When each spring comes, my garden looks like a forgotten bed of weeds, beaten down by heavy Wisconsin snow and covered by layers of fallen leaves. My husband is always in a hurry to rake and clear things out and perhaps till everything over. I always have to remind him we need to water those weeds for a while and see what springs up because I know that just beneath the soil lay many of my spring bulbs that will once again pop into glorious color!
People are sometimes like those weeds. We do not know what lies beneath until a little tenderly administered care brings out the best in them.
A Pastor once told a riveting story: A homeless man had taken up temporary residency outside the church doors one morning prior to Sunday service. As worshipers streamed in, he sat, dirty, in need of food and drink, and shelter. Less than three feet away, on the other side of the open doors, where the well-dressed church-goers passed him, whispering to each other, avoiding his awkward glances, coffee, doughnuts, juice and a warm building awaited him. Their bulletins proudly proclaimed them to be a “friendly, welcoming, congregation of believers!” Yet no one spoke to him or offered him food or drink.
Finally, it was time for the service to begin. The doors to the sanctuary swung open one more time. Much to the surprise of the congregation, it was the homeless man who was seated outside of the church - and he was boldly striding up the central aisle to the pulpit! How could this be?
As he began to speak, it was made clear. It was none other than their very own Pastor! You can well imagine that he was not happy with what he found out about his congregation that day. What would he have found out about us that day? What would he find out about us today? Do we toil in God’s garden to water the weeds among us, or do we wish to just work alongside the sweet-smelling flowers?
Every once in a while, it is a good thing to check ourselves against what Christ demands of us:
. In Genesis 4:9 (NIV):, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
It is my assertion that you are.
If we take a look at Luke, who we know as a physician of his time, but one who takes time with the poor in particular. When Jesus called Levi to service, as he was dining with the tax collectors in Luke Chapter 5:31, it is written,
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance..”
Also in Luke, one of the first Bible verses that I learned as a child is Luke 6:31(NIV) Do to others as you would have them do to you.
This not only charges us with how we treat people we encounter in our daily lives as Christians, but how we act globally as we carry out our commitments to our communities. Of course, we all have our limits and I feel that at different seasons of our lives, we can sometimes do a little more than others. Christ doesn’t ask much, just that you serve where you are planted!
Luke is so very rich in Christ’s teachings, I have to bring you one more before I let you go! It is one you surely know, but one the congregation of the church illustrated above surely had forgotten that fateful Sunday morning when their Pastor came to them dressed as a homeless person right outside their very doors!
In Luke 10:25-37, an expert in law stands up to challenge Christ. He wants to know what he must do to enter eternal life. Christ then asks him, how do you interpret the law? He answers him, “I must 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 love your neighbor as yourself.”(v.27)
Christ tells him that is correct, but he then wants to know who his neighbor is. Christ then responds with the parable of the good Samaritan. As you may know, a priest passes by a robbery victim in a poor state. Most likely because according to Old Testament law, a priest who touches a dead body would make himself ceremonially impure. The religious Levite also decided not to get involved. The third character in Jesus’ story was a Samaritan - a racial minority despised in Israel. The Samaritan, unlike the Priest and religious Levite, stopped and bandage the victim, put him upon his donkey and took him to an inn, cared for him, gave him money.
Jesus wants us only to show mercy to all who cross our path and require our mercy.
Blessings to you today!
Spiritual Gardening:
Read The parable of The Good Samaritan for yourself Luke 10:25-37
Reacquaint yourself with the book of Luke - so many great passages for studies!
Try to do one merciful, kind thing each day for your neighbor!
No comments:
Post a Comment