Tuesday, November 30

Tuesday

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,  “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:   “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means,  “God with us.”     - Matthew 1:20-23

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.              - Isaiah 7:14

These passages raise a theological question that I don’t think many Christians really understand – Why the virgin birth?

Have you ever wondered, why did Jesus have to be born of a virgin?  Why couldn’t God just appear as a grown man or have two regular old human parents?  Why did he need to do it this way?

I remember once being told by a fellow minister (from a totally different church and denomination) that he didn't think you had to believe in miracles in order to believe in Jesus.  His statement surprised me, and I asked him if he thought it was necessary to believe in the virgin birth, he said no, not really.

Let me give you three simple reasons for the necessity of the virgin birth that might help you to understand Jesus better and to love Jesus more.

First – Jesus is our Savior!

This is made wonderfully clear in verse 21, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins,"

Joseph was told to name the child, Jesus.  The name Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Yeshua, or Joshua, and it means “Jehovah Saves”.  It is God who is our Savior; the Bible repeats this over and over again, in passages like 1 Timothy 4:10, “that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”

Second – Jesus had to be the perfect substitution and sacrifice for our sin.

You see if Jesus had no human parent then he couldn't have been a man. He couldn't have taken on human flesh, he wouldn't have been of David's lineage and he couldn't be our substitute, man dying for men, so he had to have a human parent.  But if Jesus had two human parents he could not have avoided the contamination of sin that is in every human being, and therefore he could not have been the perfect, spotless sacrifice that satisfied God.  In other words, he could not have been God.  So, you see that he had to have one human parent and one Divine parent.

Third – Jesus had to fulfill the prophecies about him.

Matthew connects the Virgin birth to the most important thing in the life of the Jews, and that is the Old Testament. We should not think of the Virgin birth as something novel or new, it is connected to the Old Testament.  Notice that he says, "All this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the Prophet might be fulfilled, it might be accomplished."  What was prophesied is now accomplished and Matthew actually quotes directly from Isaiah chapter 7 (Isaiah 7:14). That would be a prophecy 700 years before any of this took place!

Oh Lord Jesus, if I cannot fully understand you, it is only because you are the eternal God far beyond my human comprehension.  And yet you also came to our world as one of us, to live, love, teach, suffer and die for us!  You are both our perfect example and our perfect sacrifice.  All praise to you Jesus, now and forever – amen.

Jeff Frazier

Monday, November 29

Monday

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,  “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.                  –  Matthew 1:18-20

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.                - Matthew 1:24

A couple of mornings ago I looked outside to see my neighbors putting up their multi-colored neon manger scene.  They are usually first on the block with the Christmas decorations and it is kind of a signal to the rest of us that it’s that time of year again. 

I have noticed that in many manger scenes it is not always immediately easy to tell which one of the figures is Joseph.  Mary is easily recognized because she is the only woman, and of course baby Jesus is front and center in the manger.  But sometimes Joseph gets lost among the shepherds and the wise men (who don’t really belong there anyway, read Matthew 2).  I guess the best way to identify Joseph in any manger scene is to look for the one male figure without a crown, without a shepherds crook and without wings.  For many of us, Joseph is kind of a peripheral figure in the Christmas story itself.  We tend to focus on Mary, on the angels announcements, and of course on the Christ child himself.  But Joseph has something very important to teach us about how we are to receive Jesus into our lives.

 In the passages above, we get a glimpse of how Joseph responded to the news about Mary carrying this mysterious child (which was not his).

The Jewish marriage custom of the day was for the couple to go through a year-long betrothal period before the wedding celebration.  This was kind of like an engagement, except that a betrothal was actually a binding contract.  You could not break the betrothal contract without a legal divorce.  During this one year period, the couple would be preparing for their life together as husband and wife, but they would not be living together and they were not to have any sexual union until after the wedding ceremony.  Just in case you are not getting the implications of this little historical tidbit, let me make it clear.  Mary and Joseph are from a small town.  Mary is pregnant and beginning to show.  There were no “shotgun” weddings in first century Jewish culture.  Everyone in town would have assumed that either Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph, or both Joseph and Mary had been unfaithful to God. I can’t help thinking that before the angel appeared to him, Joseph’s heart must have been completely crushed. 

As an unwed, pregnant, teenage girl, Mary’s life would have been pretty much ruined.  She would have been a social outcast without much hope for her or her baby’s future. 

Joseph, on the other hand, has some options.  Option one - he could publicly denounce Mary and break off the engagement.  This was his legal right and it would have added to the shame and humiliation for Mary.  But the text tells us that Joseph had chosen option two - to divorce her quietly.  In other words, Joseph knew that he could not go on with the marriage, but he had compassion for Mary and did not want to make any harder for her than it had to be.  But then he has this weird dream where an angel gives him option number three; marry the girl and raise the child as your own!?  This was unthinkable in that culture.

Basically the choice for Joseph is this, he can either have the Christ-child come into his life with all the complications that will bring, or he can keep his distance and maintain a nice comfortable life, but he cannot have both!

