The Sermon Without Words

I experienced the body of Christ in action recently, and I'm still stunned by the beauty of it. I tell you about it so you can get a glimpse of what Christ intended us to be.

I had injured my back picking up firewood and it hurt. A lot. Standing wasn't so bad, but sitting? Sitting was terrible. The longer I sat, the worse my leg hurt. If I sat very long, I dragged my leg, so I stood. I put my computer on the kitchen island and worked standing up. It's a very trendy work position and I felt marvelously productive.

In my defense, I also gave myself appropriate treatment. Tincture of time is usually the safest route in this kind of problem. Rest. Heat. Anti-inflammatories. I did all that. I also asked my sister and my Sunday School class, and one of my friends to pray. Then, I proceeded to suffer in silence. Well, it wasn't really silence. I whined to the Lord until even I was ashamed of my whining.

None of that is the good part. (Don't be distracted by my hurt back, please. It's not the point.)

It was the monthly meeting of our Emmaus small group. We met at my house, and I had scurried around all day getting ready. The food was cooked. The table was set. Even my blue glass Tiki torches were ablaze. (My love for Tiki torches is a topic for another day.) I was ready in plenty of time, so I sat down to read for an hour before people arrived. 

I sat to eat. 

I sat on the couch to visit.

Two hours into the evening, I had a recurrence of my back problem and the leg hurting and dragging. Walking might help, I thought, so I walked to the kitchen.

One of the men said, "Miss Leanna, you're dragging your leg." It went from there. No one would be satisfied until the tale was told. 

"Why didn't you call us?" My sweet friends were not happy with me. 

"Well, it was better, but it got worse after I unloaded 600 pounds of feed."

And you didn't think one of us would come do that for you?" 

They shook their heads in wonder at my foolishness.

Then, I saw the body of Christ in action. They gathered around me and prayed, then sent me to bed. They folded up the chairs and table and put them away. They loaded the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen and gathered all the supplies we'd been using in a neat stack next to the cabinet where they're usually stored. 

I was already in bed when I got a text. "Everything's done and we've locked the doors. Hope you feel better."

The body of Christ wasn't through. They checked on me repeatedly to be sure I was resting and had the care and help I needed. They continued to pray. Despite their very busy lives, they cared for me.

I can't begin to express how loved I felt. I experienced people being the hands and feet of Christ and it was beautiful beyond compare.

If I didn't already know Jesus, I would want to after this experience, and it's left me pondering. If I, and the rest of the body of Christ, loved the world the way they loved me through my back problem, we could make a difference that words never will.

They preached me a sermon without words.

My friends didn't just talk about Jesus' love, they showed me by their actions. 

I can't tackle the whole world, though I'd like to try, but I can care for those around me, including those who don't know Jesus. I can make a difference in my community and, in so doing, in my world, and you can, too. 

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, 

to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, 

even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" 

Matthew 25:40 nasb

It's time the body of Christ preached a sermon the world can understand. 

Serving Christ by serving others. It's a sermon that needs no words, the kind of sermon that can change the world. 

Preach on, brothers and sisters. No words required.
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In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links:  Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 1, Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 2, How to Live Longer, Is Longer Life Worth the Cost of Obedience?, The Changing of Our Culture: Physician Assisted Suicide, The Opportunity in Trials, and The Monarch Migration Badge

#bodyofChrist #loveGodloveothers #disciple #Christian #Christianaction

How to inherit eternal life, part 19: the Samaritan

And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 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. 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.' Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands? " And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same." (Luke 10:31-37 NASB)

The priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan all saw the wounded man but only the Samaritan saw with his heart. He was moved by compassion for the man's needs and did all he could do for him. The actions of the Samaritan are remarkable on many levels, but especially because he was on a journey, headed to a destination where he would stay, likely for several days. "When I return", he told the innkeeper, he would settle accounts for all that had been needed in the care of the man. With that, the Samaritan committed himself to an ongoing involvement in the life of the wounded man that would continue until the man was able to care for himself. 

The Samaritan did not stop at merely bandaging the hurt places. He committed himself to the man's recovery and provided what was needed for that to happen. Truthfully, I prefer the one-time handout. I'm happy to send blankets to homeless people, but I'm not so quick to involve myself in the lives of those same homeless people, helping them until they are back on their feet. It's the same with those who have a myriad of overwhelming needs. Just like them, I am easily overwhelmed by their need. Not seeing how to deal with all the problems, it's easier to deal with none of them. 

