The Neighbor Next Door
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
It seems that each day in the last week has brought us news of another horror somewhere around the world -- all designed to ratchet up fear as we take in the grisly details and wonder whether we might be the next victims of a random terrorist attack. Just as we were processing the savage assault by three suicide attackers at Istanbul’s airport (an incident eerily reminiscent of another recent attack on the airport in Brussels), we learned of foreigners held hostage and killed in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka, and of a massive truck bomb that killed more than 200 in Baghdad (notable even by that city’s bloodthirsty standards). But as team member George Reed points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, terrorist attacks are not the only thing sparking fear in our world. There are also continuing worries about the economy (particularly stock market shocks in the wake of Britain’s “Brexit” vote that have adversely affected many people’s retirement accounts), and fear of the effect of immigration -- all of which canny politicians take advantage of in appealing to voters.
All of this fear can paralyze us -- especially when it comes to reaching out and helping others -- because we are so preoccupied with ensuring our own safety. But that’s hardly a new phenomenon -- it may well have been a motivating factor for the priest and the Levite in this week’s gospel parable about the Good Samaritan. The scriptures aren’t explicit about why they passed by on the other side of the road, but it’s certainly reasonable to surmise that (like us in many situations) they were concerned about befalling the same fate as the man who was beaten and robbed and therefore “didn’t want to get involved.” And this, George notes, is the crux of the problem. When we become worried about becoming the victims of random street crime or terrorist attacks, it affects our everyday behavior. Yet there are unquestionably times when it is prudent to not make ourselves potential victims, or when assistance can be more effectively provided by trained professionals. So how can we live up to Jesus’ command to show mercy to others? George suggests that the way to begin dealing with the stumbling blocks in our mind is to think less about extraordinary situations and rather to practice being a neighbor to everyone in the ordinary, mundane actions of our lives... and thus to make it our default behavior.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the parable of the Good Samaritan through the lens of the exemplary life of Elie Wiesel. Renowned for his literary accounts of surviving the Holocaust, Wiesel also became one of the world’s most respected paragons of peace and compassion -- yet he also championed the necessity of speaking up against injustice and oppression. As Mary points out, for Wiesel it was simply impossible to pass by on the other side of the road like the priest and the Levite. Mary also notes that for Wiesel, as for Jesus, everyone in the world is our neighbor -- and we too must confront the choice to define who will be the neighbors in our own lives.
The Neighbor Next Door
by George Reed
Luke 10:25-37
In the News
Details continue to come in about the death and destruction at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, and who was behind the attack. The death toll now stands at 45 -- and with 20 people still in intensive care, there is a good chance it will go higher. All this while we are still not sure we have the final count of fatalities in the shooting at the Pulse club in Orlando. The rhetoric about who is to blame for ISIS not being contained continues to fly in Washington, DC and elsewhere around the globe. People are afraid and unsure what to do.
And it is not just terrorism that makes us afraid. We are afraid about the economy. For many people, it is not getting better quick enough. Some places seem to be doing better and others are still stuck. Is this caused by government policy? Or is it due to unfair trade practices being used by other countries? Is it just the natural process of different countries’ economies maturing at different times and rate? Is it caused by too much illegal immigration? Whatever the cause, the lagging economy scares us deeply.
The political scene is scary as well. When the politicians are not busy trying to scare us about the world condition, they are trying to scare us about the possibility that their opponent might get elected and that would make things even worse! We are a people almost paralyzed with fear. Many have also capitalized on our fear of foreigners and illegal immigration. In Great Britain, that anxiety seems to have been a major factor behind the “Brexit” vote to leave the European Union -- and in the wake of that decision, there has been a large increase in racist incidents as some feel empowered to act on their underlying fear and hatred.