That was Joseph’s choice and it is ours as well.  We can either receive Christ into our lives, or we can try to keep our nice, neat comfortable existence.  We cannot have both (although many Christians try to have it both ways).

We know what choice Joseph made, and we know how that turned out. 

What choice will you make this advent season? 

The only life worth living is the one with Christ at the center of it!

Jeff Frazier

Friday, November 26

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”             Luke 17:11-19

  

Matthew Henry was an 18^th century English preacher and Biblical scholar who one day was assaulted and robbed by petty street thugs. He later wrote in his personal prayer journal:

            “Let me be thankful; first, because I was never robbed before;

            second, because although they took my wallet they did not take

            my life; third,   because although they took my all, it was not much;

            and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

I think we would agree that this is a deeper kind of gratitude. Most often I feel thankful when I am abundantly blessed; that is, when my children are healthy, my bills are paid and the refrigerator is full of food. While certainly appropriate, this kind of thankfulness is relatively easy – and superficial. It is quite another thing to remain in some way thankful when my child is sick, when my job was terminated, or when my house is in foreclosure!

As I think about this story – it dawns on me that this one Samaritan man has many reasons to remain somewhat skeptical and bitter. After all, who knows how long he had been a leper – and whether or not his family and community would have him back.  Would his former employer offer him a job – or would his past be a liability for the company? Would his wife have him back – maybe she had grieved and moved on in her life. And why should he trust this healing to last? Maybe it was just a cruel temporary remission. And after all, while he may have been cured of leprosy – he was still a Samaritan!

Yet, despite all the reasons he could have used to feed his own self-pity, this man threw himself at Jesus’ feet in humility and gratitude. Jesus’ response is very interesting. He says, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.” Many scholars have pointed out that the word “well” indicates a sense of wholeness – that is, inner as well as outer healing.

Could it be that God’s work in this man’s life was not complete until he opened his heart in praise and thanksgiving to Jesus? Could it be that the healing from the external symptoms of leprosy was not the main work Jesus wanted to accomplish? Could it be that the most important thing in this man’s life was NOT being healed from a dreaded disease – but in coming to know the love and grace of Jesus?

The purest form of praise and gratitude is not in response to our abundance, but in response to who Jesus is and what he has done in and for us. Take some time in prayer to throw yourself at his feet in thanksgiving and praise!

Brian Coffey

Thursday, November 25

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.                                                                                   Luke 17:11-19

Many great short stories contain a surprise – that is, an outcome that we don’t see coming, but makes the story memorable.

This brief story, only nine verses in length, actually packs three surprises – each greater than the one before.

The first surprise is that ten lepers are made clean through faith in Jesus. In that day, leprosy was believed to be both some kind of punishment from God and incurable. Yet, these ten afflicted men come to Jesus begging for mercy and go to show themselves to the priests (the only people in that culture who could proclaim them to be clean) trusting only on the word of Jesus. He said so. So they did. And they were healed.

The second surprise is that although ten men were cleansed from the suffering, humiliation and hopelessness of leprosy, only one returned to thank Jesus. Even Jesus himself seems mildly surprised at the missing nine. “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Jesus asked.

The third surprise doesn’t come across nearly as strongly to us as it would have in that time and place. The great surprise is that the man who came to offer his praise and worship was a Samaritan. Most of us have heard or read about the animosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day. Samaritans were considered “unclean” by the Jews and therefore were disqualified from worship in the presence of God. So for this Samaritan and former leper to wind up worshiping at the feet of Jesus is a shocker indeed!

What does this tell us about the Samaritan? What does this tell us about Jesus? What can we learn about ourselves?

It tells us the Samaritan no longer cared about the centuries-old prejudice that rendered him unworthy to worship. He was clean; he was overflowing with gratitude; and he worshiped with both humility and unbridled joy.

It tells us Jesus loves us as we are – leprosy and all – and offers to make us clean again. It tells us Jesus will receive our praise and thanksgiving – no matter what labels we have been placed on us by others.

Today is Thanksgiving Day – what a great time to return to Jesus and offer him our praise and thanksgiving.

Brian Coffey

Wednesday, November 24

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”


When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.                                                                                                                        Luke 17:11-19


Think for just a minute about the last time you were really dirty. Maybe you spent a day cleaning out the attic, or digging up your garden – but whatever you were doing you ended up sweaty, smelly and just plain dirty. I remember being on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic with high school students one summer when our primary work was mixing concrete by hand in 95 degree heat. By the end of the day I thought my clothes might walk away by themselves. Since there were no shower facilities we had to bathe by walking nearly a mile to a river – where we lathered up next to curious Dominican women who were washing clothes. It didn’t matter to us that we looked funny or out of place – it just felt so good to be clean!

To be a leper meant to be “unclean.” By the requirements of ancient Jewish law, a leper had to keep a distance from “clean” folks – and whenever coming within earshot, a leper had to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn the healthy population of the danger that was approaching. To be a leper, then, meant to feel oneself to be perpetually and publicly dirty, unwelcome, and untouchable. Imagine, then, what it felt like when these men – while on their way to the priests – looked down at the skin of their arms and hands and saw no more lesions or sores! Imagine what it felt like to be clean again!

