09.11.2011 Remembering 9/11 - How to be Human in the Face of Inhumanity

09.11.2011 Grace Summit Sermon 9/11 - How to be Human in the Face of Inhumanity from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

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We have two concerns in our church we’d like to pray for – Bill went back into the hospital – and has been making progress – but Thursday they found that the cancer had spread to the liver. We ask for prayers for wisdom for the doctors as well. Jemma and Bill’s faith has been amazing – like Jesus in the Garden – not my will but Yours.
Laura H's mother had surgery for a brain tumor on Friday – and she will have to have chemo and radiation as well.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar [and] foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 "Cease [striving] and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Lord, You are with us and are aware of everything we face. For these concerns we bring before You, we thank You that You are a present help in trouble. You are here to help us. We ask for Bill, and for Laura’s mom Suzanne – battling cancer, we ask for healing and recovery – we know that You are The Great Healer. All things are possible with You. You are the creator of all things and nothing is too difficult for You. Like Jemma, we know that Your will will be done. We can trust You through good and bad and difficulty. May Your healing hand be on them – give their families grace. As our nation remembers 9/11 – make us a people who are changed – We think how 10 years ago, chaos ruled on the earth, and yet You were there and are our refuge and strength. Hope and peace can only be found in You – You are the hope of the world – thank You that You have allowed us to come to know that hope and peace. We are deeply grateful for the work You have done for us on the cross. In Your name we pray – amen.
With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 – how many of you were here then – it was very crowded for a couple weeks in our one service. We gathered here and prayed.
Over the course of time, all of us have been affected by this.
Mike Maffei was an iron worker – so he went down to help with the cleanup.
Rob Byers was at the World Trade Center on 9/10.
There was a story of a couple of guys who worked for the Port Authority just below where the plane hit. He was there with his wife – she had come to have coffee with him. Once the plane hit - No one knew what had happened. First two stairways were blocked – and then they helped people get off the floor. As they headed down, his wife noticed he wasn’t behind them. He and another guy continued to get others out. They went as far up as they could go – and there were people on each of those floors who remember them helping them get out.
There was another story of a CEO who got all of his employees out. One was a quadriplegic – with his aid. And the boss stayed with him and sent the aid down. “I will stay with him until someone comes to rescue us.” They never made it down.
Christianity Today featured 9/11 – There are all kinds of stories of people who gave their lives that others may live. I could tell story after story.
How to be Human in the Face of Inhumanity.
I’d like to look at this from our spiritual Christian perspective. There is a second thing as well – I don’t know how many of you remember a commercial – when the terrorists – it is a neighborhood of pastel row houses in San Francisco – They wanted to change America – and on 9/12 – every house had a flag. Yes, they did change America. There is a patriotism that came out of that. How the reality of the world we live in – this inhumane, violent world – needs to jolt us out of our complacency for the Kingdom of God.
James 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
That does not mean that there are people apart from God who start good organizations, but there is an opposition to what God wants in this world – We see injustice, violence, war – we could go on and on of the atrocities in the world. God has called us to live lives of mercy and justice and peace.
We see, in the Bible, the world being described as dark and the people described as the light.
The world is in opposition to Me – YOU are the light of the world, the salt of the earth – completely different from the world around you. He has called us to learn to live differently – the way He lived in this world – in the face of inhumanity. We will always have opportunities to demonstrate life because the world will always be dark and demonstrate darkness. It happens on a large scale, like on 9/11 – but it happens all over the world every day in small ways. You are the light of the world in your situation every day. Do you see yourself like that? I am light! When I go to the office – I am light!
As I tried to think of passages – I couldn’t get away from the Good Samaritan – about being human in the face of inhumanity. I know you have heard this many times – but it really demonstrates what we need to know.
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
This is not a question of heaven and eternal life – but of what can I do to be part of your coming kingdom.
26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
Jesus knew he knew the Law – and turns the question back to him.
27 And he answered and said, "You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself."
This is common knowledge – referred to as the Shema – and they repeated it several times during the day
28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
This guy had Bible knowledge – but he was not able to apply it to his life. This wasn’t a lawyer, but one who knew the first five books backwards and forwards. All of this, and yet it failed to change him. ‘wishing to justify himself’ – he hasn’t gotten it.
There was one individual who was rescued by one of those Port Authority guys – While they were going up and I was going down. “I couldn’t do that! But after seeing their example, I hope I would go back to get others out.”
30 Jesus replied and said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers,
We have a victim of inhumanity – who runs into thugs, terrorists, robbers.
and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead.
And now Jesus introduces the characters – 3 who have an opportunity to respond – the first is a priest – a respected religious person in the Jewish community.
31 "And by chance a certain priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
We know the story – and we think – how could he do that? But the priest probably had his reasons in his mind. He may have thought he was dead – and it would have made him unclean.
The second – a Levite –
32 "And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side
The lawyer would be thinking – yeah yeah yeah – those are the heroes! It would be like saying – 9/11 – and the fireman passes on the other side – and the police officer passes on the other side – you would think I am crazy – but that is a good illustration – they lacked compassion – and their religious conviction allowed them to excuse themselves from being compassionate. How often does that happen?
This is really a story about boundary markers. We pass by people on the road who are broken down – and we think, that is what this story is about. But it is really about – the Jews had rules of who they could do things with and for – and it was obvious what they ought to do – but their religious conviction would give them excuse to NOT do the obvious in this situation.
This is made all the more clear by the Samaritan. – And for those listening – the lawyer and any religious people – their minds are about to explode, as the villain becomes the hero.
33 "But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,
So he does what he ought to do – he took pity – had compassion –on him. With each person – it says, he saw the man…. – they saw his condition but only one responded with compassion. And Luke gives us a series of action statements –
34 and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on [them;] and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 "And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.'
He jumps into action without hesitation. Like the wife who looks back and sees her husband gone to help others…
He underwrites the person’s recovery from start to finish.
His concern is not temporary – it is complete and total. We are concerned, but does our concern go the distance to finish the job?
How many times do we see and have the choice of passing on or taking pity? How often does that happen? I’m not trying to guilt you into stopping for every stranded motorist!
36 "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' [hands?]"
Pretty easy question. He gets the answer, but look how he replies…
37 And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."
What did he not say? He did not say, The Samaritan. Who is the neighbor? You be the neighbor. You’re asking the wrong question – this is not about your boundaries, but breaking through them to become a person of compassion and mercy – seeking the opportunity to do good when that opportunity presents itself.
And we go back to the beginning – we are the light of the world.
Emperor Julian of Rome – speaking of the Christians – “They feed their own poor, and they feed ours also”
That is what God is calling the church to today in so many ways.
I was going to quote a bunch of things – about the slavery and murder and persecution – about how dark this world is – “Half the Sky” – about the brutal treatment of women throughout the world – you can read book after book after book – we are called to an inhumane world to be compassionate.
One closing thing – Gigi – for her – it caused her to realize – she prayed for people and started sharing with people before it is too late. Any day could be too late. Not one expected to go to work today and to have anything different. In being the light of the world, we need to preach the message of Jesus and to live the life of Jesus. Let’s pray.