St. Thomas' Episcopal Church: Youth Mission Trip 2006 Spiritual Program

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St. Thomas' Episcopal Church
315 Lindsey Street • Reidsville, N.C.

Youth Mission Trip 2006
Spiritual Program

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Sunday

Mark 4:2-20

2 He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold." 9 And he said, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" 10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12 in order that "they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.' " 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

James 2: 14-26

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

Story for Sunday Evening

Stopped

Unknown author

Cars were at a stoplight. The light turned green, but the man didn't notice it. The woman behind him begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move. The man doesn't move. The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving, pounding on her steering wheel and dash. The light turns yellow. The woman begins to blow the horn, flips him off, screams profanity and curses. The man looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turns red.

The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection. As she is in mid-rant she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a policeman. The policeman tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in sight. She complies, speechless at what is happening. After she shuts off the engine, the policeman orders her to exit her car with her hands up.

She gets out of the car and he orders her to turn and place her hands on her car. She turns, places her hands on the car roof and quickly is cuffed and hustled into the patrol car. She is too bewildered by the chain of events to ask any questions and is driven to the police station where she is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door for her. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the original officer is waiting with her personal effects. He hands her the bag containing her things, and says, "I'm really sorry for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. Then I noticed the: "Choose Life" license plate holder, the "What Would Jesus Do" bumper sticker, the "Follow Me to Sunday School" bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. So, naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car !"

A time for reflection

Distribution of today’s tangible: SEEDS

Sunday evening                                                                                                            CLOSING

When the Lights are On from the Iona Abbey Worship Book

Leader: When the Lights are on and the house is full and laughter is easy and all is well. . .

Voice: Behold I stand at the door and knock

Leader: When the lights are low, and the house is still and the talk is intense and the air is full of wondering. . . .

Voice: Behold I stand at the door and knock

Leader: When the lights are off and the house is sad, and the voice is troubled and nothing seems right .

Voice: Behold I stand at the door and knock

Leader: And tonight, always tonight, as if there were no other people, no other house, no other door

Voice: Behold I stand at the door and knock

Leader: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest; stay with us for the day is ending. Bring to our house your poverty

ALL: FOR THEN WE SHALL BE RICH

Leader: Bring to our house your pain,

ALL: THAT SHARING IT WE MAY ALSO SHARE YOUR JOY

Leader: Bring to our house you understanding of us

ALL: THAT WE MAY BE FREED TO LEARN MORE OF YOU

Leader: Bring to our house all those who hurry or hobble behind you

ALL: THAT WE MAY MEET YOU AS THE SAVIOR OF ALL

Leader: Bring to our house your Holy Spirit

ALL: THAT THIS MAY BE A CRADLE OF LOVE

Leader: With friend, with stranger, with neighbor, with the well-known ones, be among us tonight

ALL: FOR THE DOORS OF OUR HOUSE WE OPEN AND THE DOORS OF OUR HEARTS WE LEAVE AJAR.
Ministry/missions to POOR

Monday Morning

Mark 10:17-31

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.' " 20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

Mother Teresa: A modern day missionary and saint

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje*, Macedonia, on August 27, 1910. Her family was of Albanian descent. At the age of twelve, she felt strongly the call of God. She knew she had to be a missionary to spread the love of Christ. At the age of eighteen she left her parental home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. After a few months' training in Dublin she was sent to India, where on May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls made such a deep impression on her that in 1948 she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Although she had no funds, she depended on Divine Providence, and started an open-air school for slum children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and financial support was also forthcoming. This made it possible for her to extend the scope of her work.

On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See to start her own order, "The Missionaries of Charity", whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after. Over the years, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity grew from 12 to thousands serving the "poorest of the poor" in 450 centers around the world. Mother Teresa created many homes for the dying and the unwanted from Calcutta to New York to Albania. She was one of the pioneers of establishing homes for AIDS victims. For more than 45 years, Mother Teresa comforted the poor, the dying, and the unwanted around the world.

Mother Teresa gained worldwide acclaim with her tireless efforts on behalf of world peace. Her work brought her numerous humanitarian awards, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In receiving this award, Mother Teresa revolutionized the award ceremony. She insisted on a departure from the ceremonial banquet and asked that the funds, $6,000 be donated to the poor in Calcutta. This money would permit her to feed hundreds for a year.   She is stated to have said that earthly rewards were important only if they helped her help the world’s needy.

Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 and was beatified by Pope John Paul on October 19, 2003.