In the Scriptures
This week’s gospel lesson is a familiar one for most of our congregants -- it’s the story we often refer to as the Good Samaritan. The lawyer who approaches Jesus knows the answer to his own question about the requirements for attaining eternal life, but he wants to quibble about the application of the answer. “Who is my neighbor?” he asks, and Jesus gives him the story of the fellow who fell into the hands of robbers. The priest and the Levite pass by on the other side. We don’t know whether they did this because they wanted to avoid the problem of being unclean or out of fear. The story says the man who was robbed was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and that the priest and the Levite were also going down that road. They could as easily as not have been going home rather than to work.
Whichever way they were traveling, they must have been afraid. This was a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. One did not travel alone on this route if it could be avoided, yet all are portrayed being by themselves. Was the man really beaten, or was he a decoy? Even if he was truly hurt, the robbers might be using him to waylay those who might stop. It was, of course, the Samaritan that stopped and helped him.
Jesus then turns to the lawyer who had questioned him about who his neighbor actually was, and he asks the simple but deep question: “Who was neighbor to the one who was robbed?” The man had no choice but to answer that it was the one who helped him. Jesus told him (and us), “Go and do likewise.”
In the Sermon
Our listeners probably know this story even if they have not grown up in the church. After all, how many Good Samaritan hospitals are there? It is one of those Bible stories that has entered into much of our culture. For some it may be new, but for most of our audience it is very, very familiar. And while this familiarity may not breed contempt, it does breed a lot of defensiveness. “You can’t do that in this society. It is too dangerous,” we will be told. It doesn’t matter that things were no less violent in Jesus’ day. “It isn’t practical” -- like that is the test of the truth of the gospel. The attitude of many of our hearers is that while it is a good story and we would like to be able to act in that way, we can’t and so we won’t. It is an attitude change that we must deal with here.
In a recent article on the Alban Institute website, Peter Coutts discusses the basis for his book Choosing Change: How to Motivate Churches to Face the Future. He contends that it all has to do with attitude, and that attitudes are made of three components: a belief, an evaluation, and a strength. For many of our congregations, the attitude involves a belief that one cannot act like the Good Samaritan because they evaluate the idea as being too dangerous -- and it is often a strong belief.
So what can the poor preacher who wants to address this attitude do? Too often we have tried to change the attitude by telling people it isn’t too dangerous because God is with us and we will be “protected.” Or we tell them that of course it is dangerous, but we should do it anyway. We haven’t been too successful (as far as I can see), because our listeners are always coming back with scenarios about stopping in a bad neighborhood to help someone and ending up being beaten and robbed themselves. The worst-case scenario is offered, and it is hard to refute that acting like the Good Samaritan would indeed be dangerous under those circumstances.
Let’s take the theme of being a neighbor, and reframe it from the very scary prospect of being placed in a very dangerous, scary situation. What if being a neighbor means smiling at someone while waiting in line with them? What if it means saying “Hello” to people we pass by? What if it means holding the door for someone who is coming into a place behind us, even if it means they may end up in line at the DMV ahead of us? Okay, that one is scary!
By reframing the commandment to be a neighbor, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves into situations that are doable, we can begin the change the attitude that we can’t be Good Samaritans. We can in some contexts, maybe. Once we begin our people down this path of attitude change, then it is just a matter of helping them travel down it further. Maybe we can begin to see those who are very different from us as our neighbors. Maybe we can begin to see the immigrant as a neighbor. Who knows where we might end up then? Maybe in the Kingdom of God.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 10:25-37
Like the Samaritan who stops to help the wounded traveler, the late Elie Wiesel committed his life to getting involved wherever he found oppression. The Samaritan traveler could easily pass by, declining to get involved, but as Wiesel famously said, “The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference.” The Samaritan declines to be indifferent to the suffering of the injured traveler. Wiesel made a similar choice, saying: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must -- at that moment -- become the center of the universe.” In Wiesel’s view of the world, there was no passing by places of injustice and oppression.
Wiesel’s story evokes both the beaten traveler and the rescuer in the parable that Jesus tells. Imprisoned in the concentration camps, Wiesel experienced the bleak hopelessness of the injured, abandoned traveler in the story. In his book Night, Wiesel wrote: “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”He was determined that the suffering he and others experienced in the Nazi death camps should never be forgotten. From that foundation, he also grew into the figure of the rescuer from the parable, attentive to human rights abuses wherever he found them.
Speaking about this kind of contagious compassion, Wiesel said in a speech about Sudan: “How can a citizen of a free country not pay attention? How can anyone, anywhere not feel outraged? How can a person, whether religious or secular, not be moved by compassion? And above all, how can anyone who remembers remain silent? As a Jew who does not compare any event to the Holocaust, I feel concerned and challenged by the Sudanese tragedy. We must be involved. How can we reproach the indifference of non-Jews to Jewish suffering if we remain indifferent to another people’s plight?” Rooted in the same Jewish tradition as Jesus, and in words parallel to Jesus’, Wiesel continued: “Lo taamod al dam réakha is a Biblical commandment. ‘Thou shall not stand idly by the shedding of the blood of thy fellow man.’ The word is not akhikha, thy Jewish brother, but réakha, thy fellow human being, be he or she Jewish or not. All are entitled to live with dignity and hope. All are entitled to live without fear and pain.”
The story of the Samaritan who takes the time to become a neighbor to the traveler calls us out of ourselves into unlikely kinds of community -- ones we may not even want to be part of at first. The message from Jesus calls us out of our own blind spots into a life where we see the suffering around us, whether the person looks like us, thinks like us, or lives in our geographical neighborhood. Wiesel was criticized during his lifetime for his unquestioning support for Israel, and in an opinion piece American journalist (and columnist for the Israeli paper Ha’aretz) Peter Beinart observed: “Wiesel is acutely, and understandably, sensitive to the harm Jews suffer. Yet he is largely blind to the harm Jews cause.” Being a neighbor, in the way Jesus is talking about it, requires a high level of awareness -- something that is difficult for all of us, even a luminary like Wiesel.
Ironically, Wiesel was much more lauded around the world than in Israel itself. Never very popular in Israel, “Wiesel’s very universal message... was difficult for many Israelis, particularly those on the right, to stomach. ‘He was an intellectual who took the Holocaust out of the ghetto and used it to teach the world about racism,’ [Zeev Degani] says. ‘He didn’t talk about revenge or hate, and he wasn’t a fear-mongerer. That didn’t suit the isolationist agenda of many Israelis, and that’s why I believe he never became anything more than a footnote in this country.’ ” His books, widely read around the world, are largely overlooked in Israel.
In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, delivered when he won the prize in 1986, Wiesel said that in reaction to his time in the camps, “I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides.” He added, “As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.” His life, like the message of Jesus in the parable, calls us out of our solitary journeys into being a neighbor to our fellow travelers. At the end of the story, Jesus asks the lawyer which of the travelers chose to be a neighbor, making clear that we all have the same choice to make.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Amos 7:7-17
Pat Summitt, for many years the legendary head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Tennessee, recently died. During 38 seasons with the team she compiled 1,098 victories -- more wins than any other Division I basketball coach, male or female. She was also the first female coach to be paid a salary of over $1 million. When she began coaching, she was paid $250 a month. She was once offered the job of coaching Tennessee’s men’s team. She declined, saying: “Why is that considered a step up?”
Application: Pat Summitt understood the plumb line that measured what is important.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
Buddy Ryan recently died. He was the head coach of several NFL teams, but is best known for his pioneering of the “46” defense during his time as defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears. Named for Bears player Doug Plank, a frequently blitzing safety who wore the number 46, this scheme put as many as eight players on the defensive line to foil opponents’ blocking plays. Ryan and Bears head coach Mike Ditka did not respect each other. Knowing that Ditka was once an offensive player before he became a coach, Ryan believed that Ditka knew nothing about defense. It often seemed that the Bears had two teams. When they won the 1986 Super Bowl, the offensive team lifted Ditka onto their shoulders, and the defensive team lifted up Ryan.
