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Bishop T. D. Jakes To President and Mrs. Bush, Vice President and Mrs. Cheney, to all that are assembled here, and most importantly to all families who have been deeply touched by this catastrophic storm, our prayers are with you, as we understand is the only one who can heal the wounded and bruised soul of this nation and its families and those particularly in the Gulf. As we face these troubled times we look to God’s word for solace and comfort and strength. There are many passages that would provide that solution and peace for us. But my heart is fixed today on the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, verse 30 through 34. In the text it speaks particularly about a man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell amongst thieves, which stripped him of his raiment and wounded him, departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came by a Priest. And he saw him pass by. A Levite came. He looked too. But he passed by on the other side. Finally, a Samaritan passed by his way. Only the Samaritan came where he was, and when he saw him he had that thing that we so desperately need today. He had compassion on him. He went to him. And bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him. Briefly, I will talk to you about the power of a helping hand. Five simple truths that are born out of this text that are so relevant if we face this time of perplexity and crisis, confusion, hurting in our nation. Number one, the Levite and the Priest show us that restoration is more than observation. It’s more than looking from the safety of our television into the lives of other people and accessing their situation, from the comfort of our own luxury and lives. It teaches us that we can no longer be a nation that overlooks the poor and the suffering, and continue pass the ghetto on our way to the Mardi Gras. Or pass Harlem from Manhattan. Or pass Compton for Rodeo Drive. Secondly, from this text, we learn that we must reach beyond our neighborhoods. The text is born out of a question that the Disciples asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" I submit to you ladies and gentlemen, our neighbors are more than the people who look like us, who live where we live, who drive what we drive, or vote the way we vote. In fact, in all likelihood, the person who gave this man the most service was the Good Samaritan, different in ethnicity from the victim, but moved with compassion, he responded powerfully to the crisis at hand. I’m struck today by the response of this nation as I moved from one shelter to another and saw the helping hands reaching out to touch the victim. The stories that have not been told is that those hands came in all colors, all cultures, all kinds, all ecclesiastical entanglements, all philosophical viewpoints without distinction. When America’s soul was hemorrhaging, all hands reached from everywhere in a philanthropic way while we mourn with those who mourn and worry with those who worry. And we wait with those we wait. We do also take a moment to say thank you to all the many people from around this country and around the world who open up their doors and their homes and hearts and their lives and their pocketbooks. And if we continue on that path, when the excitement diminishes, if we continue on that path to understand that our neighbors are not always the people who are nearest to us, then perhaps some good will come out of this catastrophic event. Katrina. Perhaps she has done something to this nation that we needed to have done. She has made us think and look and reach beyond the breach and bear to discuss the unmentionable issues that confront us on a day to day basis, to deal with our differences and distinctives (that’s what he said....) and perspectives and to talk about things that are not politically correct. Third thing, you will notice is that the Good Samaritan who came riding in on his beast found the victim who had been victimized lying on the ground. And he learned the precious truth, powerful elixir, that you cannot help people if you exalt yourself above them. So he came down off of his beast so that the man who was on the ground could get up. And I submit to you ladies and gentlemen, till we love enough to trade places with the poor, the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised, and yes even minorities in this country, then healing will not be real, and it will never be complete. May God give us the grace to come down where pain is and where poverty is and not stop until we have raised them up to an acceptable standard of living for which sacrifices God is well pleased. The fourth point I would submit to you is that resources, not rhetoric, changed this man’s life. The Good Samaritan never said a word to the victim. He simply helped him. It’s not so important what we say. It is important what we do. Defining moments of history cannot be defined by rhetoric and words or anger or soliciting people to respond in a tempestuous way. But real leadership is defined by what we do. The Good Samaritan teaches us that it will cost money to help people, and sometimes we have to love them enough to pay the bill. The fifth point is that relationships are productive. If the Good Samaritan had not known the Innkeeper, then the victim would have suffered from the dysfunction of their relationship. I say to you that this is a time in spite of our distinctives that we must find a way to know each other if we can help each other. Or the people in the Gulf will suffer from our inability to communicate over our distinctive perspectives. Somewhere down in New Orleans between the city lights that once glimmered and shined, the skyscrapers that once pointed to heaven, and a smaller city called Slidell is a bridge called the the Twin Span Bridge. You can’t see it now because it’s submerged beneath water. It has been victimized by the storm and the breaking of the levee, but it will be built back again. I say to you that as we build back that bridge, that Twin Span Bridge, perhaps God will bless us to find a way to build the bridges between us, between our perspectives and our ideas and our opinions. While we’re building cities and building bridges, let’s build unity. We cannot multiply by dividing. We cannot add by subtracting. But if we would dare to build a bridge, I refuse to believe in spite of all the talent, intellectual properties, resources, influential people in this country, that we couldn’t make a real difference if we would just try. Oh, I’m glad to see the Bridge going back up between Slidell and New Orleans, but I’ll be far happier to see the bridge built up between blacks and whites, between browns and blacks, between Democrats and Republicans, between Right and Left, until we understand the truism that one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. I only have five points, but those five points make up a hand that needs to stretch out and touch the hurting and the poor and the underserved in this nation. And if we can raise our hands to touch them, then this country and this world will be the place where we were all taught that it could be. May God help us to stretch forth that helping hand! God bless you. |