Missions to the POOR

Monday Lunch

This BLOG was posted by John Scalzi at www.scalzi.com/whatever/003704.html on September 3, 2005 12:14 AM in the wake of Hurricane Katrina

Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.                                         Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they're what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there's not an $800 car in America that's worth a damn.                  Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.                                                                                       Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends' houses but never has friends over to yours.                 Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won't hear you say "I get free lunch" when you get to the cashier.                                          Being poor is living next to the freeway.                                                                                                Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.                              Being poor is wondering if your well-off sibling is lying when he says he doesn't mind when you ask for help.                                                                                                                                                       Being poor is off-brand toys.                                                                                                                 Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.                                                                            Being poor is knowing you can't leave $5 on the coffee table when your friends are around.      Being poor is hoping your kids don't have a growth spurt.                                                                         Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn't have make dinner tonight because you're not hungry anyway.                                                Being poor is Goodwill underwear.                                                                                                       Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.                                                   Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground.                                                                                                                                           Being poor is your kid's school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.     Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.                                                                       Being poor is relying on people who don't give a damn about you.                                                      Being poor is an overnight shift under florescent lights.                                                               Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.    Being poor is a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet.                                                               Being poor is stopping the car to take a lamp from a stranger's trash.                                        Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw.                                                                                                                            Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a goddamned difference.                                           Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.                                                        Being poor is not taking the job because you can't find someone you trust to watch your kids.         Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.                                       Being poor is not talking to that girl because she'll probably just laugh at your clothes.                 Being poor is hoping you'll be invited for dinner.                                                                           Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it.                                                                    Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk.                              Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.                                                                                        Being poor is your kid's teacher assuming you don't have any books in your home.                            Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.                                        Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.                                                    Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.                                                                     Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually stupid.                                                  Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.                                                     Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.                   Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn't bought first.                                                    Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that's two extra packages for every dollar.                                                                                                                          Being poor is having to live with choices you didn't know you made when you were 14 years old.         Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.                                                           Being poor is knowing you're being judged.                                                                                         Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from a community center Santa.                             Being poor is checking the coin return slot of every soda machine you go by.                                            Being poor is deciding that it's all right to base a relationship on shelter.                                                 Being poor is knowing you really shouldn't spend that buck on a Lotto ticket.                                          Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime.                                                                Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won't listen to you beg them against doing so.                                                                                                                    Being poor is a cough that doesn't go away.                                                                                        Being poor is making sure you don't spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back before the lease is up.                                                                                                                                     Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in. Being poor is four years of night classes for an Associates of Art degree.                                           Being poor is a lumpy futon bed.                                                                                                        Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.                                                                                        Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.                           Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.                                                                 Being poor is seeing how few options you have.                                                                                         Being poor is running in place.                                                                                                               Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you all the poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Monday Evening

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.                                - - - Mother Teresa

Faith and Deeds

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3), and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called "Smile. "

The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say, hello, anyway... so, I thought, this would be a piece of cake, literally. Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's, one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son.

We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell... and there standing behind me were two poor men.

As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling." His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally deficient and the blue eyed gentle man was his salvation. I held my tears... as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked them what they wanted. The man doing the ordering said, "Coffee is all Miss." -- because that was all they could afford. To sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something... hey, they just wanted to be warm. Then I really felt it... the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with his blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me... judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this alone for you... God is here working through me to give you hope."

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me honey... to give me hope." We held hands for moment and at that time we knew that only because of the Grace of God that we had been given, that we were able to give. We are not church goers but we are believers. That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it... then she looked up at me and said, " May I share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read, and that is when I knew that we, as human beings and being part of God, share the need to help people and be helped.

In my own way I had touched the people at Mcdonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn... UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this. Learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS -- NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE. If this true story has touched you in any way, please share it with a friend, so we all can better practice the love that Jesus Christ taught us.

Time for Reflection and discussion

Distribution of Tangible: ONE band

Monday evening

Prayer to make poverty history from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development

Leader: Christ our Lord,
your light shines into the shadows,
and shows us
where the obstacles to change lie.
We know that often
they are in our own hearts,
in the way we live,
and in our daily choices and actions.

All: May God grant us the courage to change

Leader: We pray that we may accept
the light of your love
as a challenge to change
ourselves and our world.
We pray that, each day,
we make the choices and
take the actions
that will bring an end to poverty and hunger,
and lead us all
towards a fairer world.

All: May God grant us the courage to change

Leader: Be with us, Lord,
as we face your challenge
and learn how to live
our lives in love.
All: Amen.

Tuesday morning

Ministry/missions to the oppressed (for social justice and freedom)

Matthew 13:47-52

47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

A modern martyr and missionary for social justice: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born February 4, 1906.   From the first days of the Nazi accession to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer was involved in protests against the regime. From 1933 to 1935 he was the pastor of two small congregations in London, and a leading spokesperson for the Confessing Church, which opposed the anti-semitic policies of Adolf Hitler and served as a center for Protestant resistance to the Nazis. In 1935, Bonhoeffer was appointed to organize and head a new seminary for the Confessing Church in Finkenwald. As the Nazis power solidified, he became increasingly involved in the political struggle in Germany. He considered refuge in the United States, but returned to Germany where he was able to continue his resistance., working with groups seeking Hitler’s overthrow.

Bonhoeffer was arrested in April 1943, and imprisoned in Berlin. After an attempt on Hitler’s life failed in April of 1944, documents were discovered linking Bonhoeffer to the conspiracy. He was moved to Buchenwald concentration camp and then later to Schoenberg and Flossenburg Prisons. He was hanged on April 9, 1945 at Flossenburg prison.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is considered a martyr for his faith, and an early proponent of liberation theology, a philosophy that explores the relationship between Christian theology (usually Roman Catholic) and political activism, particularly in areas of social justice, poverty, and human rights. The calendars of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America commemorate him on April 9, the date on which he was hanged in 1945.

An oft-quoted line from one of his more widely read books, The Cost of Discipleship, foreshadowed his death. "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."   There is in Bonhoeffer’s life a remarkable unity of faith, prayer, writing and action. The pacificist theologian came to accept the guilt of plotting Hitler’s death because he was convinced that not to do so would be a greater evil.
Let us pray: Gracious God, the Beyond in the midst of our life, thou gavest grace to thy servant, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to know and to teach the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, and to bear the cost of following him: Grant that we, strengthened by his teaching and example may receive through Jesus Chist our Savior, who liveth and reighneth with the and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Tuesday lunch

Tuesday lunch

Martin Niemoeller was a submarine commander in World War I, winning the Iron Cross First Class. After the war, he spent some time in the Freikorps, studied theology and was ordained in 1931, becoming pastor of St. Ann Church at Dahlem, an affluent suburb of Berlin.

Initially, Niemöller welcomed Hitler's rise to power. In his 1933 autobiography, From U-Boat to Pulpit, Niemöller called the years of the Weimar Republic "years of darkness" and in an afterword to the book expressed hope that Hitler would bring about a "National Revival". The Nazis' praise for his autobiography helped make it a bestseller in Germany.

However, by the autumn of 1934, Niemöller's faith in Hitler had collapsed, and he formed the Confessing Church, a Protestant group that opposed the Nazification of the German Protestant churches, the anti-Christian ideas of certain Nazi leaders, and Nazi racial doctrines, yet declared loyalty to the government. In mid 1937, Niemöller's sermon to an overflowing church concluded with: "We have no more thought of using our own powers to escape the arm of the authorities than had the Apostles of old. No more are we ready to keep silent at man's behest when God commands us to speak. For it is, and must remain, the case that we must obey God rather than man. He was arrested three days later, and after eight months was tried by a Sondergericht (special court) for crimes against the State. Acquitted on the charge of "underhanded attacks against the State," he was convicted of "abuse of the pulpit" and for taking collections. Sentenced to seven months imprisonment, he was released for having already served that time awaiting trial.

As he left the courtroom, Niemöller was placed in "protective custody" by the Gestapo and interned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945. After the war, Niemoller emerged from prison to write these words and was instrumental in producing the “Stuttgart Confession of Guilt”, in which the German Protestant churches formally accepted guilt for their complicity in allowing the suffering which Hitler’s reign caused to occur.

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
    because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
    because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
    because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
    because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
    and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Tangible: Awareness ribbon: Bound in this pin are ribbons of orange (cultural diversity and racial tolerance), blue (freedom of speech), purple (religious tolerance ) and white (peace),

Tuesday evening

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and American political activist who was the most famous leader of the American civil rights movement. For his promotion of non-violence and racial equality, King is considered a peacemaker and martyr by many people around the world.   The success of his nonviolent campaign to change racial attitudes in America was modeled after those of Mahatma Gandhi, and his methods, in turn, have been utilized by other social protest movements to garner positive social change in modern society. At the base of his nonviolent methods and philosophy, Martin Luther King relied heavily on his Christian faith and principles to inform the decisions and choices as he guided the movement. This excerpt is taken from “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, Dr. King's last, and most apocalyptic , sermon. He delivered it, on the eve of his assassination, at [the Bishop Charles] Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, on 3 April 1968. He was assassinated on his hotel balcony the next day.

Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, because he had the capacity to project the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings--an ecclesiastical gathering--and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony." And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the casual root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effort.

But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that these men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the day of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.

A time for reflection and sharing

Closing : A Litany for social justice

Litany for social justice

Leader: It is not true that this world and its inhabitants are doomed to die and be lost

ALL: THIS IS TRUE; FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT DIE, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.

Leader: It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction

ALL: THIS IS TRUE: I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY

Leader: It is not true that violence and hatred shall have the last word, and war and destruction have come to stay forever

ALL: THIS IS TRUE: FOR TO US, A CHILD IS BORN, TO US A SON IS GIVEN, IN WHOM AUTHORITY WILL REST, AND WHOSE NAME WILL B PRINCE OF PEACE

Leader: It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil that seek to rule the world.

ALL: THIS IS TRUE: TO ME IS GIVEN AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, TO THE END OF THE WORLD.

Leader: It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are prophets of the church, before we can do anything

ALL: THIS IS TRUE: I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL PEOPLE, AND YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD FOLK SHALL DREAM DREAMS.

Leader: It is not true that our dreams of liberation of humankind, our dreams of justice, of human dignity, of peace are not meant for this earth and this country.

ALL: THIS IS TRUE: THE HOUR COMES, AND IT IS NOW, THAT TRUE WORSHIPPERS SHALL WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.
--from: Service of Prayer for Justice and Peace, Iona Abbey Worship Book

Wednesday morning

Ministry/ missions to the unchurched: the Gospel in translation, going and teaching

Acts of the Apostles 5:17-32

17 Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, 18 arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, 20 "Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life." 21 When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.

When the high priest and those with him arrived, they called together the council and the whole body of the elders of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the temple police went there, they did not find them in the prison; so they returned and reported, 23 "We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside." 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what might be going on. 25 Then someone arrived and announced, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"

26 Then the captain went with the temple police and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

America’s Pastor: Billy Graham

Billy Graham has preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—over 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts. Since the 1949 Los Angeles crusade vaulted Mr. Graham into the public eye, he has led hundreds of thousands of individuals to make personal decisions to live for Christ, which is the main thrust of his ministry.

Born November 7, 1918, four days before the Armistice ended World War I, Mr. Graham was reared on a dairy farm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up during the Depression, he learned the value of hard work on the family farm, but he also found time to spend many hours in the hayloft reading books on a wide variety of subjects.
In the fall of 1934, at age 16, Mr. Graham made a personal commitment to Christ through the ministry of Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangelist, who visited Charlotte for a series of revival meetings.

Ordained in 1939 by a church in the Southern Baptist Convention, Mr. Graham received a solid foundation in the Scriptures at Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College in Florida). In 1943 he was graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and married fellow student Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of a missionary surgeon, who spent the first 17 years of her life in China.

After graduating from college, Mr. Graham pastored the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Illinois, before joining Youth for Christ, an organization founded for ministry to youth and servicemen during World War II. He preached throughout the United States and in Europe in the immediate post war era, emerging as a rising young evangelist.

The Los Angeles crusade in 1949 launched Mr. Graham into international prominence. Scheduled for three weeks, the meetings were extended to more than eight weeks, with overflow crowds filling a tent erected downtown each night. Many of his subsequent early crusades were similarly extended, including one in London which lasted 12 weeks, and a New York City crusade in Madison Square Garden in 1957 which ran nightly for 16 weeks. In nearly sixty years, , he has preached the message of Christianity around the world, reaching live audiences of 210 million people in 185 countries.

Today, at age 87, Billy Graham and his ministry are known around the globe. He has preached in remote African villages and in the heart of New York City, and those to whom he has ministered have ranged from heads of state to the simple living bushmen of Australia and the wandering tribes of Africa and the Middle East.

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant, Billy Graham, whom you called to preach the Gospel to people across the globe. Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever.

Wednesday lunch

The author of this story, CHARLES W. COLSON, is a native of Boston and holds degrees from Brown University and George Washington Law School. From 1969 to 1973 he served as special counsel to President Richard M. Nixon. During the Watergate investigation Colson was indicted on a charge unrelated to Watergate– the burglary of psychiatrist Daniel Ellsberg's office. He was indicted for smearing the name of Ellsberg and served seven months in prison.

Rather than hardening him, Colson’s time in prison gave him a greater love for people. Following his conversion to Christianity, not only did old political enemies become friends, but while in prison new friendships were forged with those who might have become enemies.

Presently, Colson is chairman of Prison Fellowship, a ministry he founded in 1976, which makes its headquarters in Washington, D. C.

DOING TIME

    Twenty years ago in the city of San Jose dos Campos, a prison was turned over to two Christian laymen. They called it Humaita, and their plan was to run it on Christian principles.

    The prison has only two full-time staff; the rest of the work is done by inmates. Every prisoner is assigned another inmate to whom he is accountable. In addition, every prisoner is assigned a

volunteer family from the outside that works with him during his term and after his release. Every prisoner joins a chapel program, or else takes a course in character development.

    When I visited Humaita, I found the inmates smiling -- particularly the murderer who held the keys, opened the gates, and let me in. Wherever I walked I saw men at peace. I saw clean living areas. I saw people working industriously. The walls were decorated with biblical sayings from Psalms and Proverbs.

    Humaita has an astonishing record. Its recidivism rate is 4 percent compared to 75 percent in the rest of Brazil and the United States. How is that possible?

    I saw the answer when my inmate guide escorted me to the notorious punishment cell once used for torture. Today, he told me, that block houses only a single inmate. As we reached the end of the long concrete corridor and he put the key into the lock, he paused and asked, "Are you sure you want to go in?"

    "Of course," I replied impatiently. "I've been in isolation cells all over the world." Slowly he swung open the massive door, and I saw the prisoner in that punishment cell: a crucifix, beautifully carved by the Humaita inmates -- the prisoner Jesus, hanging on the cross.

    "He's doing time for all the rest of us," my guide said softly.

    In that cross carved by loving hands is a holy subversion. It heralds change more radical than mankind's most fevered dreams. Its followers expand the boundaries of a kingdom that can never fail. A

shining kingdom that reaches into the darkest corners of every community, into the darkest corners of every mind. A kingdom of deathless hope, of restless virtue, of endless peace.This work proceeds, this hope remains, this fire will not be quenched: The Enduring Revolution of the cross of Christ.

Tangible: A Nail

Wednesday evening

Have you ever made a fool of yourself in public? What if you did it on national TV? On February 28, 1958, Dave Wilkerson did just that--embarrassed himself for the Lord.

Seven gang members went on trial in New York for murder. Dave Wilkerson saw their story in Life magazine and was filled with compassion. The Lord seemed to be telling him to do something about it. Could it be true? Dave Wilkerson was a country preacher in the small town of Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. What did New York have to do with him? And yet, he could not get the conviction out of his mind. So he spoke to his church leaders and went to the court hearing.

When he tried to speak up, however, policemen seized him, slapped him in cuffs and hustled him out of the court room. They feared courtroom violence. Wilkerson certainly had not succeeded in what he came to do. Had God really spoken to him? How could he explain this to his church back home?

Back in Pennsylvania, the Lord spoke again. Wilkerson knew he must do something. He traveled back to New York several times and walked the streets where he knew gangs operated. Then he recognized God's wisdom in allowing his humiliation. His public arrest won him a measure of acceptance among the youth he had come to help. He sought to lead these young men and women to Christ and to the filling of the Holy Spirit as their best hope for breaking drug addiction and patterns of self-destruction and violence.

Convinced that the only way to keep many of the kids off heroin and out of violence was to give them a place to stay, Dave Wilkerson opened the first Teen Challenge center. Often he did not know where the money to pay the next bill would come from. But God blessed the work. A score of young workers joined him in an effort to evangelize New York's toughest districts. They were threatened, beaten--even stabbed. Yet they persisted. Many teens turned to Christ. Teen Challenge became a national organization.

Among the teens that Wilkerson ministered was Nicky Cruz, a hardened gang leader and member of the Mau Maus. Despite a bitter first encounter in which Wilkerson was badly beaten, he continued to confront Nicky with God’s love and forgiveness and ultimately Nicky was converted and left the gang life behind. Nicky and several of his fellow gang members have gone on to careers in ministry and evangelism themselves. Nicky’s journey to God was recounted in Wilkerson’s book The Cross and the Switchblade and in a movie by the same name which indirectly has impacted the lives of many teens in the years since 1958. Wilkerson remains actively involved in his work with teens and evangelism to this day, still a “fool for Christ”.

Show movie:   “The Cross and the Switchblade”

A time for reflection and sharing

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