It is absolutely amazing! The things one can learn off the internet are absolutely amazing. For example, how many of you remember the old television series Dragnet?  Well, how many of you remember that before its television debut in 1951, it was actually a radio series? Did you also know that for six years it ran simultaneously on both the radio and television? Not only that, if you remember the old television series you really need to clarify exactly which series you remember. Was it the one that ran from 1951 to 1959, or the 1967 to 1970 version? Then again, maybe it was the 1989 to 1991 remake or the 2000 to 2001 version which, by the way, was a total disaster!

And to think, only a few moments ago you thought I had asked a simple question with an equally simple answer! But when you are confronted with, to quote Sergeant Joe Friday, The facts, madam – only the facts, it doesn’t seem so simple anymore. As a consequence, the question was much easier to answer before all the facts were in. This all goes to prove that, sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

The problem, of course, is that if we choose to remain ignorant – if we would rather ignore the facts rather than acknowledging the truth – we will eventually find ourselves on a very dangerous and destructive path. The reason is simple. Our unwillingness to accept the truth does not change it in the least. 

For example, in today’s Old Testament lesson God gives the prophet Amos a message that is to be delivered to the religious and political leaders of Israel. It seems as though the nation was enjoying great prosperity. Not only that, it had reached new political and military heights. But with each new success . . . with each new victory . . . the people stepped further away from God. So in the process of becoming politically and financially secure, they had also become spiritually smug. 

And just how smug were they? Well, when Amos confronted Amaziah, the high priest, with the word of the Lord, Amaziah not only told King Jeroboam that the prophet was both a liar and a troublemaker, he suggested that the King order the prophet to leave the country.  In other words, neither the religious or political world wanted to examine the facts . . . just the facts. They didn’t want to hear that God was finished being patient with them and, as result, they were about to suffer the consequences of all their behavior. But their denial couldn’t alter the truth. As a result, the nation of Israel fell. 

Sadly enough, we see the same attitude . . . the same behavior . . . being played out in the Gospel reading. A lawyer comes to Jesus wanting to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. So, Jesus asks, What is written in the Law?

The lawyer is obviously a very religious person because he immediately quotes from both Deuteronomy and Leviticus. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

The moment Jesus tells him he is correct, now all he has to do is go do it, the lawyer replies:  No, no, no. You don’t get off that easy. I want to know who my neighbor is.

So, Jesus tells him the parable of the good Samaritan. The problem, of course, is that the lawyer didn’t want to be confused with the facts because he already had his mind made up. Regardless of what Jesus said – regardless of the fact that he was even willing to admit the truth – there was no way he was going to love someone he didn’t want to love.

Now, Christians, here is the challenge. When we place these two stories side-by-side, what we learn is something we already know. Ignoring the facts and denying the truth doesn’t solve anything. As painful as it can be sometimes, what we have to do is simply stop and admit the truth. Like the ancient nation of Israel, it may look like we have the world by its tail and all the blessings God has to offer in our pocket, but if we have stepped onto the path of destruction that is exactly where it is going to lead us . . . to destruction! But if we listen to God – if we examine the facts and admit the truth – there is always the promise of forgiveness and new life. The only thing we have to do is admit the truth and be willing to follow Christ.

But, like the lawyer, most of us already know that! As a matter of fact, we are painfully aware of the life Christ is calling us to live and equally aware of how miserably we are failing. That is exactly why we spend so much time focused on semantics and all our minute doctrinal differences. It is called avoidance, and while it may keep us safe and secure in our own little worlds for a while, in the long run it will get us nowhere. 

In other words, just knowing the truth isn’t enough. We have to be willing to act on it. We have to be willing to take Christ’s hand and to follow him wherever he leads us. And, yes, we know all of this. It’s just so hard to accept it and to step out in faith. But, if we are to become the people, the church, and the Christians we want to be, that is exactly what we must do. 

So, here are the facts, madam – just the facts.  We have been called by the most awesome God to live the most spectacular lives imaginable – lives filled, not with things, but with love; lives marked, not by prestige or power, but with compassion and concern; lives based, not on what we can get, but what we can give. And, yes, we have managed to fail miserably at most of these tasks. But today is a new day! With Christ’s help and the support of this community, we can become the people God created us to be. And that, my friends, is the truth. So just live with it! Okay?!?!

To God be the Glory!  Amen.