What I've come to realize is the very thing the Samaritan understood all along. He was not responsible for helping every person with trouble along his journey, but he was responsible for one. When he saw with his eyes and his heart, he responded by doing what he could, and it was enough. In that same way, we will never be able to respond to every need our eyes see, but, when God moves our heart with compassion, we can respond to the need of one. 

I think the kind Samaritan was accustomed to helping people along the journey. He had a relationship of trust with the innkeeper that made the man's care possible, so perhaps he had done the same thing for other wounded people along his way. He was the kind of neighbor God has called us to be, responding, one at a time, with all the compassion and care and commitment we can until the injured one has recovered enough to care for themselves.

May we look at the great need around us and allow God to move our hearts with compassion and our hands with action, commitment, and care. Let's not hold back from the one who needs us the most, but love and give as the kind Samaritan, staying involved until the need is completely met. After all, that is exactly what Christ has done for us. 

Go and do the same. 

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If you have not yet ordered your copy of The Waiting: When the Answer to Your Prayer is Delayed and Your Hope is Gone, you can get yours here, or go to leannahollis.com/online-store.  

Eight Days of Hope, part 1

Her story was so incredibly poignant that it broke my heart. A woman in her mid-eighties, who has spent all her adult life caring for her handicapped son, along with that very loving and kind son, were in their small home when the tornado struck. They were pinned inside by fallen trees. 

Once the trees were removed and they were out, the sad state of affairs was evident. Of the three rooms left standing, one would not be standing long. They made do, despite no power or running water, and people began to help. Eventually, they were moved to safe housing and their plight was made known. Eight Days of Hope adopted their need.

In case you don't know, Eight Days of Hope is a faith-based ministry that responds to disasters with a team of volunteers to help put lives and homes back together. While repairing houses is what they do, serving Jesus is why they do it. They work for eight days. Whatever can be accomplished in eight days is done, and each volunteer agrees to work at least three of those days. 

When I heard that this fine ministry was adopting this dearly loved woman, I queried the site. I wanted to work on her home, and no other. I wasn't trying to be unreasonable, but my time was very limited and I wanted to spend it helping this dear lady.  They assured me I could pick my job, and I signed up, then promised her I would help with her new home. When I went this morning to "pick my job", you can well imagine my dismay when I found that her church was working on her home today, and Eight Days of Hope would be going later. The only thing that kept me from going back home was that I had given my word to work. 

In anticipation of landscaping work, I had driven my pickup, stocked with shovels, wheelbarrow, hand tiller, and cooler. As I glumly perused the list of jobs, I found one that required the exact set of tools I had brought. "Well, Lord, I wasn't planning on "filling in a large hole" today, but since that's what I'm equipped to do, I guess I will." As I signed up for the job, I realized that I would be Project Manager, as well. Suddenly, it was my responsibility to be sure the job was completed. I had no idea how big the hole was, and that was a good thing. 

When we arrived at the house, there was a mountain of dirt. Really. I looked at the two women and two young boys who made up my team and said, "Well, since we need to move a mountain, we had best ask the One who moves mountains to help."  After a few moments spent in prayer, we started shoveling dirt into the wheelbarrow and hauling it around to the hole. 

A young man walked by, looked at our task, and said, "Girls, don't worry. You are about to have some help." I silently told The Lord that I hoped he had brought a shovel. He had something much better. He had a Bobcat!  Before we could dump what we had shoveled, he was scooping up dirt with his machine and filling my wheelbarrow, as well as his own. His wife was there to help, along with his friend and his family. Suddenly, that tiny team was big and powerful. God was moving the mountain, and he was using Robbie and Alan, and their families to do it. I was amazed at their strength and at the sweet relationships they all enjoyed. 

It was the body of Christ in action. The entire combined team worked like crazy, stopping only briefly for a sack lunch. There was no fussing or arguing, and no one thought their contribution was more than another's.  Everyone was quick to help, especially when I had trouble moving the loaded wheelbarrow! 

In five short hours, we paused to assess our progress. I was amazed at how much was done. The hole was filled! 

I'm not sure why God wanted me to fill a hole today instead of doing the landscaping I had planned, but it was obvious He did, and I'm really grateful for the divine change in plans. I saw God move a mountain today, literally, and He used the body of Christ to do it.