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Sunday evening, 5:30, fish, broccoli, and instant potato for supper as I type the latest installment. Not really much new since the last major update. We did find out that the form Mike was supposed to have sent in without having received was just the confirmation for his video appointment on his phone for his Disability Hearing on April 2nd. They took care of it over the phone when he called to ask about it, so that's all set. Pray that his money comes through this time. It would ease a lot of stress on both of us.
There was a potluck after church today, but I forgot and didn't make anything. I still could have stayed, but chose not to due to wanting more time to take care of this tonight. It worked out well because, while I was at the store before coming home, I saw my mother. They just received the last insurance check from their car accident that happened Dec. 18, 2022. So they're rich for a minute at least.
Also, today is my ex-husband, Rich's birthday. I sent him a GIF and then video called when he responded. We talked for around 30 minutes, I think, although I honestly didn't notice. He's back to work at full capacity (at least back to where he was) since his series of minor heart attacks overnight ahead of Christmas. When I asked about when he might visit again, he doesn't know. He lives near Rockland, ME, about 3 hrs. drive from me here in Concord, NH and isn't sure if he's up for the drive again yet. He was telling me that he took his fiancée's older daughter to Portland last month and was exhausted upon getting back. So prayers for continued improvement for him.
I haven't heard from Andrea since Matt came home at the end of February, but I'll keep you posted as I know more. On that front, no news is good news, at least for now. I do miss going over to help out; but we'll see how things progress and trust to God's best for everyone.
What comes to mind when you think of generosity?? Maybe some of you have been generous to others in their time of need or maybe, like me, you've received from someone else when you've most needed it. My briefer story involves the gentleman in line behind me ahead of Thanksgiving when my kids were little*. I was using a Gift Card for $30 and didn't pay attention to my purchases. When this man saw that I was having to sort out what to keep or put back, he offered to pay the balance. As we've seen in the first 2 messages of this series; generosity doesn't just exist as an idea or philosophy; it requires action.
When we think back to Creation, God caused the oceans to teem with plants and fish. He caused the land to flourish with trees, flowers, and food. Our generosity is only possible due to God's having been generous first. God filled man's needs before He even Created us.* This included the means of the reconciliation He knew we would require after the Fall*. John 3:16 brings out the Ultimate Gift of God's generosity in His having given Jesus as our sacrifice for sin. Many of us have received HIs grace, it's now up to us to hold out for others.
Our passage today explores what generosity looks like in the face of great need. Turn with me to Luke 10 --
Luke 10:25-37
New International Version
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On 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?”
27 He 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’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] 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?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
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Pastor Matt once again asked for feedback on this passage; but started with his own comment from verse 37. He pointed out that Jesus' words, "Go and do likewise." support the fact that generosity requires not just action; but in this case, interaction.
Other perspectives were -- the fact that Jesus answered the expert's question with another. Pastor Matt brought out the difference here between a question asked to receive information and one asked as a quiz. In other words, a quiz would be when you already know an answer, but want to know if the other person/people know it as well. Two people actually brought up the same basic point. They noted that it was not the Religious Leaders who stopped to help, indicating what the 2nd person said in that this showed that those people were not the model of righteousness. The fact that a Samaritan was the hero of the story was significant because, in choosing to make him so, Jesus' purposes were two-fold. Not only was He giving information; but He was looking for reactions. In pointing this out, Pastor Matt explained that, while we may not think twice about the ethnicity of a Samaritan, Jesus' audience would be shocked. The Jews in that time looked down on Samaritans as "half-breeds". They had Jewish blood; but it was mixed with Syrian. This made them less "desirable" as friends and neighbors, say nothing of family. Matt pointed out that it's in God's nature to mess with man's perceptions because He wants us to understand that everyone is equal in His eyes, in Him, there are no barriers. Someone else mentioned the fact that Jesus used stories to teach as opposed to simply giving information. Pastor Matt expanded on that by saying that He used them to draw people in, to alert them to the issues in their hearts, and possibly even make them aware of how far they were from the mark. Another person observed that the Samaritan's generosity didn't only extend to the man in need; but also to the Innkeeper. He didn't just presume on the hospitality of the owner, he made sure every bit of expense would be covered. Finally, Pastor Matt made note of the idea that a good neighbor is merciful to those around them because we are meant to be a community, growing together in love towards God and towards each other. The phrase, "Do likewise." indicates that, as Believers, we are to be the bearers of God's mercy as we have received it from Him. It can be easy to forget sometimes, after we see a need of our own filled, that God is also filling the needs of others at the same time. (it just occurred to me that this is connected to the thought of extending generosity to others because, due to having received something, we now have the ability to give of that supply and bless those around us)*
In our Scripture above, we find 2 essential elements of generosity --
Generosity notices the need -- This isn't simply the fact of seeing with our eyes, but with compassion in our hearts. The story tells us that the first 2 men "saw the man" (vs 31) and "saw him" (vs 32). These men had the type of pity for the injured man that basically reduces him to nothing. It dehumanized him because, rather than doing anything to help, they avoided him entirely. (they may have even pretended NOT to notice)* Instead of moving toward him in compassion and dealing with the problem at hand, they judged him for being in trouble in the first place. They were probably thinking something along the lines of, "He should have had a better club to fight with", or "he shouldn't have been traveling alone, he should have brought friends".