Notice that Jesus didn’t heal the men right away. He told them to go show themselves to the priests. Think about this for a second. This was a very dangerous proposition. In the Jewish way of doing things, the priests were the very ones who had made the diagnosis of leprosy in the first place. To ask for another audience with the priests – and to still be leprous – was to risk serious consequences. But they go – because Jesus told them to go – they had put their faith in Jesus – lock, stock and barrel. In other words, their faith led to obedience, and their obedience led to their healing.

There is a lesson in here for us. Have you come to Jesus in all your uncleanness, crying out for his mercy and grace? Have you trusted him completely to make you clean? Have you begun to live out your new identity in obedience and gratitude to him?

Brian Coffey

Tuesday, November 23

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Luke 17:11-19


A number of years ago I received a call from a ministry volunteer at FBCG who told me that a man had come to the East Campus during our Wednesday evening children’s ministry program and was behaving in a very agitated way. I drove to the church as quickly as I could and found the man pacing back and forth in the lobby – obvious very distraught. I convinced him to follow me back into my office so we could talk and so that he would not frighten the children or others who were in the building. I discovered that he was the estranged father of one of the children in the ministry and was going through a difficult divorce. As I asked him questions, I also discovered he was a Vietnam veteran who struggled at times with post traumatic stress disorder. Eventually, after more than an hour, he calmed down and began to talk about his life. He told me that, at age 19, he had done and seen things in Vietnam that still haunted him today. When I talked about the love, forgiveness and healing of Christ, he said, “But you don’t know what I’ve done, man. You just don’t know what I’ve done.”

To be a leper in Jesus’ day meant to be beyond the reach of God’s grace, healing and presence. Leprosy was seen as both incurable and as a kind of divine curse. Lepers were forced to live apart from the community and prohibited from worshiping in the Temple. Once diagnosed by the priests, lepers were doomed to live the remainder of their lives as outcasts, separated from both loved ones and God.

I think in some way we all know what it is like to be a leper. While few of us suffer that kind of physical disease or social ostracism, we do know what it is to feel shame, to fear rejection, and to feel a separation from God due to our own sinfulness. Deep down, we all have a need for forgiveness and grace than we can provide for ourselves.

None other than the Apostle Paul himself, one of the greatest followers of Christ the world has ever known, wrote this of himself:

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature…For what I do is not the good that I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing…What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Romans 7:18-24 (selected)

Can you identify with the cry of Paul’s heart? I think all of us, if we are honest, know what it is to wrestle with sin and selfishness at the very heart of who we are. And therefore, with Paul, we can echo his cry of gratitude:

Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:25

Just as Jesus was the one who cleansed the ten lepers from their disease, he is the one who cleanses us from our sin and shame. May we give him thanks and praise!

Brian Coffey

Monday, November 22

Luke 17:11-19
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go, your faith has made you well.”


“What do you say?” a mother says to her five year old son after passing him the ketchup. “Thank you,” the little boy says sheepishly, knowing that it’s the third time his mom has had to remind him to say “thank you” during supper.

How many times did a scene like that take place at your house when you were growing up? Our moms taught us, and we teach our children, to say “thank you” because it is the polite thing to do. But the story Luke tells us here teaches us that saying “thank you” is much more than good manners.

This week we will observe the cultural holiday that we call “Thanksgiving.” I have long believed that Thanksgiving is the most uncorrupted of all our holidays because it just seems to be difficult to commercialize the giving of thanks. The marketers simply seem to skip over Thanksgiving and move right on to the economic frenzy of Christmas – as evidenced by the popularity of shopping on “Black Friday.” Most of us will sit around tables heaped with our favorite foods and will be at least somewhat conscious of our many blessings – and that’s good.

But I wonder if we will be thankful in the true sense of the word. The truth is that most of us have come to simply assume the blessings we enjoy right down to the pumpkin pie. We simply take all we have for granted because, well, we have always had it. The danger, of course, is that we eventually think of ourselves as entitled to what we have instead of recipients of God’s goodness and grace.

As we think this week about this short story from Luke’s Gospel we will find ourselves asking several important questions. What did it mean to be a “leper” in Jesus’ day? What would it have meant to be made “clean?” Why did only 1 of the 10 men who were healed return to give thanks to the one who had healed him?

But for now – the one question I want each of us to carry into this week of Thanksgiving is; “Am I one of the nine – or am I the one?”

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Brian Coffey

Friday, November 19

I (Ken) have learned so much about thankfulness over the last 6 months.  Six months ago Emmy’s family moved here from Greece, Mom, Dad, and sister...to our house.  And while there are so many blessings GOD has given us through his provision for our needs in just the right moment that I’m thankful for, I have been most impressed with Emmy’s parents gratefulness.

A couple of weeks ago Emmy and I sat on the couch in our living room talking, and at one point she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “It’s just not fair!”  What she was referring to was her parents, who had gotten home a few hours before from working all day long at Goodwill an hour away from our house, and who had just left for work at 9:00 pm for their overnight shift restocking shelves at Wal-Mart, and who were going to do the same thing all over again the next day.

