Definition of Neighbor

Luke 10:25-37 Definition of Neighbor 5th Sunday After Pentecost Year C Opening Song Welcome Gathering Words (Luke 10) What must we do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the Scriptures? What do they tell us? You shall 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 you shall love your neighbor as yourself. That is the right answer; it is the key to life. But do you understand it? We are not sure. Just who is our neighbor? Open your eyes and see. Your neighbor is next to you. Your neighbors surround you! Lord, we have been so blind. Have mercy on us! The Lord is gracious and merciful; show this same mercy to all. (United Methodist Ministry Matters – Bill Hoppe) Invocation Divine Builder, you set our standards and foundation. Make your presence known to us as we gather before you. Let this community reflect your body and your vision. Fortify us with all truth and strengthen us with your abundant love. Enliven our senses and stir our being as we worship you as the people you have crafted to build alongside you. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways – Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Song The Summons TFWS 2130 Scripture - Luke 10:25-37 Sermon – The Definition of Neighbor I think that we have been asking the pharisee’s question for years now – who is my neighbor? Who is it that I have to care about, listen to, be concerned about. Where can I set my boundaries around who to include in my every day life? Who do I need to understand, and how far do I have to go in caring for other people? We have been focused on the text of Luke for a few weeks now in our sermons. Every since chapter 8 or 9 when Jesus decides that his mission is to go to Jerusalem. When he leaves the countryside, the first place that he ends up is in Samaria. Samaritans and Jews don’t like each other, and he is not well received, and yet Jesus tells the disciples that they are still a part of his mission of reconciliation. They are still children of God. The theme of chapters 8-10 can be summarized in one word – hospitality. You extended hospitality to your neighbors. Hospitality was life. When someone was traveling, you gave them a place to stay. You fed them, you gave them a bed to sleep in. And because you also protected them from danger, it was the man of the house who extended the hospitality. A lot has changed in the giving of hospitality and a lot has not. Now that I have been here for awhile, I have been venturing to do new things. I always find it interesting that as I visit new places in town, the first thing people ask me is – are you from Wilmington. When I say yes, they respond o then we are very glad to have you with us. I keep reminding myself that the next time I am asked that question, to resist the urge to fit in, and say no. And see what difference it makes. It is okay, it is a part of our survival to ask who is my neighbor. Neighbors is an important part of our faith. Someone asked a man if he was a good Christian, he said I don’t know, you have to ask my neighbor. Jesus talks about neighbors in all four of the gospels. Luke takes the concept one step further, to include the Samaritans. In our modern world, the Samaritan has taken on quite a role – there are hospitals called the Good Samaritan, there are social service organizations – there is even the good Samaritan laws. And yet in this story, the Samaritan is anything but good. In this scripture, the pharisee is asking questions to taunt Jesus. And Jesus is taunting him back. Aware of the intense feelings about Samaritans, Jesus tells this story and asks who was the true neighbor, hence the true child of God. When the pharisee acknowledges the actions of the Samaritan as being right, he does not even say the word. He calls the Samaritan the one who did right. It was actually the religious people who were good – too good to help out. At one point or another we have all been each person in this story, the religious folk who couldn’t get involved, the Samaritan who stopped to help and even the man in need, stripped of his humanity and in need of help. Grace Is What Lifts Us Jesus is saying not only that when it comes right down to it, everyone in the whole world is your neighbor. He is saying that, too. But if, as Eugene Peterson says, parables are narrative time bombs designed to explode people into new awareness, then in this case one of the pieces of shrapnel is designed to tear into the idea that the law will ever save anybody. Jesus is exposing the futility of the law as a way to inherit eternal life. After all, the Samaritan who finally reached out did so not as a result of law but of grace. The finer points of the law left the man half-dead in the ditch. It leaves us all there. Grace is what lifts the man out. Grace it what lifts all of us out. If God had not been gracious with us, we'd all still be dead. