worship hour. I hear parents talk about their dizzying schedules between work, school, errands, and other commitments. While there are benefits to each one of these activities, I think we can safely say that our society is not promoting the practice of Sabbath.
I also believe that there is a connection to be found between the lack of Sabbath-keeping and the increasing level of hostility in our society. There is so little time to stop and think. Little wonder, then, that the nuances of ethical issues rarely sink in. Our political polarization is the equivalent of the microwave meal: pre-packed and half-baked. Our public discourse consists of sound bites that we catch on the way to the next event. We have lost the ability to listen deeply because we are rushing out of the door with the car keys in one hand and the cell phone in the other.
Perhaps part of the solution to bitter partisanship is quite refreshingly simple. New Dublin Presbyterian cannot solve our country’s problems, but at the very least, we make time for lemonade on the lawn.
As the pastor, I admit that I work during this Sabbath time. I use lemonade on the lawn as an opportunity to hear about a family member in the hospital, get an update on a child away at school, and meet that neighbor whose been wanting to come to church. I can answer a question about the sermon or offer a personal prayer. In other words, lemonade on the lawn helps me with my job.
But as a Christian, I am incredibly grateful to be a part of a community that models a practice of Sabbath. We are journeying together and should make time to listen to one another. As a church, we need take each other by the hand . . . perhaps now more than ever.
“GOOD INNKEEPERS”
July 11, 2010
Luke 10:25–37
Jesus told a parable about a Samaritan who helped a person lying on the side of the road. The moral is to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). There are thousands of poignant and beautiful stories of people throughout the centuries who helped victimized people. Many good sermons have retold one of these stories as a means of inspiring people to do the same.
But I imagine that everyone here this morning already has an idea of what it means to be a Good Samaritan. I would guess that many of you have your own personal examples when you or someone you know helped someone else in need.
So this sermon is going to try a new approach by focusing on a different character: the innkeeper. This morning, I’d like for us to put ourselves into the innkeeper’s shoes. We know what it means to be a Good Samaritan. What about the Good Innkeeper?
Jesus introduces the innkeeper rather late in the parable. The poor man has already been robbed and beaten; the priest and Levite have come and gone. The Samaritan has stopped and bandaged the man’s wounds. Almost at the very end of the story, the Samaritan took the injured man to the inn. Many of us, however, don’t follow the story this far. By this point, we have identified with one of the other characters, either positively with the Samaritan or negatively with those who passed by on the other side of the road. But there are others ways for us to identify with the parable; after all, there is another character.
Focusing on the role of the innkeeper in the parable helps me to identify with him. Notice that the innkeeper was asked to help in his usual place of employment; the Good Samaritan brought the man to the inn. He also gave money, so the innkeeper was trusted to be honest with his services. In addition, the innkeeper was asked to go beyond his normal duties and care for the beaten man. The Samaritan left him in charge; he trusts the innkeeper to nurse the beaten man back to health. So the extraordinary actions of the Samaritan also demanded a great deal from the innkeeper. The innkeeper did not choose to help the man lying on the side of the road, but, because he happened to be where he was, the innkeeper was charged to go the extra mile for someone in need. Can you relate to these experiences?
Putting ourselves in the shoes of a character in a parable has a long history of interpretation. For instance, the ancient church leaders read the parable as an analogy, meaning that each character symbolized someone in the real world. Our Vacation Bible School is going to study the parable of the Sower this week. As Jesus explains, the seed represents the word of God and the good soil symbolizes the people who hear God’s word.
But many biblical interpreters of the past also read the parable of the Good Samaritan as an analogy. The inn represents the church. Like the inn, the church is a place where people come to be healed. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who rescues people and then brings them to the church. That means that we are like the innkeeper. We have been trusted to continue the ministry of compassion that Jesus began.
This interpretation fascinates me.
Now this familiar parable takes on a whole new meaning! If we identify with the innkeeper, we realize that sometimes the opportunity to help others comes to us. We are called to practice acts of compassion in our everyday jobs. The example of the innkeeper also teaches us that it takes more than one person to lend a helping hand. It seems to me that these are important points to bear in mind.
Often we think of this parable and imagine ourselves as the Good Samaritan. Typically, we are encouraged to stop and assist a person in a car accident on side of the road. It is a good thing to lend a helping hand, but the truth of the matter is that every situation is not a choice between stopping or passing by on the other side. This idea is too simple to ring true in our complex world. From the homeless veteran sitting at the intersection to the media coverage of disasters all over the world, we see and hear of people in need on a daily basis. I don’t know about you, but I can feel overwhelmed; I can feel bombarded. If I am always identifying with the Good Samaritan, I feel helpless. How can one person meet so many needs? How can I stop for every single person on the side of the road?
I can’t; you can’t.
But Jesus calls us to go and do likewise! What then can we do?
Instead of comparing every situation to the Good Samaritan, it is helpful to think of ourselves as a community. The church really is like an inn. People come here to find rest and strength for their journey. During their stay, they meet fellow travelers. Even if you have walked a great distance by yourself, you are part of a community once you step foot into the inn. As a group of helpers, we can use our resources to address needs. Like the innkeeper, we are called to be good stewards of financial resources. We are trusted to spend our money and our time in ways that provide care.
When I was interviewing to be the pastor of New Dublin, certain members on the search committee expressed great excitement about a past partnership with a Presbyterian church in Merida, Mexico. I was told that strong relationships have been formed between families and individuals. I was very excited to see this for myself. During my first trip to their church, it was truly wonderful to see the joyful reunions between the Americans and the Mexicans. As people embraced, there was genuine love in everyone’s eyes. We visited people in their homes and our brothers and sisters graciously hosted us. Through “Spanglish” and hand gestures, we exchanged details about family members and gave updates about church programs. We rekindled our partnership.
One evening, our group met with their session about ways that we could strengthen the relationship between the two churches. By the end of the meeting, we had agreed to form an email prayer chain to maintain open lines of communication. I was grateful for the commitment to mutuality. This is not a charity project, but an ongoing and evolving partnership, which entails learning and sharing from both parties. This is not a case where we are the Good Samaritans; with our partners in Mexico, we are called to be part of the same inn.
In calling the church to be the hands and feet of the savior, God has charged us to continue the ministry of compassion by working as one community. May we be servants to those Christ calls into our midst; may we be found faithful when Christ comes again