She continued, “They have worked so hard for everything they have ever had, and they have nothing to show for it.  In Albania they had good jobs, not that any jobs in a communist country are good, but my mom was an accountant and my dad was a school building superintendent.  When we had to leave Albania for Greece, they worked so hard at such difficult jobs and have nothing to show for it.  And now they are here and they are working minimum wage jobs through the middle of the night and they have nothing to show for it.  It’s not fair.”

How do you respond to that?

I fumbled around with some words about everything from GOD being a gift, but as words were spilling out of my mouth I realized something.  Emmy was right, they have worked so hard and have nothing tangible to show for it, no cars, no house, no retirement account, nothing that most of us would look at and call them successful.  But they have never complained about it once.  Not in the six months that they have been living in their third country, struggling to learn yet another language, they haven’t complained once.  In fact, they walk in the house after working all day with huge smiles on their faces, and when they leave again at 9:00 pm for their second job, they leave with even bigger smiles on their faces.  They are so thankful for what they have, and what they have is their daughters.  They have sacrificed everything for their daughters to have things better than what they have and their gratitude to be able to see their children every day, to be finally reunited after 9 years apart shines through every time one of them walks into the room.

Emmy and I talked about that for a while and marveled, and realized that we have so much to learn about gratitude.

I think often times its discontentment that gets in the way of gratitude.  So much in our culture today is begging us to be discontent.  I think it would do us all some good to meditate on Paul’s words:

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4.10-14

And even more so his words to Timothy:

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. - 1 Timothy 6.6-10

Ken Lippold

Thursday, November 18

If you’re like me (Ken), I bet you pray before almost every meal, maybe not the ones you eat in your car where you are wrestling with the steering wheel, a pouch of french fries, and a large Diet Coke (got to watch our figures), but I bet before most meals you pray.  And I bet most of the time when you pray, you ask GOD to bless the food you’re about to eat. 

In fact, many of our prayers before meals probably go something like this: “Father, bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies.” or “Father, bless this food and may it strengthen us to do your work, Amen.”  It’s as if GOD is going to somehow magically empower our food more than those who don’t pray before they eat.

What if I suggested that asking GOD to bless our food is backwards, but that we are already blessed?

I think it will help us to look at a little biblical and historical context about praying before meals.  On the edge of the Promised Land, Moses gave his last teaching to the people of Israel, which is recorded in the book of Deuteronomy.  In Deuteronomy 8, Moses is recorded as saying: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. - Deuteronomy 8.10

In order to obey this teaching, the Jewish people developed a tradition of offering specific short prayers of thanksgiving to GOD throughout the day.  Each short prayer is called a berakhah, which in english means “blessing.”  Often in Scripture we see the phrase, “Bless the Lord,”  David used it in Psalm 103.1 when he said, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me...  A berakhah is actually a prayer of thanksgiving meant to acknowledge GOD as the giver of all things.

In Jesus day there was a berakhah or a blessing for almost everything, they would praise GOD for roosters who knew the difference between day and night, they would praise GOD each morning for each body part that was still working, they would praise GOD even after going to the bathroom!

We see Jesus reciting berakhahs as well.  In Matthew 14, Jesus is about to feed the 5,000, and Matthew gives us this detail: And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

Some translations say “He blessed the food,” however, the idea of blessing the food is not in the Greek text, what is implied, is that by looking to heaven, he blesses his Father for his provision of the food.  What he said isn’t recorded, possibly because Matthew didn’t feel the need to record something he thought everyone would already know, the usual blessing recited before meals: “Blessed is he who brings forth bread from the earth.”  A blessing directed towards GOD.

Let’s return now to praying before meals today.  There is no need to ask GOD to bless your food, he has already blessed you.  The food you have IS the blessing from the GOD who knows how to give good gifts to his children.  So, rather than asking GOD to bless our food, let’s offer praise and thanksgiving to the GOD who created and sustains us with food on our tables and roofs over our heads.

Bless you O Lord, for eyes to see, and for the teachers and parents who taught us to read that we could, by reading your word, know you more intimately.

Ken Lippold

Wednesday, November 17

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

   9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7.7-11

Several years ago a friend of mine was seeking some advice regarding financial issues he and his family were going through.  Some would say his first problem is that he was asking me (Ken) for financial advice.  As I thought through my own experiences and any Scriptures that came to mind the best thing I could come up with to tell him was that God always provides.  But that just sounded so cliche…then I got it!  How could I tell him the same truth but make it more emphatic?  I looked at him and told him “God has never not provided for my needs.” 

Yes, that’s right, I used the dreaded double negative. 

But there was something about the double negative that clicked for him, he told me he had never thought of it that way.  He then began to think back on his life and realized that though he and his family often worried, God had never not provided for their needs. 

There’s something about looking at a classic truth from the other direction that helps us to grab it in a new way.  This is what I want to share with you today.  God has never not provided.  Think back on your life, have you ever not had your needs met?  Not your wants, your needs.  I’d be willing to venture a guess that each of you have some need right now that you’re wondering how it will be met.  Maybe right now you’re thinking: “What about me? I’ve got this long list of needs that are unmet.”

