Sunday, January 13, 2008

The Good Samaritan: 2008

When I began this devotional blog more than two years ago, I was writing five entries per week. With the onset of my parents' health issues, I have dwindled down to only one or two weekly. I pledge to do better, especially as soon as basketball season concludes! I do have a virtually untapped resource at my disposal. The Lord has blessed me with one hundred and eight creative thinkers who sit in my classes Monday through Friday. Last week, both my eighth graders and my sophomore Bible classes rewrote The Good Samaritan from the perspective of a Houstonian teenager in 2008. I rattled off several quick versions and then instructed these budding scholars to do the same. All were passable, several were extraordinary, and many were funny. Tonight, I chose to let Chelsey, a sophomore and one of my teacher aides, speak for me as I publish her version of perhaps the most famous parable of The Master. (It should be noted that Miss Chelsey is a cheerleader and her brother is a football player!)

The Good Samaritan
One day, there was this really nerdy guy who was riding his bike home from school. Out of nowhere, he got hit by a car! The driver just kept driving, not thinking twice about it. The first to walk by was the valedictorian. He looked at the boy and calculated how fast the bike was moving and how fast the car was going for him to get hit and be thrown that far. When he figured out the problem, he left and went home to start on his homework. Next, a football player ran by. He said the boy would make a good tackling dummy, laughed for awhile, and left. Then, a gorgeous cheerleader walked by. She grabbed her cell phone, and called for help. She went with the boy to the doctor. The boy ended up being the school mascot, all because of the cheerleader!
THE END
Jesus made his teachings applicable to the crowds and masses. We still have that obligation today. While we might think Chelsey's version is a little bit silly, let me assure you that high school kids can relate to it. I just wish I could make it that simple.

Applicable quote of the day:
" Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
Horace Mann


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail

me at steve@hawleybooks.com

2 comments:

Family fun said...

i like chelsey's version! while i've had many years pass since i was a teenager, i know that her version would be easy for many to understand.

how many times in life do we simply keep "walking by" and then pat ourselves on the back because afterall, we have a busy life. maybe we reasure ourselves because we help care for one of our family members. God calls us to be His hands; if we walk away when we know a service is needed, how do we know but that we might have been the only one that God called to serve that person. i don't want to make it to judgement day only to find out that someone was not served in a time of need; worse yet that maybe that person or someone associated with them, had their salvation associated with my lack of action.

Laurie said...

As the mom of a mascot, thank God for folks like Chelsey (I mean, the gorgeous cheerleader!)

I'm glad you enjoyed your holidays with your folks but glad you're back at WCS.