Today’s Meditation;

In compassion, when we feel with the other, we dethrone ourselves from the center

of our world and we put another person there.

Welcoming Guests and Announcements – Pastor Ross

Hymn Sing – Congregational Hymn Pick

Prayer Concerns – Pastor Ross

Pastoral Prayer – Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer, Lord’s Prayer

Scripture Reading – Luke 10:25-37 – Pastor Ross

Message – From Fear to Love

Communion – Pastors Linda, Ross & Dave

Benediction – Pastor Dave

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”

²⁷ 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.”

²⁸ And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ 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.

³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

³³ But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion.

³⁴ 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 took care of him.

³⁵ 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.’

³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The parable of the Good Samaritan is about moving from our fear of enemies to loving our enemies. It’s about crossing boundaries to see & love those we more easily hate or see as adversaries.

We live in world where the definition of neighbor becomes ever more complicated. This definition is more easily narrowed. The irony is that lots of people are left on side of road by church itself. In a parable like this, Jesus is always going to challenge us to reexamine our views of neighbors.

We live in a world with a great deal of fear, and we’re often encouraged to be fearful. We’re being asked whose side is God on and whose side are we on? Jesus invites us to move from fear of enemies to loving our enemies and to feel and experience the love of God that moves through us to others.

Jesus pushes us to take a large risk: see an enemy in a new light, look at them in a new way. Parable asks us humanize, embrace our most unlikely neighbors. Can we see the need God put in front of us & see past the risks that scare us? Will we take the risk and make time to stop? In our crazy, busy world, just stopping for people is sometimes radical move.