I have another friend who for the last 4 months has been out of work.  Every time I saw him I would ask him, “How’s the job search?” and he would respond the same way, “nothing yet.”  About 3 and a half months into it, I finally asked him a different question, “Have you been praying about this?”  His response surprised me, “No, I just don’t know if I really believe that GOD would pull through.”  I looked at him and told him, “just try, pray about it and see what GOD does.”  The next time I saw him, I asked, “How’s the job search?”  His response, “I got a job!”  I said “Have you been praying about this?”  And he looked back at me with such a sense of joy in his eyes and said, “Ken, you were right, I’ve been praying about it and asking people to pray and GOD provided!”

Now, I’m not saying that GOD will miraculously provide your needs the second after you pray, but I think often times we don’t have because we don’t ask.  We attempt to meet our needs through our own strength, yet GOD wants to meet our needs, we only need to ask.

 As Jesus is teaching the crowds on the Mount of Olives he tells them "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Mt. 6.26-27)  Friends, God has never not provided.  If you have a need, ask the God who provides.

I want to bring this back around now to thanksgiving, not the holiday, but genuine, heartfelt thanksgiving.  Read what Paul wrote to the church in Philipi.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Phil. 4.6-7

I think that Paul is encouraging them to pray with thanksgiving implies that they take time to reflect on what GOD has already provided as they ask him to provide the next thing.  Today, before you pray for your list of needs, take a few moments and reflect on all the things GOD has already provided.

I’ll get you started: GOD, thank you for my salvation, thank you for being near to me when I pray, thank you for the roof over my head last night...

Ken Lippold

Tuesday, November 16

Tuesday

Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

I have a friend from the former Soviet Union who has this wonderful little habit. Whenever he hears some bit of good news, regardless of how small or seemingly insignificant, he quickly says "Thank you, Jesus." He will even do this when someone else is sharing about the good things in their own life. His first reaction to almost anything is to say “Thank you, Jesus.” I have always appreciated that habit in my friend. Sometimes, as I'm going about my daily work and dealing with the seemingly mundane circumstances of my own life, I find myself remembering my friend and giving out a "Thank you, Jesus" of my own.

I think this is close to what the Apostle Paul is urging us to do in the passage above; to live our lives with an ever increasing awareness of the goodness of God all around us. To recognize that in every situation, we have more to be thankful for than we realize. We are so accustomed to the traditional holiday of Thanksgiving in the U.S. that it is easy to forget that the formal observance of one day a year is not what the rest of the world means when they use the term thanksgiving. It is really kind of ridiculous to limit our thanksgiving to one day a year in one corner of the world.

Anyone who knows the Bible knows that we certainly did not invent the idea of holding a festival to praise and worship God for His blessings. Israel's national calendar contained great feasts to celebrate the harvest and commemorate events such as God's deliverance of the nation from slavery in Egypt. In addition to these festivals, the people observed the weekly Sabbath by worshiping God and remembering His provision. In fact, you might accurately say that their entire lives were centered around praise & thanksgiving to God.

Paul says that this is God’s will for us, that our lives be constantly marked by thanksgiving to God. Of course many of us will wonder how it is possible to thank God in the midst of pain, loss, grief, or illness. Some people who have gone through such things came out of the other side of them bitter and resentful toward God for allowing such things to happen to them, certainly not "thankful". How could it be that we're to give thanks in everything, when that "everything" includes such horrible experiences of pain and suffering?

It is critical that we look closely at what Paul actually says, and what he does not say here. He does not say to thank God "for" everything. That would involve a passive, fatalistic "victim" mentality to the troubles and trials of life; and it seems to me that it would require that we "turn off our brains" and numb ourselves to reality. Paul doesn't say, give thanks "for" all things. Notice instead that this passage commands us to give thanks "in" all things. There's a big difference. To give thanks "for" all things is a matter of surrendering to those things in a passive way. To give thanks "in" all things is a bold act of faith that recognizes that all is not as it should be but that God is still on the Throne and is able to bring about good through what seems so bad. The Bible tells us that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28); and that we can "rejoice in trials, knowing that trial produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). Because that's true, we can give thanks to Him "in" all things because of what He's accomplishing "through" those things.

I believe God is pleased when He sees honesty in our thanks. He doesn't want us to say, in a fake sort of way, "Thanks, God, for all this pain and suffering. I really like it." He would much rather we say, "Father, I don't like what's happening. It feels as if everything is falling apart. In fact, I wish with all my heart that none of this was happening to me. I don't understand why you've let this happen. But I do know that you're in control. I do know that, no matter what, you'll never change. I do know that you have decreed a good purpose for these things that are happening to me; and that, through them, you are conforming me to the image of your Son.

Monday, November 15

Monday

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. – Psalm 95:1-7

I don’t know if you have noticed, but we seem to have gone right from Halloween to Christmas in our culture. I was in Starbucks a couple of weeks ago and they already had their Christmas (“Holiday”) cups and decorations out. What happened to Thanksgiving? I know that there are significant commercial and market reasons for the early emphasis on Christmas, but from a personal and spiritual perspective – what about thanksgiving? Have you ever noticed how often the Bible speaks about our need to give thanks to God? From the Bible’s perspective, thanksgiving is considered part of our obligation to God.

The psalmist is giving the basic reasons everyone should give thanksgiving and praise to God. They apply not only to believers but also to all people. Each person has a responsibility to praise God, for all are creatures of His hands. In Romans 1, the apostle Paul points out that one of the charges God brings against people is that “although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him” (Romans 1:21). They did not recognize their relationship to Him. It is a constant source of amazement to me that people can be so blind to the fact that they are not, as they often imagine themselves to be, independent creatures making their own way through life. We take for granted all the forces that keep us alive and give us breath. We strut through life as if there were no one else we need to recognize as the source of our strength and power.

Dr. H. A. Ironside has written of an experience he once had at a restaurant. He ordered his meal and as was his custom, Dr. Ironside bowed his head and said a silent word of thanksgiving to the Lord before he ate. When he lifted up his head, and just as he was about to eat, a man walked up to his table and said, “Do you mind if I sit down with you?” Dr. Ironside said that it was quite all right, so the man sat down.

The man said to him, “Do you have a headache?”

Ironside said, “No, I don't.”

The man said, “Well, is there anything wrong with your food?”

Ironside said, “No, why?”

“Well,” the man said, “I saw you sitting there with your head down, and I thought you must be sick, or there was something wrong with your food.”

Ironside replied, “No, I was simply returning thanks to God as I always do before I eat.”

The man said, “Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow, and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!”

Dr. Ironside said, “Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what he does, too!”

That little story suggests that when we will not give thanks to God, we are acting like irrational animals. This is the basis of this appeal by the psalmist: no matter how we may feel or what our attitude toward God may be, we are bound, as creatures dependent upon His love and grace, at least to give thanks to Him as our Creator. Psalm 96:8 says, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.” God is always worthy of our thanksgiving, not just when we feel like giving it. We should do it for His name's sake. It would make a great difference in our worship if we would remember that praise is not something that merely reflects our fickle feelings but is something we ought to do simply because God made us, and we cannot live a moment without Him!

Lord, I give thanks to You because You are so worthy of glory. Forgive me for taking You and all that You do for granted – Amen.

Friday, November 12

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground, See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvested where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then,. You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside. Into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’                                                                          Matthew 25:14-30

As we come to the end of a week thinking about the “Parable of the Talents” (or, as I like to call it, “The Parable of the Crazy Boss,”) I have to admit that for many years this parable bothered me. It bothered me that the “one-talent guy” was judged so harshly after playing it safe with his master’s money. I think it bothered me because, by my personality, I tend to be a bit conservative and “risk-averse.” It also bothered me that his one talent was taken away and given to the “ten-talent” guy. Not only did it seem a little harsh – it didn’t seem fair!  It bothered me, that is, until I met a guy named “Randy.”

I met Randy almost 25 years ago on a short term mission trip in rural Mexico. I was leading a group of high school students from FBCG and Randy was with a team of young adults from Colorado. We were all serving together in a rural project for an organization called “Food for the Hungry.” Randy was about 25 years old and suffered from cerebral palsy. He was bright and loved Jesus – but he was limited by his disability. He used crutches and had to have someone help him get around. I remember wondering why he decided to come on this kind of trip – because he kind of slowed everyone else down. We were digging irrigation ditches in a field to prepare for the planting of a crop of corn and beans. But Randy couldn’t do that kind of work because of his limited mobility. He spent the week putting a handful of soil and seeds in little plastic bags so that they could be planted once we had prepared the field. But after four of five days of that – Randy got bored. He wanted to be out in the field digging with the rest of us.

On the next-to-last day of the trip Randy talked a group member into carrying a chair out to the field for him. Randy dragged himself by his crutches to the ditch we were digging. Randy’s leader, a guy named Kent, was frustrated with Randy for coming out the field because it put him at risk for falling and hurting himself. But Randy ignored Kent’s glare and sat in his chair on the edge of the irrigation ditch and asked for a pick-axe. He took it in his strong arms and flung it into the ditch to dig. On his second attempt – the power of his swing threw his whole body off the chair and into the ditch – head-first. Kent and I ran to Randy’s aid. After we pulled him up out of the ditch, Kent said, “Randy, what in the world are you doing!??” Randy smiled a big toothy grin – I’ll never forget it – and said, “I’m just having fun serving Jesus Kent.  What are you doing?”

I have thought about Randy often over the years. He wasn’t a “five-talent guy”; he wasn’t a “two-talent guy”; we didn’t think he was even a “one-talent guy;” but what he had, he invested with passion and joy for Jesus. Oh, that I would do the same!

Ask Jesus how you might more boldly invest your time, talents and treasure in his eternal kingdom!