Generosity crosses the street -- We are the hands, feet, and voice of the idea that is generosity. Unlike the first 2 men; the Samaritan's pity moved him toward the injured man in compassion. He didn't stop to wonder at, or judge how it happened; he simply did what the man required be done to help*. The Samaritan entered into the need rather than keep it at arms length as the others had done. Not out of a place of co-dependence, but simply out of a heart of mercy. Pastor Matt also noted here that the money was given directly to the Innkeeper as opposed to the Samaritan assuming his generosity*.
While we are not told the motivations of any of these 3 men, we can make some pretty good guesses. It's likely that the first 2 were preserving their Ritual Cleanness by avoiding a potentially dead body. They may also have been preserving their status as Leaders in the Temple, or possibly even their money.
What are we preserving when we withhold aid from others?? Is it our time/schedule?? Maybe our money, because we don't feel we can spare it?? Our reputation because others may not understand which of you is in need?? Or maybe we are concerned about being seen with someone we/or others would normally look down on??
This passage challenges us to explore our hearts. Do we pass by in discomfort?? Do we avoid eye contact if we can't give?? Pastor Matt told us briefly about how his wife, Heidi, makes it a habit to keep packages of Ramen Noodles in her car so she always has something to share. By looking people in the eye, we are recognizing them as fellow human beings.
As we've reiterated several times here, as in previous messages, generosity equals action. It is tangible. It may look like any number of different things. Somewhat piggybacking on the observations of others above, Pastor Matt brought out the point that the Samaritan only gave what was his to give. He didn't impose on the Innkeeper by insisting or even suggesting that he share the expenses of the man's needs. He paid upfront for everything. The room, the doctor*, the medicine, the bandages. All of it. The tangible aspects of generosity may include eye contact, a name, or simply being with someone and walking or offering them a ride, it may also involve money at certain times.
We tend to like to hold onto our stuff; but as we see here, generosity invites us to embrace our limits. We might find ourselves withholding one thing because we lack another; but our perspective changes when we remember that God has no limits. As we have received from Him in numerous ways, we are called to offer those things to others. Mercy, compassion, forgiveness, time, money, etc... It is also important to remember that each one of us has needed rescue at one point or another. God noticed our sin and it's consequence of our being separated from Him, and moved with compassion by giving us His Son to help. Like the Samaritan did for the injured man, Jesus crossed the street for us and paid our entire deb We are reminded by Paul in Philippians 2 of how Jesus stepped down from Heaven and took part in humanity in order to save us all from sin.
In closing, Pastor Matt shared a quote from the late German minister, Dietrich Bonhoeffer --
Jesus stands at the door knocking (Rev. 3:20). In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He confronts you in every person that you meet. As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us.
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is In the Manger
We are never more like Jesus than when we "cross the street" for others.
-- God Bless!!
Footnotes:
The longer story involves the man who welded my truck frame at the price of his original quote rather than charging us full price, which would have been nearly double. This was in spite of the fact that he had recently done major injury to one of his legs and incurred high medical expenses. (this is literally the most succinct version I've ever shared of this story) :D
The idea that God supplied our needs before we even existed helps to bolster our faith that He will meet our every need in our day. I can start using this along with the fact that God planted the tree ahead of Zacchaeus!! :)
Isaiah 46:9-10 tells us that God knows the end from the beginning and His purposes will stand.
I had originally taken Pastor Matt's statement of forgetting that God is also filling the needs of others as our own are taken care of as a separate thought. But connecting it makes sense in terms of what I said above about having been supplied to share with others. This also brings Michael's generous nature to mind as he is in the habit of sharing what is provided to him from the Food Pantries to others. Usually friends, but as we saw during my visit last month, it may also be shared with a stranger.
The thought that the Religious Leaders may have pretended not to notice the injured man is my own thought here. I have to confess that's because it resonates with me as I have a tendency to "studiously ignore" the panhandlers around town. For me, it's not just about not having the resources to give them, but about the likelihood that they are just "scamming" people for money and aren't actually homeless. Also, in relation to this, the asterisk 2 points further is on the bit about how the Samaritan gave the money directly to the Innkeeper. To me, this suggests that he felt like the injured man may not have been trustworthy to hold on to it and pay the Innkeeper. This makes potential sense depending on the ethnicity of the man in question. Being a Samaritan, he may not have trusted an injured Jew to handle the situation properly. I really feel like this was the case considering what we observed above about how Jesus told stories in order to elicit certain reactions from His audiences. (it would extend the point of who the Samaritan was helping if we knew for sure)
Skipping back to the other asterisk, it occurred to me as I was typing this, that the generosity of the Samaritan not only helped with the injured man's physical healing, but, in thinking it through in light of my point above, he may have also been helping to heal him emotionally. If the injured man WERE Jewish, then the help of a Samaritan would have helped to change not only his perceptions of Samaritans, but also the Innkeeper's and the Doctor's as well.
And speaking of the Doctor, we come to our last asterisk. Another connection I made while going through this blogging process tonight was that the Samaritan's generosity was not only extended to the injured man and the Innkeeper, but to the Doctor as well. He not only made sure that the room was paid for, covering the needs of the Innkeeper, but also paid for the medical expenses, ensuring that the Doctor's services and supplies were also included. This shows that the Samaritan didn't just assume the generosity of the Innkeeper for the room, but also for the care needed to heal the man's wounds.
Music -- No rights!!
I don't actually know what the Worship Team did, but this one is perfect for this message...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-W5HEVPJT8