Application: Amos was trying to get Israel to become one team and respect just one authority.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
Mack Rice, best known for writing the song “Mustang Sally,” recently passed. Rice was inspired to write the song, which ranked No. 434 on Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” by the newly introduced Ford Mustang sports car. The original title of the song was “Mustang Mama,” but Aretha Franklin, the pianist on Rice’s 1965 demo, suggested the new title.
Application: Amos was trying to tell the leaders of Israel to accept advice if they truly wanted to be successful.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
In a television interview regarding the Orlando nightclub shooting, FBI Director James Comey outlined a new policy established by the Justice Department not to mention a killer’s name, thus denying them the notoriety they seek. Comey said, “You will notice that I am not using the killer’s name, and I will try to do that.”
Application: Amos instructed us that we must stop evil.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
If you are not famous but want to be famous, you can buy yourself a professional interview. For $50,000 to $150,000, you can have Ben Mankiewicz, a host on Turner Classic Movies, conduct an interview with you. Mankiewicz realizes he is selling the greatest and most constant of commodities: human vanity.
Application: Amos tried to convince the leaders of Israel to have a sense of humility.
*****
Amos 7:7-17; Luke 10:25-37
Calvin Trillin recently published a new book titled Jackson, 1964: And Other Dispatches from Fifty Years of Reporting on Race in America. In the book he discusses how difficult it was to be a reporter in Alabama and Mississippi in the 1960s. He realized that as a reporter he was to be neutral, reporting each side of the conflict fairly. He wrote, “I couldn’t pretend that we were covering a struggle in which all sides... had an equally compelling case to make.” Those who were having their houses burned and attacked by police dogs had to have their story told.
Application: We are to look at the struggle before us and realize one side does have a more compelling story.
*****
Amos 7:7-17; Luke 10:25-37
Paul Simon is considering retiring. He is now 74, and he started performing when he was 13. In 1957, when he was 15, he began playing with Art Garfunkel, who he is now estranged from. Simon reflected on the perils of fame: “I’ve seen fame turn into absolute poison when I was a kid in the ’60s. It killed Presley. It killed Lennon. It killed Michael Jackson. I’ve never known anyone to have gotten an enormous amount of fame who wasn’t, at a minimum, confused by it and had a very hard time making decisions.”
Application: Those in charge must be good leaders and not addicted to fame.
*****
Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
Intel has started a new marketing campaign. The company is known for providing the processors that make computers work; thus their well-known slogan “Intel Inside.” But Intel does much more than provide technology for computers. Their PC chips provide creative solutions for fashion, art, medicine, and science. The Intel chip does save lives. So their new slogan is “Agency Inside,” to highlight the contributions they are making to many various aspects of society.
Application: Paul instructs us that we must bear fruit; we must be an “Agency Inside.” Jesus instructs us that we must become involved.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt was known for her demanding style, steely stare, and unapologetically withering remarks. Once when her team came late to an early morning practice after a night of partying, she ran them until they vomited. She even put barrels around the court so they would have a place to discharge. When the team was upset in an NCAA tournament game by Ball State, she made the players practice the next day even though their season was over.
Application: If we are to help our neighbor in need when confronted with hostility, we need the courage and determination to be a winner.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Bud Spencer recently died. Because of his big frame and girth, the burly comic actor was known as the “good giant.” Spencer appeared in many movies, both in his native Italy and in the United States. He changed his name to Bud Spencer, after his favorite beer (Budweiser) and his favorite actor (Spencer Tracy). After he made a film in 2003 with Italian director Ermanno Olmi, Spencer said it was the first time he felt like an actor. Until then, Spencer said, “I always said I was only a character.”
Application: In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus calls us to be an actor -- not just a character.
***************
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Luke 10:25-37
Know Your Neighbors
Catherine Booth was co-founder of the Salvation Army with her husband, William Booth. Because of the high esteem in which she was held and the influence that she had, she was known as the “mother” of the Salvation Army. Theologian G. Campbell Morgan said that wherever she went to speak, all of “humanity went to hear her. Princes and peeresses merged with paupers and prostitutes.” Morgan never tired of telling the following story about her.
