The Good Samaritan
by ---Tim Hansel---

 Sometimes I get so caught up in learning about some deep thing of my 
Christian faith that I overlook doing one of the most important things 
I've been called to do.  I think that whole churches can get caught up 
in this as well.  I think that a whole body of believers can begin to 
look toward that next mountaintop experience with such zeal that they 
neglect to minister to those around them.  Latley I've been studying
child-like Faith, but even if a person finds this child-like faith - if 
they have not Love they have very little;

                 "The Good Samaritan"

  One semester , a seminary professor set up his preaching class in an 
unusual way.  He scheduled his students to preach on the parable of "The 
Good Samaritan" and on the day of class, he choreographed his experiment 
so that each student would go, one at a time, from one classroom to 
another where he or she would preach a sermon.  The professor gave some 
students ten minutes to go from one room to the other; the others he 
allowed less time, forceing them to rush in order to meet the schedule.  
Each student, one at a time, had to walk down a certain corridor and 
pass by a bum, who was deliberately planted there, obviously in need of 
some sort of aid.
  The results were surprising, and offered a powerful lesson to them.  
The percentage of those good men and women who stopped to help were 
extremely low, especially to those who were under the pressure of a 
shorter time period.  The tighter the schedule, the fewer were those who 
stopped to help the indigent man.  When the professor revealed his 
experiment, you can imagine the impact on the class of future spiritual 
leaders.  Rushing to preach a sermon on the "Good Samaritan" they had 
walked past the beggar at the heart of the parable.  We must have eyes 
to see as well as hands to help, or we may never help at all.  I think 
this well-known poem expresses it powerfully:


I was hungry and you formed a humanities club to discull my hunger.
Thank you.
I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel to pray for my 
release.  Nice.
I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.  
What good did that do?
I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.  
But I needed you.
I was homeless and you preached to me of the shelter of the love of God.  
I wish you'd taken me home.
I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.  
Why didn't you stay?
You seem so Holy, so close to God; but I'm still very hungry, lonely, 
cold, and still in pain.
Does it matter?
---Anonymous---

  Sometimes it's very hard for me to see the forrest, due to all of 
those trees.

In Christ,
Jimmy 

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