April 4, 2008

Dear Resurrection Family,

Forty years ago today Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed when he stepped outside his hotel room at the Lorraine Motel. He was in Memphis standing with and for the sanitation workers, demanding a living wage for them. He was aware of the threats on his life; yet, he still chose to go to march with these men. Last weekend I preached on the Golden Rule and ended by noting that living the Golden Rule at times requires great moral courage and a willingness to sacrifice. Dr. King was another example of this type of courage and sacrifice.

Earlier this year I shared with you a portion of the last sermon Dr. King ever preached. He was preaching on the Parable of the Good Samaritan the night before he was killed. He was describing the difference between the Priest and Levite, who were devout religious people but who did not stop to help the man who had been left on the side of the road to die, and the "good Samaritan," who did stop to help the man. Here's what Dr. King said,

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.

These questions are still pertinent forty years after Dr. King first asked them.

I only have a few notes for this week's pastor's email:

1. KU Fans - Come Dressed for the Game to Saturday Night Worship
2. This Weekend: Six of Life's Most Important Words
3. Change the World by Shopping and Playing Golf???

1. KU Fans - Come Dressed for the Game to Saturday Night Worship
The big game is Saturday night at 8:47 pm that pits the Jayhawks against the Tarheels. If you're a KU fan plan to wear your colors Saturday night to worship - don't worry, you'll have two and a half hours between the end of worship and tip off! 

2. This Weekend: Six of Life's Most Important Words
This weekend we continue in our series of sermons on Seven Simple Truths about LIFE. We're looking at those simple lessons, rooted and grounded in the scripture that make all the difference between success and failure, joy and bitterness, hope and despair. This week we'll consider six of life's most important words. One hospital in Michigan trained their doctors to say the first three of these words and it reduced the number of letters of intent to sue for malpractice from 262 to 130 per year and reduced their legal bills from $3 million to $1 million per year. Clearly these are important words. Couples whose marriages work well say them twice as often as couples whose marriages fail. Bring a friend (all of these sermons in this series are the kind your unchurched friends would find helpful and encouraging) and join us in worship this weekend - it might just change your life!

3. Change the World by Shopping and Playing Golf???
Here's an opportunity to change the world, and have fun at the same time: Participate in the annual Resurrection auction and golf tournament. We're still looking for volunteers, for items to be donated and for golfers and hole sponsors. The proceeds from this year's tournament and auction will help build houses for Habitat here in Kansas City and build church buildings and community facilities in South Africa among low income people. You've seen what the tournament and auction money did in Honduras. Do you have an item or a service that you could donate? Can you join us for a fun evening and shop? Are you ready to enjoy a great round of golf? Here's how you can get involved:

Learn more and volunteer online...

• Golf Sign-Ups - Deadline is April 18. Download form.
• Auction Donations - Deadline is April 24. Contact Amy Townsend, 913-498-0454, or Lindsay Borel, 913-638-6033. Download form.
• Golf Hole Sponsorships. Contact Kent Baker at 913-488-7007. Download form.

That's it for this email. I hope your day is blessed and I look forward to seeing you in worship this weekend!

Adam Hamilton