Brian Coffey

Thursday, November 11

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground, See, here is what belongs to you.’           Matthew 25:14-30

Have you ever offered a lame excuse for failing to do something you know you were supposed to do? Something like, “The dog ate my homework;” or, “The sun got in my eyes;” or, “I was just driving the speed of traffic!” Most of us have – but perhaps the lamest and saddest excuse in the whole Bible is right here in this parable.

The master in Jesus’ story has invested significant resources – as well as trust – in three servants. Two of these servants go out and re-invest these resources and double their master’s investment. But the third servant, who had received just one talent or money, played it safe, burying the money in the ground.

When his master returns and it’s time to settle accounts, this servant sees that the “five-talent guy” now has 10 talents to offer his master and the “two-talent guy” has 4 talents – and he realizes that he has failed to do anything with the gift he was given. So, instead of confessing his fear and laziness, he decides to try to blame his failure on his master. He says, in effect, “Because you are such a cruel and vindictive taskmaster, I did the only prudent thing and buried your money in the ground.” In other words, he makes his master responsible for his own failure – and in so doing, he demonstrates an almost breathtaking misunderstanding of his master’s nature.

Imagine blaming your credit problems on a boss that pays you too much; or a speeding ticket on a Dad who gave you a car for graduation! The “one-talent” servant essentially blames his master for his own laziness. I wonder how often I might do the same thing – without recognizing it. Do I ever say to myself, “Well, I would give more if I had more;” or, “I would read the Bible more if I had more time;” or, “I would spend more time with my family if the kids didn’t fight so much!?”  When I allow myself to say or think such things – I am actually blaming God for my own laziness or disobedience or both!

The sad thing is, if the “one-talent” servant had simply admitted his failure and asked for forgiveness – his master most certainly would have gladly offered him a second chance.

Thank God for the many gifts he has placed in your life - and for the greatest gift of his forgiving love!

Brian Coffey

Wednesday, November 10

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’                                                                Matthew 25:14-30

My teacher in 6^th grade was Mr. Cundari. He was the first male teacher I had in school.  And while he could be tough on us (he used to make us write out a whole page of our history textbook if we misbehaved - I can still remember the page about “The Island of Formosa,”) I liked him because he let us play softball at recess. He was also the high school basketball coach in our town and I used to go to those games and dream about someday playing ball for Coach Cundari.

That year our gym teacher organized an intramural basketball tournament between the boys of all the different 6^th grade classes. We didn’t have coaches.  We just kind of organized ourselves in the chaotic way 6^th grade boys do that sort of thing. My team made it to the championship game – which was held at lunch time in front of the whole student body. I remember the game started poorly for us – we were behind at one point 9-0 and things looked grim. But then I called a timeout and told my teammates that for the rest of the game we would apply a full court press – I did NOT want to lose that game in front of all those kids! We went out and scored like 19 points in a row and won the 6^th grade intramural championship. But what I remember most is walking off after the game and seeing Mr. Cundari step out of the bleachers and stick his hand out – as he shook my hand he said, “Good job.” And I remembered seeing him do the same thing to his players after the high school varsity games. “Good job.” Just two words – but I have remembered them for over 40 years!

Jesus is teaching us that God is not only the God of the generous gift but he is also the God of the settled account. At the end of this earthly life, the God who created us and invested us with his own resources will hold each of us accountable for what we have done with his resources. Now, it’s important to say that Jesus is not talking about salvation here. Salvation is a gift from God; we receive it by grace, not by anything we do to earn it! But the Bible indicates that Jesus will indeed reward those who have been faithful in service and obedience. While we do not fully know what that reward will be – perhaps certain kinds of service in heaven – we do know that the first words we want to hear from our Master as he welcomes us into his eternal kingdom are, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  

Ask the Lord to remind you often to live with his reward in mind!

Brian Coffey

Tuesday, November 9

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”                 Matthew 25:14-30

A few years ago I came across the story of a man named Leopoldo Pujals. Mr. Pujals grew up in South Florida, the son of a Cuban immigrant family. He spent several years trying to climb the corporate ladder at Johnson & Johnson and wound up selling surgical equipment in Spain. While in Spain he noticed the rising popularity of fast food as well as the cultural shift of more and more women entering the work force. Becoming somewhat frustrated with his “dead end” job, he eventually decided to invest his entire life savings to open a pizza delivery business called “Tele-pizza.” His vision was to make it easy for women to use the telephone to call and order food delivered straight to their home instead of having to cook after a long day at work. Ten years later “Tele-pizza” was opening a new store every three days – and Pujals investment of $100,000 had become $665 million.

Few of us experience the financial success of a Leopoldo Pujals, but like Mr. Pujals, we are all in the investment business! That is, we all make decisions every day about how and where we will invest the precious resources of our time, our talent, our treasure – and our lives. We make choices, consciously or unconsciously, to invest ourselves in work, in family relationships, in entertainment, in hobbies, in community service, in our church and in a thousand other ways. Some of those investments are here today and gone tomorrow – with nothing gained - and some of them are multiplied many times over – and actually have an eternal return. The trick, of course, is to know which is which!