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations God’s grace is the real hero of the story, not the Samaritan. Grace was present with the religious folk who went on about their business, grace was present with the Samaritan who helped, with the man restored to health. Grace is with each of us as we live out our faith, as we work to expand our definition of neighbor, as we strive the see the humanity in all people. God works with us, as we work with God. Love for the Enemy The love for equals is a human thing--of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing--the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing--to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints. And then there is the love for the enemy--love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love. It conquers the world. Frederick Buechner in his book: The Magnificent Defeat. he Nearest Willing Hand Two women were sitting in church. One woman said to the other, "I’ve always wished that God would touch me, but I suppose that’s too much to ask." The other woman replied, "That sounds like a reasonable desire. Have you prayed about it?" "Well, no. Of course not." "Why not? There’s certainly nothing wrong with a prayer like that. You should pray about it." "All right. Maybe I will sometime." "Not sometime. Now. What better place to pray than here in the Lord’s house?" Thus persuaded, the woman reluctantly folded her hands, bowed her head and closed her eyes in prayer, asking that God would touch her. About ten seconds later the other woman gently laid her hand on the folded hands of the friend at prayer. She responded as most of us would do. She jumped and said, "He did it! He touched me." Then, after a moment’s thought "But that felt an awful lot like your hand." "It was my hand," her friend replied. Disappointment was on the other face. "And I thought God had touched me." "He did touch you. How do you think God touches people? That he comes down like a fog blanket or a pillar of fire? When God touches people he takes the nearest hand and uses that." That sounds good, doesn’t it? And it’s almost right. Almost, but not quite. She left out one word. When God touches people he takes the nearest WILLING hand and uses that. The Gospel for today is a case in point. Carveth Mitchell, The Sign in the Subway, CSS Publishing Company. God’s grace is at work in each of us and in our situation, are we willing for God’s grace to flow throw our lives? I have one more story, that I think hits home for us in what it means to be the children of God on our every day lives. Setting the Tone for the Day A few years ago, a radio station ran a contest. Disc jockeys invited their listeners to tune in their clock radios. "Just for fun," they said, "when you wake up to the sound of FM-106, call and tell us the first words you spoke when you rolled out of bed. If you're the third caller, you'll win $106." It didn't take long for the contest to grow in enthusiasm. The first morning, a buoyant disc jockey said, "Caller number three, what did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?" A groggy voice said, "Do I smell coffee burning?" Another day, a sleepy clerical worker said, "Oh no, I'm late for work." Somebody else said her first words were, "Honey, did I put out the dog last night?" A muffled curse was immediately heard in the background, and then a man was heard to say, "No, you didn't." It was a funny contest and drew a considerable audience. One morning, however, the third caller said something unusual. The station phone rang. "Good morning, this is FM-106. You're on the air. What did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?" A voice with a Bronx accent replied, "You want to know my first words in the morning?" The bubbly DJ said, "Yes, sir! Tell us what you said." The Bronx voice responded, "Shema, Israel ... Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." There was a moment of embarrassed silence. Then the radio announcer said, "Sorry, wrong number," and cut to a commercial. Try to remember. What did you say when you rolled out of bed today? Chances are, those words set the tone for the rest of the day. For the pious Jew the first words of each morning are always the same, and they were the words spoken that morning on FM-106. They were first spoken by Moses, who said, "Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Teach them to your children and talk about them when you lie down and when you rise" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). William G. Carter, No Box Seats in the Kingdom, CSS Publishing Peace, Song There’s a Spirit in the Air UMH 192 Pastoral Prayer Lord’s Prayer UMH 894 Children’s Sermon • In today’s scripture story, Jesus tells a story that we call “The Good Samaritan.” And what I’m going to do is retell it to you with these 3 apples and this 1 orange, ok? • One day, an apple [hold up one apple] was walking along the road and was robbed – meaning, the apple had its stuff taken from him. • The apple was also badly hurt while being robbed. In fact, the apple was so hurt that it couldn’t walk [put apple on ground and tip it over]. The apple could only lay there and hope that some other good apple would come along and help