The Good Samaritan

Yesterday at church we watched a video that featured several short interviews of church "experts" who commented on the parable of the Good Samaritan. If your memory is a little foggy, this is the story Jesus told about a guy who was beaten up and robbed and left for dead. A couple of religious people passed by without helping. A very unlikely person stopped and helped. This last guy is the one we are supposed to be like.

Here are some of my favorite moments from yesterday's video interviews:

Jon Ortberg reminded us that we need to get off our comfortable benches and out into the world of helping people. He told an illustration of some seminary students who would not stop and help a hurting person as they rushed off to preach sermons on the Good Samaritan.

Tony Campolo hold a story of hungry children in Haiti who peered through the window at the restaurant where he was eating. The waiter closed the blinds and told him not to let them bother him.

Lynn Hybels encouraged us that in the midst of all the possible needs in the world we need to listen to hear what God is specifically calling us to do. One way to discern that is to ask, "What makes me cry?"

Philip Yancey shared about a church in South Africa that has a much larger staff and budget for its AIDs outreach than they have for the church itself. He told the story of a little girl who was named "No Hope" who had her name changed to "God is My Hope."

The final segment featured a rescue mission worker who was moved to pick up a homeless man and carry him to the shelter.

These are just a few of the stories we heard yesterday. If you were there, what was your favorite?

And, what makes you cry?

Christmas Pageant

Yesterday I didn't preach. Instead we had our Children's Christmas Pageant. It was fabulous, and it delivered an experience and a message that mere preaching cannot compete with. One church veteran told me today that it was the finest children's program he had ever seen. I would agree. Here are some of my reflections on Sunday's experience.

1. The energy created by a completely jammed packed sanctuary was electric.

2. I was mesmerized by a solo sung by a little girl named Madison who communicated a sincerity and love for Jesus that just stunned me. It took my breath away. If Madison can retain this kind of faith and love for Jesus she will change the world.

3. If the rest of the kids can retain their passion and excitement for telling others about Jesus, they will also change the world.

4. The pageant set up as a contrast between the ho hum lack of faith of a TV announcer (played by Rick Shannon) and the celebrative, alive faith of the kids who were excited about Jesus. I came away wondering how much of the announcer's attitude was in me, and asking God to make me more like the kids.

5. The message of the pageant was inviting people to the birthday party. One of the secrets of the full house was that the kids were given invitations to give to people they wanted to attend. From these invitations, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and others poured into the church. One child's teacher from public school came. I wonder what would happen if we adults started doing this on a regular basis. Maybe we could have "electric" every week.

6. It would not be a Christmas Pageant without some on-stage shenanigans: mostly from the boys. I did not notice any nose picking or outright fighting, but we did experience some bare belly showing, some yawning, some arms out of T Shirts, and a short verbal rumbling between a couple of nativity participants. These things always remind me that we human beings are not angelic, and that part of the Christmas story was that Jesus entered a very messy and human world and invested in people like you and me who miss being perfect by about 1000 miles.

7. We were all blown away by the shooting confetti at the end of the service. And the birthday cake for Jesus was awesome!

For those of you who were there yesterday, what did you think was the best part? Post a comment and I will make sure that the kids hear your encouragement!

The Stain Master

Frank Passamonte is a carpet cleaner who attends our church. I call him the stain master. He has a bag full of tricks that he uses when knuckleheads like me smear mustard on the couch or spill grapejuice on the carpet. Frank is the guy who comes to the rescue before my wife gets home. Frank is an expert. No stain intimidates him. When he works his magic he can get most stains out completely and all stains at least 95%.

Frank tells me that the toughest stain is mustard. He has a long, involved process for getting that pesky condiment out.

Back in Bible times the toughest stain came from a crimson dye that was used on clothing. When that dye was used the color was set and it was impossible to make white. That stain was deeply imbedded.

All of us have sins that are deeply imbedded and ingrained in our souls: addictions, bad attitudes, habitual ways of living. Some of us are gossip-a-holics or negativity-a-holics, or stuff-a-holics. These sins are set in. We have lived with them along time. We might delude ourselves into thinking that these sinful practices are part of our personality, just the way we are.

It's not the way we are. We were created to live better than that. In Isaiah 1.18 God says that no stain is impossible for Him to cleanse; no sin is too deep to purify. The grand truth is that "though our sins may be as scarlet, God can cleanse us whiter than snow."

God is a better stain master than Frank Passamonte. And he can cleanse even you.

Check out http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Oj_meOoDpY to see a video of how our local stain master gets mustard out of carpet.

What deep sins do you struggle with?

Soul Cleanup

We told my son Bryan not to touch mommy's pretty thing. But he couldn't resist. He touched it. He accidentally broke it. He knew he was in big trouble. So he hid the broken pretty thing, and managed to stay under the radar for several days. We did not notice. But the guilty conscience was eating him alive. So he did what every 2nd grader would do. He stopped in to see the elementary school counselor. He told Mrs Patrick that he had done a terrible thing and that "if mom ever finds out she will kill me."

She found out. And 15 years later he is still alive.

A guilty conscience is a terrible thing. Secret sins tend to gnaw away at us. When we sin we feel horrible, rotten, sometimes even wretched. We feel unclean, dirty, like one of those guys in the mud pit at the renaissance festival. We need a fresh start and a good cleanup.

David felt dirty. He had sex with a married woman. He got her pregant. He attempted to cover it up. Eventually he had her husband murdered. He had used his kingly power in an abusive way. He had demonstrated scumball behavior.

In Psalm 51 a repentant David begs God to "cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow." God did.

Here's a spiritual truth you can bank on: God wants to take your dirty soul and restore it to purity. He can make you clean again: spotlessly white. He delights in forgiving and showing mercy. And all that is required is a broken and contrite heart.

This is the good news that is central to the Christian message. This is Amazing Grace.

This week take a fresh look at Psalm 51. And for good measure check out II Samuel 11-12. See what you and David have in common. Talk to God about your sins. And be cleansed.