Jesus is teaching us that the Master wants us to invest his resources both boldly and wisely. He wants us invest in that which is precious to him and that which will produce an eternal return in his kingdom. Ask the Lord to help you review your own personal and spiritual “investment strategy.” Are you investing your life both boldly and wisely in the things that Jesus would hold most precious? Are you building a legacy that will far outlive your own life? Ask him to help you so orient your priorities so that he will be pleased with the return on his investment in you!

Brian Coffey

Monday, November 8

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.” Matthew 25:14-30

I remember an old T.V. show – back in the black and white T.V. days – called “The Millionaire.” From what I can remember the show started the same way every week – a very wealthy man (whose face you never saw) would write a check for $1,000,000 and give it to his assistant with instructions to deliver it to someone he had identified as needy or deserving in some way – and who had no idea the gift was coming. Then the rest of the episode would follow the story of the unsuspecting recipient of the millionaire’s gift – what they did with the money and what the money, at times, did to them.

I can remember wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such a gift. I’m sure I had no idea how much a million dollars was –I just was pretty sure it was more than my allowance! In this parable Jesus is telling a similar story- only the “master” is not an anonymous millionaire, but God himself. And we are the recipients of his generosity.

“Hold on just second,” you might say, “where is my million bucks?” While it is true that a “talent” in Jesus’ day was a very large amount of money (actually a weight of silver) – the truth is that God has entrusted each of us with all kinds of gifts and resources.

We have received what I would call “personal gifts” - life, health, intelligence, the ability to taste chocolate chip cookies, to hear music, and to feel the November wind against our faces. We have received “relational gifts” - the love and joy of family and friends. We have received “material gifts” - houses, cars, clothes, computers, ipods, ipads and all manner of stuff. And, if we have become followers of Jesus by faith, we have received “spiritual gifts” - that is, the Holy Spirit has enabled us to minister to others in the name and power of Christ.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of other, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8

Most of us, I think, tend to resist the idea that we are “gifted” or “talented.” We like to think of superstars like LeBron James or Luciano Pavarotti as gifted or talented and ourselves as just “normal folks.” But the truth is we are all gifted! We might be a “five-talent guy” or a “two-talent guy” or a “one-talent” guy – but the Master has invested his own resources in each one of us. And the only question is whether we will recognize and use the gifts he has given.

Take a few moments to consider the “giftedness” of your own life – and ask God to keep you from comparing yourself to others who you may see as more talented than yourself – and instead to you celebrate and use the gifts he has given!

Brian Coffey

Friday, November 5

Friday

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two silver coins 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.’  “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”  The expert in the law replied,  “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”      -  Luke 10:33-37

The first three words of this passage are the most shocking and surprising of the whole story.  “But a Samaritan…” this was the last thing that this expert lawyer would have expected Jesus to say.

A little historical background…

This expert in the law was a most likely a Scribe and a possibly a Pharisee.  A Scribe was a specially trained expert in the Torah, or Jewish OT law.  A Scribe’s job was to read, study, copy and protect the law.  Scribes were highly respected in Jewish culture.  Not all Pharisees were Scribes, but most Scribes were Pharisees (think about that for a minute).  A Scribe’s place was in the Synagogue, while a Priest and a Levite operated within the Temple.  There was a kind of religious rivalry between the Priestly class and the class of the Scribes and teachers of the law.  Each group thought their role was more important and looked down their nose at the other group. 

Keep in mind that the first two men to pass by this poor half-dead traveler without helping him in Jesus’ story were a Priest and a Levite.  It is quite probable that this expert in the law expected Jesus to say that a Scribe or a Teacher of the Law came by next and stopped to help this man.  He might even have been thinking to himself, “It is just like a Priest to be too high and mighty to help someone in need, but not me, I would have stopped to care for such a man.”

But Jesus turns this expert’s world upside down when he says that it was a Samaritan who stopped to help. He must have thought, “A Samaritan?  Did he just say a Samaritan?  Nah!  He couldn’t possibly be saying anything good about a Samaritan.” 

A little more history…

Samaritans were from the northern region of Israel and the Jews in the surrounding area hated them.  Samaritans in Jesus day were descended from the Jews who intermarried with the conquering Assyrians and faithful Jews considered them half-breeds and traitors.  There were actually prayers in the Mishna from Jesus day asking God to withhold his grace from the Samaritans!  The hatred was two way street, the Samaritans hated the Jews right back.  Do you get the picture?  It was even worse than Bears & Packers fans!

Did you notice the question Jesus asked this expert at the end of his parable?  He asks, which of these three was a neighbor to the man who was left for dead?  It is a simple question, with a fairly obvious answer.  But did you notice the way that this man answers Jesus’ question…he says that it was “the one who had mercy on him”.  He (the expert in the law) cannot even bring himself to say that it was the Samaritan, he calls him “the one who had mercy”!

It must have felt like a punch in the gut when Jesus told him to go and do likewise.  Go and live your live like this Samaritan, ouch!

So Jesus says to you and to me, “go and do likewise”, go and love your God extend compassion to your neighbor.  That’s it, you heard him, get going!  Go out into the world and live your life in love for God and in service to others…go on!  Your neighbors are in need and your God is calling...are you still reading this?  Get going!