it. • And guess what? Another apple DID happen by [hold up another apple]. But that apple saw the hurt apple and thought, “It’s a trap!” • So, the healthy apple turned around and ran away – without helping. • So the hurt apple just laid there for awhile longer until… • …another healthy apple showed up [hold up another apple]. • And the hurt apple said, “Please help me. I’m hurt.” • But the healthy apple said, “All these bad apples keep getting hurt. If I help you, then I’ll have to help all of you.” • So the healthy apple just WALKED past! Can you imagine? The healthy apple didn’t even stop. • So now the hurt apple was really scared and sad. It looked like no one was going to help the hurt apple. • But then, an orange walked by [hold up the orange]. • Now, you may not know this, but apples and oranges don’t like each other. That’s why there’s no such thing as apple-orange juice. Or orange-apple pie. Or an “Or-pple” Starburst candy. • Anyways, the hurt apple thought there was no way an orange would ever help. • But then something very surprising happened: The orange stopped and took very good care of the hurt apple! The orange helped the hurt apple get better! • [Put the hurt apple back upright, again – then put all fruit in a bag so that the kids don’t get distracted] From Four.org Stewardship Moment Many of us might someday have the opportunity to inherit or to provide an inheritance. I’m not here to suggest how you might use such an inheritance, or to whom you should provide one. Instead, I’m here to point out the question of a lawyer who asked Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ response came in story form, which we know as “the Good Samaritan”. Jesus teaches about life stewardship. The traveller responded with acts of love for a stranger, providing care for the victim. How are we to live? We, too, know the greatest commandment: “love the Lord our God, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves.” Today, you have opportunity to demonstrate your love and share some of the inheritance we have all received from our Creator. How will we do that? I want to challenge each of us to consider how we steward the resources for which we are responsible. What financial support, what time, what shared talents might we give in response to hearing the story of the Good Samaritan? What might you provide today as a part of your inheritance offered to neighbors in need? Prayer of Thanksgiving Loving God, thank you for stories which continue to inspire and challenge us. Thank you for the ways Jesus still teaches us today to be ever-stronger followers of the Way of Love. Receive these gifts and help us use them to lift up neighbors in need. Accept our desire to share the inheritance you provide for us, and continue to call us out to act on that desire. AMEN (From Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Place your hand in the hand of God. Go forth into this world in complete assurance of God’s presence and love. Bring hope, healing, and peace to all whom you meet. Go in peace and may God’s peace be with you. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters – Nancy Townley) Community Time Benediction Place your hand in the hand of God. Go forth into this world in complete assurance of God’s presence and love. Bring hope, healing, and peace to all whom you meet. Go in peace and may God’s peace be with you. AMEN. ( United Methodist Ministry Matters – Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations Rising to the Occasion Have you heard the story about the elderly woman who lived in a small town in East Texas... who had car trouble on the way to the supermarket one morning? Her car stalled at a stop sign... she tried everything to get her car started again, but no luck. Suddenly, a man in a pick-up truck came up behind her and with obvious agitation he started honking his horn at her impatiently. She doubled her efforts to get her car going. She pumped the gas, turned the ignition, but still no luck... the man in the pick-up truck continued to honk his horn constantly and loudly. I love what the elderly woman did. Very calmly she got out of her car, walked back to the pick-up and motioned for the man to lower his window and then politely she said: "I'll make a deal with you. If you will start my car for me I'll be happy to honk your horn for you!" Now, that is what you call "Rising to the occasion!" and that is precisely what Jesus does here in Luke 10. The lawyer was "testing" Jesus... honking his horn loudly. He was trying to trap Jesus and trip Him up with a loaded question... but Jesus (as He so often did) rose to the occasion and passed the test with flying colors... and in so doing... He reminded the people back then (and us today) of what is the main thing in the Christian faith. James W. Moore, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com For His Neighbors Many of us are afraid of dogs. It is a common fear. The immortal scientist Louis Pasteur was far more frightened of dogs than most people. Even a distant bark would terrify him. In his