light up everyone's path. God will do the rest.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Loving God, we thank
you for calling us to remain in union with you.
We thank you for inviting us to remember that our greatest skill
comes in the form of loving our neighbor.
As we gather this morning, may each of us place our lives under
the microscope of ministry.
Whose lives are we influencing? How many times have we said "yes"
to giving hands and feet to our words of faith?
As we consider how to answer you, may our worship today be filled
with remembrances of when others became our neighbor.
Please nourish us, O God, so that our lives remain energized and
inspired to bring to life what produces community and peace.
Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
Loving God, we thank you for the routine we have
developed on Sunday mornings – as we enter the sanctuary of our
community of faith. We come
today not because we are overwhelmed by life, nor because we have a
particular need to have our cups filled.
We come because of our gratitude that your presence in life
brings a dimension that can heal our spirits every day.
We are thankful that the power to give and receive love is
capable of moving mountains in our midst.
We thank you for the strength that comes to us when those
mountains try our patience, or attempt to evoke our fears, or try to
encourage us to forsake our calling as disciples of Jesus. Truly your world is an incredible place.
It is filled with countless moments to learn and grow.
Even our struggles represent moments when we are being guided to
develop skills we do not have.
Our emotional pains communicate a warning that we have more inner
work to do. With all our
accomplishments, successes and academic achievements may we never lose
sight that we are more blessed when we freely give away who we are. Help
us to remain humble teachers that you can use to create through us.
We thank you for the
responsibility that is now ours to pass on the torch that the Master has
given to us. We are always
teaching others who we are by what we do, what we say, and how we think.
We thank you for all the people who have helped to light the path
of our journey. We pray these thoughts of gratitude and thanksgiving
through the loving spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to say
when we pray. . . |