Act of Random Kindness-Sermon Preached on Sunday July 11, 2010

Luke 10:25-37

The story of the Good Samaritan is one that most of us have heard whether we grew up in church or are new to the church setting. It is a story that provokes thought about human nature, but today I want to talk about its purpose. Now this may seem strange if you have heard this story as many times as I have and you may be setting there thinking David, this story is about compassion and helping someone in need. I will not deny that yes, that is part of the lesson to be learned here, but there is more!

What I want us to see here is that through this one act one man began to change the world. I am sure at certain times in our life many of us could relate to some of the people in this story, whether it was as the priest or Levite who passed by the man in need or the Samaritan who came to the man in need. Some of us may have actually been the person in need of help and thought that no one would show up to help us when through the grace of God, someone does show up.

What I get out of this scripture this morning is something that we really can compare to our current time. We hear so many stories of people in need and no one comes to their aid and in worst case scenarios people are left for dead as people literally walk by them and gawk or peer with interest but never take action. A recent story by Good morning America captures a good Samaritan as he tried to stop a man from attacking a women as she walked down a Queens NY city Sidewalk. The Good Samaritan is then stabbed by the woman’s attacker and then try’s to pursue the attacker, but collapses on the side walk. As he lay there dying; more than 20 people walk by and do nothing. One person does stop by to take a photo with their cell phone and then moves on. What has our country come to that no one values human life enough to stop and check on someone who appears to be in need.

A similar story occurred in Hartford CT a few years ago when an elderly man is hit by a car crossing the street and the driver of the car keeps on going. More than 10 cars pass by and no one stops to help a man lying in the middle of the street. How can this be! What have we as a people succumbed to?

As Christians we are called to be doers of the word, as read in James 1:22. As well as in James 2:20 we read that faith apart from works is barren. We are called to action and fortunately for us our local church, as well as the Methodist church as a whole, is one that has been and is mission focused, but I believe we can do more. We can be doers of the word though living out our faith and helping those in need.

In order for us to do this, it takes two things in addition to our faith and being filled with the Holy Spirit. The first is we have to be willing to take risk and the second is we must have courage. This of course comes as a result of our faith through prayer and opportunity. I will come back to this.

This past Monday as I was eating breakfast and drinking coffee, I was flipping channels on TV. I typically do not watch much TV, but as I was flipping the channels came across the movie Evan Almighty, just as it was coming on. Now I told myself, you cannot watch this movie; you have to prepare a sermon today and time is precious. But I got sucked into the film and began to think was this by chance or was it a God thing. Because of this movie, I had to rewrite my sermon and I even borrowed the name of this sermon from the movie. A.R.K. (Acts of Random Kindness). What does that mean to you? If you look at performing Acts of Random Kindness from a faith perspective what are you doing? As God, told Evan in this movie, you are changing the world one person at a time and just maybe you may have the opportunity to share your faith with someone.

So, back to risk and courage! In this movie do you think Evan had to take a risk? He was recently elected to congress and as a freshman congressman he was given the opportunity to co sponsor a bill. But during this time, God also appeared to Evan and ask him to build an ark. What a crazy idea! What would you do if God appeared to you in some form or fashion and ask you to do something crazy like build an ark? Would you have the courage to do it? Would you being willing to risk everything for God! Or for that matter, what are you willing to risk for God’s sake?

Jim Seale had such an opportunity one evening to risk everything for the sake of the Gospel and living out his faith. As he and several people were leaving an Emmaus meeting one evening, a gentleman was outside and needed $10 for gas. This gentleman even offered to sell his car jack to Jim for $10.00. Instead, he offers the guy a ride and takes him to gas station and pays for $10.00 worth of gas. Later several of the Emmaus community he had been with told him he was crazy for doing that and that he could have been killed or robbed. Jim, through his faith, took a risk and demonstrated courage in providing to this gentleman an Act of Random Kindness to those in need so we can change the world one person at a time.

Some of us may have had opportunities to help people in need, but when the opportunity presented itself you turned it away. Now I understand that we live in a society where we have to be careful. I am not asking you to do something that will put yourself in harms way, but to do what God is calling you to do. To live out your faith, by taking risk and having courage and by showing that Act of Random Kindness

And when that person you just shared an Act of Random Kindness ask you why did you do that, you can reply because of Jesus Christ! It is in our sinful human nature to be selfish and to not necessarily go out of our way to help others, but that is what we are called to do as Christians. We are called to help others or scripturally speaking to “Love our Neighbors.” That is sometimes hard and difficult. To love our neighbors requires us to take risk and be courageous. Are you ready for that!

As God told Evan, going back to the movie, when you pray for something such as patience or courage it is not just given to you, but you are given an opportunity to show patience or to show courage. As I child, I remember my mom telling me that she prayed for patience often when I was young. I apparently tested her patience daily and continued to through most of my childhood and probably even in to my late teens. So if you want to know about praying for something and being given that opportunity just ask my mom! I was her opportunity to learn patience. It must have worked, because nothing my sisters ever did rattled her cage like I could.

So, I digress. What I would ask you to do today is to pray. Pray for the opportunity to help someone in need. Pray for the opportunity to show someone an Act of Random Kindness. If you are not demonstrating your faith through action by doing the word of God then what are you doing? John Wesley denied that religion consist in “forms of worship or rites and ceremonies.” He says that “true religion consists in a heart right toward God and neighbor, and it implies nothing less than happiness as well as holiness.” If your heart today is not filled with the love of God and love for your neighbor, know that it can be. But, know that it is not something you can do but it is what God does in you when you say not my will God, but yours.

Going back to our movie, Evan experiences a similar scene with God when God is telling Evan what he wants him to do and Evan replies, that is not in my plans. God’s will is not our will and we have to allow ourselves to be lead by him. Remember this Christian faith is not a destination, but it is a journey. It is a journey like riding on a river. Sometimes the torrents of the river scare us to death; we do not know what lies before us around the next bend. It could be deep calm waters, or it just might be someone in need of our help.

The river of life awaits you it is like that road to Jericho. God is calling you to action for he still has lost sheep; they are in need of our help. Our streets are filled with homeless who are Hungary, we have orphans without a home, and many around us are in need. Are you going to set there today and say there is nothing I can do, I am too old, and I am too young? I do not have the time to do that. If not you, then who?

A man was robbed and beaten and left for dead on a road leading from Jerusalem to Jericho. Two men, a priest and a Levite, both at separate times walked by the half dead man in need yet did nothing. A third person, a Samaritan, actually came to his aid and provided an Act of Random of Kindness. He did not just show compassion for the man, he took action. He bandaged his wounds; he poured wine and oil on the wounds and carried him to an inn where he gave the innkeeper enough money for the poor man to stay there for two months.

I ask you today, who of the three men who came upon this man in need was his neighbor? Will you be a neighbor to someone in need? Will you take risk, will you be courageous and help someone like the Good Samaritan did? If not you, then who will be the one that will offer that Act of Random Kindness to the one whom God created? As the Good Samaritan did and as Jesus commands, “Go and do likewise!”