OPENING PRAYER
Lord, we confess that we do not love you with our whole hearts
And we do not love our neighbor as ourselves.
We seek the blessing of others
Rather than the blessing of your grace
We seek comfort in wealth
Rather than a generosity that reflects Christ
We live as rulers of our own kingdoms
Rather than sons and daughters in yours
Have mercy on us.
Humble us
And make us hungry again for life with you
Amen.
SERMON
Galatians 5:22-25 NRSV
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
POINT: We create a clear distinction between “us” and “them” when viewing others from a
POINT: The kingdom of God shocks our
LUKE 9:51-55 NRSV — When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way, they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for his arrival, but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them.
LUKE 10:25-29 NRSV - An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
LEVITICUS 19:18 NRSV — You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
LEVITICUS 19:33-34 NRSV — When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
LUKE 10:30-37 NRSV
Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now, by chance, a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, while traveling, came upon him, and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
POINT: The Good Samaritan is the
If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else, we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say; like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here, it is love that is the frame we see them in. —Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark