“Find Your Calcutta” Two men were digging a ditch on a very hot day. One said to the other, "Why are we down in this hole digging a ditch when our boss is standing up there in the shade of a tree?" "I don't know," responded the other. "I'll ask him." So he climbed out of the hole and went to his boss. "Why are we digging in the hot sun and you're standing in the shade?" "Intelligence," the boss said. "What do you mean, intelligence'?" The boss said, "Well, I'll show you. I'll put my hand on this tree and I want you to hit it with your fist as hard as you can." The ditch digger took a mighty swing and tried to hit the boss' hand. The boss removed his hand and the ditch digger hit the tree. The boss said, "That's intelligence!" The ditch digger went back to his hole. His friend asked, "What did he say?" "He said we are down here because of intelligence." "What's intelligence?" said the friend. The ditch digger put his hand on his face and said, "Take your shovel and hit my hand." I am not making fun of ditch diggers. I have had the joy of digging ditches myself. In fact I am going to ask you if you are willing to get "in the ditches" in order to demonstrate your love for Jesus Christ. THIS MORNING I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH THREE THINGS:  To consider the Good Samaritan parable from the point of view of actually being in the ditch.  To encourage you to find your own “Calcutta” and start serving today.  To invite each of you to “open the gates” and “pop the protective bubbles” you live in and to love people who are poor with the unconditional love of Christ. Once a young woman was so inspired by Mother Teresa's work in Calcutta that she begged her to allow her to join her in ministering to the poor and disease in Calcuta. Mother Teresa replied: "Find your own Calcutta" "You can find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are. . . . You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see." --Mother Teresa PAUL HAD A SIMILAR MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH AT CORINTH.  Serve the Lord in whatever situation He has placed you So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. 1 Corinthians 7:24 (1 Cor. 7:17-24). John Alexander, one-time president of InterVarsity, gave to a group of students: “What have you done this past year to make a helpful difference within a mile of your home?” The hungry, the suffering, the un-evangelized at our doorstep lack the more appealing aura of the needy souls elsewhere on the planet. But the ones closest to us are those whose needs we are best equipped to meet. Let’s take personally what Jesus said to a man He had set free from demons: “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the lord has done for you”(Mk. 5:19).  If we look around us through the eyes of Jesus, we’re sure to find a Calcutta close by. THROUGH THE EYE'S OF ONE IN THE DITCH WHAT IS IT LIKE IN THE DITCH Alex's experience Your experience. FIND YOUR OWN CALCUTTA THE EARLY CHURCH FOUND THEIR CALCUTTA Acts 2:42-47. One of the signs of the early church was that they worked to eradicate poverty in their midst. We read these words in Acts 2:42-47 (ESV): 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 The poor will always be with us, says Matthew 26:11, but it matters to God that we are accountable to our brothers and sisters for seeking at every turn to meet a need. And the members of the very first church did just that. They sold their property, they sold their possessions, and they gave to “anyone who had need.” What a powerful picture of community—that each member would be more focused on the needs of others than on his or her own needs in life. The Old Testament demanded that God's people care for the poor. AS CHARGED BY MOSES... 1. The poor were not to be charged interest - Exo 22:25; Lev 25:35-38 2. The fruit of fallow ground during the seventh year was for the poor - Exo 23:10-11 3. They were allowed to glean the fields after the harvest - Lev 19:9-10; Deut 24:19-22 4. They could satisfy their hunger in the vineyards and grain fields- Deut 23:24-25; Lk 6:1 5. The tithe for the third year was reserved for special groups of the poor - Deut 14:28-29 6. Debts were to be canceled every seven years - Deut 15:1-4 7. Hebrew slaves had to be set free after six years - Deut 15:12-15  Israel was charged to be careful in their attitude toward the poor - Deut 15:7-11 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 26:12 As John was to write later, If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17  Christian fellowship is Christian caring, and Christian caring is Christian sharing. If there really is koinonia among the people of God, then, as Moses states, 4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. Deuteronomy 15:4-6 Of course many societies have dreamed of ending poverty. In the twentieth century that has been the goal of socialist governments world-wide. And, that was also one of the goals of President Johnson's Great Society. At the time of Paul the Greeks looked backward to a golden age in which all property was public. Pythagoras is said to have practised it with his disciples. Plato incorporated this ideal in his vision of a utopian or prefect republic. And, a few miles east of Jerusalem, the Essene leaders of the Qumran community were committed to the common ownership of property. According to its Rule, all members, wherever they lived, were obligated to care for the poor, the needy, and the stranger; however, those who wanted to enter the monastic community at Qumran had to hand over all property and income to the community. In our Scripture reading we find that the ideal of koinonia was realized in the early New Testament church. We are told "there were no needy persons among them" (Acts 4:34). Why was this? First- the devotion of their heart:  The apostles’ teaching  Fellowship  The breaking of bread  Prayer I don’t know about you, but I believe it was no accident that one of the natural manifestations of this group of believers was that they selflessly cared for the needs of the poor. Any time we devote ourselves fully to godly teaching, to biblical community, to observance of the communion meal, and to steadfast prayer, we can’t help but begin to care more deeply about the things that are close to the heart of God. Second-the fruit of their heart There was a tangible result from their devotion and their selfless care for each other : verses 44 and 47 tell us that there was harmony, there was joy, and there was salvation for many brand-new believers. Do any of you want to be part of a community like that? I surely do. ACTS 2 ATTITUDE IS STILL POSSIBLE TODAY 1. An Acts 2 attitude assumes a strong foundation. 2. An Acts 2 attitude assumes a selfless posture. 3. An Acts 2 attitude assumes a spiritual expectation. By God’s grace, and with his enablement, an “Acts 2 attitude” is still possible today. Our congregation can reflect on the Acts 2 themes. What’s more, our individual hearts can beat to the rhythms we find in Acts 2. strong foundation.  The foundation is the Good News of Jesus Christ! Jesus came to bring Good News to the Poor “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, Luke 4:18  Jesus told John the Baptist And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. Luke 7:22  Here is what Jesus Preached to the Poor 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Luke 6:20-21 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? James 2:5-6  Jesus Himself was Poor that We might be Rich For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 selfless posture. “All the believers were together and had everything in common,” verse 44 says. Undoubtedly there were differences among this diverse group of people, but based on what we read here, it is safe to assume that they chose to focus on what united them rather than on what divided them. Is that true of your posture too? Are you known as a “uniter” instead of a “divider”? Is our congregation known for its ability to unite? Selflessness didn’t die when the first believers passed away; selflessness is a posture we can choose still today. spiritual expectation. Verse 43 says that they were “filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” I wonder, despite the circumstances that may surround you, do you continue to be “filled with awe” over what God is up to in this world? There are pressures and strains from all sides—on the job front, in terms of the economy, regarding the cultural influences on our kids—and yet God says that in this world where we indeed find trouble, he has come to bring us peace. Are you claiming your peace this day? Are you clearing out the distractions and waiting with eager anticipation for how God will use your life for good? This is how the early church lived, and this is how we can live today. PERSONAL APPLICATION UNWRAP THE BUBBLE WRAP As we wind down our time together today, I’d like to issue a challenge to us all, based on a what Mother Teresa said: I’d like to challenge each of us to find our own, personal “Calcutta”—that place where we cease caring for our own concerns and focus our attention and resources on others instead. 1. ESTABLISH THAT “ACTS 2 ATTITUDE” Re-upping our commitment to a STRONG FOUNDATION—to things like receiving biblical teaching, engaging in Christian fellowship, participating in holy communion, and persevering in heartfelt prayer. Carrying a SELFLESS POSTURE. Will we continue to accumulate more, or will we stave off the consumption craving and learn to live on less so that we have something left at the end of the day, the week, the month, to give away? Living with a SPIRITUAL EXPECTATION—moving through life with an eager anticipation for what God is up to in this world. 2. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO FIND YOUR “CALCUTTA,” STAY CLOSE TO YOUR DITCH. STAY CLOSE TO YOUR DITCH. The closer we are to our own ditches—those occasions when we’ve found ourselves in need of a hand up—the more likely it is that we’ll stop what we’re doing and help another out of his or her ditch. Their discomfort will become our discomfort too. Their pain will become our pain too. Their need will become our need, and we’ll be moved to take action to help. If you’re now out of your ditch, thank God for that. But don’t wander too far from it, because the memory of that ditch may very well be the catalyst you need to go help another person climb out too. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: The first is this: When have you found yourself in a ditch—a financial ditch, an emotional ditch, a spiritual ditch, a physical ditch, a relational ditch, a ditch of besetting sin? What was that ditch like? And next, who was it that came along and helped to lift you out of it? However you describe your ditch, my advice is to stay close to it, if only for this week. Tell God that while you’re grateful you’re no longer staring up at the sides of that ditch, you remember well what it felt like to be in great need. And then ask him for wisdom and guidance as you seek out just one person whom you can help this week. If the goal is to start with one, as did Mother Teresa, then who is the person who can be your “one” this week? CONCLUSION Four weeks ago we began a journey toward becoming a Good Samaritan, and many of you have expressed your excitement over what you are learning Shane Claiborne made the statement that the tragedy is not that rich people don’t care about the poor; it’s that rich people don’t know the poor. Let’s change that in this week. We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.~Mother Teresa If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~Mother Teresa We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.~Mother Teresa In her book Hidden Art, Edith Schaeffer of L'Abri Fellowship tells of feeding the occasional vagrant who would stop at her back door and ask, "May I have a cup of coffee, ma'am, and maybe some bread?" Edith would invite him to sit down, then go in to prepare a tray of food fit for a king: steaming soup and thick sandwiches, cut and arranged artfully on a plate with garnishes. The children would make a tiny bouquet, and if it was dusk, add a candle. In amazement the man would gasp, "For me?" "Yes," Edith would answer, "and coffee will be ready in a minute. This Gospel of John is for you too. Take it with you. It really is very important." How about serving up God's love to someone? Through your generosity you will be serving Christ--and perhaps, you may be serving an angel in disguise (Heb. 13:2). Food is God's love made edible Hebrews 13:1-2 1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:1-2 OUR TEXT refers to that memorable scene when Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent, probably inclined to slumber in the heat of noon. Suddenly he saw three men apparently waiting for alms and help. Plenty of travellers had come to his door before, seeking help and hospitality which he had given freely. But though the heat was great, though he may have been disappointed again and again in the recipients of his bounty, he felt it better to be disappointed a hundred times than to miss the chance of showing hospitality and welcome. Therefore he sprang to his feet, called to Sarah for help, and the two of them quickly ministered to the three unknown men. How thankful he must have been that he had not refused to entertain them, for two of them were angels, and the third was the Son of God! In our crowded lives, where room is scarce, it is less easy for us to care for the people who may be cast as strangers amongst us, but there is a hospitality of the mind that we can all exercise, when we open our hearts to some story of sorrow. None of us are quite aware, except we have suffered in that way, how much it helps some people to be able to pour out their burdens and sorrows. It is much to have a hospitable mind, to have a sympathetic ear, and to make room in our heart for the story of human pain, sorrow, and loneliness, which some, who are comparative strangers, may want to confide in us. We may rebuke ourselves that our hearts do not more nearly represent the hostel or inn into which sad or weary souls may creep for shelter. Although you cannot say much, there may always be the open door of your heart where the lonely and desolate may enter and find in you a fire of sympathy, kindness, and good-will.