mind he could still see a mad wolf which raged through his boyhood village bringing agony and death to many of his neighbors. "I have always been haunted by the cries of those victims," he said time and again. Yet in 1882, past the age of 60, Pasteur gave up all his other studies in an intense search for a cure for rabies. For three long years, in spite of his deep seated fears, he risked his life living with mad dogs. At last he came through with a vaccine to cure the victims of rabies. On a July night in 1885 he tried the first injection on a little boy whose life seemed doomed. The boy lived. The remembered agony of his neighbors spurred Louis Pasteur to find a cure for this dread disease. King Duncan, www.Sermons.com Love for the Enemy The love for equals is a human thing--of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing--the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing--to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints. And then there is the love for the enemy--love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love. It conquers the world. Frederick Buechner in his book: The Magnificent Defeat. Sermon Opener - Won't You Be My Neighbor? - Luke 10:25-37 “Mister Rogers,” anyone? With his zippered cardigans, canvas sneakers, and handmade puppets (before there were cool “Muppets”), “Mister Rogers” was a pioneer in the early days of educational television for young children. Fred Rogers, a Presbyterian minister from Pittsburgh, started developing the characters and themes of his program in the mid-1950’s. But it wasn’t until 1967 that “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” took its final form and appeared on PBS stations across the country. This sweet, sappy, smart program stayed in production until 2001, and remained on all PBS stations until 2008. It is probably safe to say that there are very few of you listening today who couldn’t sing along with the song that opened every new show — “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” [If you can get your choir to sing this with you, as you lead the congregation in a short refrain, all the better]. As he finished tying his sneakers and zipping his cardigan, Fred Rogers would sing, “Won’t you be…Won’t you be… Won’t you be my neighbor?” The concept of “neighborliness” has changed over the years. It used to be your “neighbor” was a geographic designation. In early American rural communities your nearest “neighbor” might be miles away. But those neighbors would still gather together for barn-raisings, quilting bees, and harvest times. In the urban environments, “neighborhoods” were composed of thousands of residents. But these “hoods” were drawn together and defined along ethnic lines — “Little Italy,” “Chinatown,” “the Borscht Belt.” You might never meet your “neighbors,” but your common ethnic identities helped create a communal, comforting environment. In the aftermath of the “baby boom” the suburbs were born. “Neighbors” became the people just over the fence, those circling station wagons in the same cul-de-sac. But often times these suburban “neighbors” were unknown and unconnected. Physical closeness led to the erection of psychological and emotional barriers, with no front porches, only back patios and private decks. “Pre-fabricated” neighborhoods could be very lonely places. In today’s gospel text Jesus is confronted by a legal expert, sent specifically to “test” him on the orthodoxy of his views… ___________________ By loving the unlovable, You made me lovable. Augustine to God Easy to Rationalize I ran across a subtle piece of humor. Cal Holm tells about two liberal sociologists walking down the street. They see a man lying at the curb who is covered with cuts and bruises from a terrible mugging. Cal says one of the sociologists turns to his colleague and says, "Whoever did this terrible deed really needs our help." It is so easy to rationalize, to justify, to find excuses for passing by on the other side. Undoubtedly the priest and the Levite had reasons for passing this man by. Self-giving love is so rare in this world. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com The Good Samaritan's Name Jean Frederick Oberlin, a minister in 18th century Germany, was traveling by foot in winter when he was caught in a severe snowstorm. He soon lost his way in the blowing snow and feared he would freeze to death. In despair he sat down, not knowing which way to turn. Just then, a man came along in a wagon and rescued Oberlin. He took him to the next village and made sure he would be cared for. As the man prepared to journey on, Oberlin said, "Tell me your name so that I may at least have you in grateful remembrance before God." The man, who by now had recognized Oberlin, replied, "You are a minister. Please tell me the name of the Good Samaritan." Oberlin said, "I cannot do that, for it is not given in the Scriptures." His benefactor responded, "Until you can tell me his name, please permit me to withhold mine." Source Unknown, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc.