Sermon "Don't Give Up"
Rev. Lonnie Richardson
Sunday September 14, 1997
Luke 11:5-10
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Don't Give Up!
"Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has afriend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, `Friend, lend methree loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey hascome to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then theone inside answers, `Don't bother me. The door is already locked,and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give youanything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him thebread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldnesshe will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I sayto you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asksreceives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the doorwill be opened.
Luke 11:5-10
Last week looked at the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan isthe legendary figure who helps someone else along the road ... Itdefines what it means to be compassionate.
The story began, with a random act of violence. We don't knowthe man's name who was beaten, robbed, stripped, left half deadin the ditch. He was just traveling along and got hurt.
The Samaritan takes money out of his pocket and gives it tothe innkeeper, saying, "Take care of him; and whatever moreyou spend, I will repay you when I come back." TheSamaritan, stops his own journey when he sees the need of astranger. He risks, detours, extravagantly responds to the needsof the Samaritan and becomes the voice of the victim in the ditchwho never utters a word. Today we look at another parable ofcaring, caring which will not give up or be determined byinventory. Let's explore the setting of the story. It is midnight...
At midnight, it's hard to make sharp distinctions. Colors donot stand out. Outlines are blurred. A path or even a roadway maybe difficult to follow. The inability or our unwillingness tomake sharp distinctions is the cultural, religious and moralsituation in which we find ourselves right now in our society.There is a midnight of difficulty in discovering where the linesare to be drawn.
Something else about midnight- it is easy to be preoccupiedsimply with things to be avoided. A barrier in your path; a stonein your way and you don't see it; a prowling animal in the darkenjungle; a purse snatcher or worse behind the next hedgerow. Andconsequently and quite naturally the tendency is to be engrossedwith things to be avoided of which to be afraid, from which, ifpossible, to escape. And I suggest to you that says somethingabout the time in which we are living. Midnight is a time not tobelieve that anything good could really happen. It is in thiscontext that Jesus asks: Which of you who has a friend will go tohim at midnight?
Let's look at the people in this story. There is the hungrytraveler who lost his way and a house where there was bread. Atmidnight a knock is heard and we find a traveler hungry, thirstyand confused. The friend who opened the door and invited thevisitor in remembers that the pantry is bare. He says, "Stayhere" and then goes to a neighbors house asking for bread.What happened? He got the bread! Not because he was a neighborbut because of his boldness. He was not ashamed to take action,even at midnight, for the need of another. He would not give up.
An intermediator, a go-between, with a hungry man here and ahouse where he knew there was bread over there. My friends,that's the role of the church. That's the role of the individualChristian. To be an intermediary. You and I between those who arehungry for the bread of life and the house of bread prescribed byJesus Christ who said, "I am the bread of life."
Awhile back on a talk show the guest was a body builder.During the interview, the body builder was asked, "Why doyou develop those particular muscles?" The body buildersimply stepped forward and flexed a series of well-definedmuscles from chest to calf. The audience applauded. "What doyou use all those muscles for?" The interviewer asked.Again, the muscular specimen flexed, and biceps and tricepssprouted to impressive proportions. "But what do you 'use'those muscles for?" The interviewer persisted. The bodybuilder was bewildered. He didn't have an answer other than todisplay his well-developed frame. I was reminded that ourspiritual exercises--Bible study, prayer, reading inspirationalbooks, even worship are also for a purpose. They're meant tostrengthen our ability to build God's kingdom, not simply toimprove our pose before an admiring audience. Use your spiritualmuscles in service.
Don't give up being a mediator between the hungry on one handand the source of supply which is Jesus Christ. Amen.