One night he shared in a meeting with Mrs. Booth, and a great crowd of “publicans and sinners” was there. Her message brought many to Christ. After the meeting Morgan and Mrs. Booth went to be entertained at a fine home, and the lady of the manor said, “My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was dreadful.”
“What do you mean, dear?” asked Mrs. Booth.
“Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible, many of them. I don’t think I shall sleep tonight!”
“Why, dearie, don’t you know them?”Mrs. Booth asked, and the hostess replied, “Certainly not!”
“Well, that is interesting,” Mrs. Booth said. “I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!”
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Philip and Elizabeth Meet Their New Neighbor
The television series The Americans is about Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, a pair of deep-cover Soviet spies masquerading as a typical Washington, DC couple, and whose children, neighbors, coworkers, and friends are completely unaware of their activities. At home they’re the stereotypical parents of stereotypical kids; at work they pose as travel agents; but at night they weave a web of confidants, lovers, dupes, and historical figures from the Reagan-era Cold War.
Yet the writing is so compelling that even though we know that Philip and Elizabeth are the “bad guys,” they are also sufficiently sympathetic that we care about them.
In one episode early in the series, they notice that a new family has purchased the house across the street and, being “typical American suburbanites,” they take some baked goods and go over to welcome the new neighbors, the Beemans.
They seem to hit it off well, and Philip asks Stan Beeman what he does for a living. Stan smiles shyly and says, “I’m an FBI agent.”
There’s a moment of uncomfortable silence as Philip and Elizabeth’s eyes meet. Finally Philip chuckles and says, “Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about any bank robberies around here.”
Stan also chuckles and shakes his head, “No, I work in counterintelligence.”
“Counterintelligence?” Philip asks.
“I catch spies,” Stan says.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Who Is Kaiser Söze?
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t yet seen the movie The Usual Suspects and you plan to, you might want to skip this illustration.
In The Usual Suspects, the name Kaiser Söze (SO-zay) strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it. None of the characters has actually seen or met the feared and allegedly ruthless, murderous criminal -- but people have been known to commit suicide upon hearing that Kaiser Söze was angry with them.
At one point in the film Roger “Verbal” Kint, a disabled, low-level con artist, tells what he has heard about Söze -- and from that point, everyone in the audience is horrified, but equally fearful. This is not a man we even want to see on the screen, much less meet in person. We are happy to only deal with Mr. Söze’s spokesman and messenger, stoically played by character actor Pete Postlethwaite.
As the movie moves to its conclusion, the identity of Kaiser Söze is revealed. Or is it? Is Söze the person we are led to believe he is, or is this just another layer of deception?
Bryan Enk, writing for UGO, states that the story of Söze’s origins is a classic ghost story that would be right at home in horror fiction. Writing about psychopaths in film, academic Wayne Wilson explicitly compares Söze to Satan and assigns to him demonic motives.
In the end, whether or not Kaiser Söze’s identity is revealed, he is still a ghostly, mythical figure that is much to be feared.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
James, Afraid of Storms
Our Jack Russell terrier, James, is afraid of thunderstorms.
Usually he is content to crawl under the end-table that is his “safe” place whenever thunder rolls. But one time the storm was so fierce and the thunder so loud that his usual safe place simply was not enough. That night he knocked over the little gate in the doorway between the family room and the rest of the house, made his way upstairs and leapt onto our bed, waking us up. We realized that there was no way he was going to go back to his space, so we broke our rule and invited him to stay in the bed with us.
But that was not what he wanted.
Once he knew we were awake, he leapt from the bed, ran to the hall, and turned to look at us. Having lived with him for a long time, I recognized that he wanted me to follow him. So I did.
He led me downstairs, and I sat down in my chair and invited him to my lap. He darted under his table next to my chair. No, he didn’t want to sit on my lap. He wanted me to sit in my chair while he hid under his table.
The fact is, he didn’t want to be with us; he wanted us to be with him.
We both slept in the family room that night -- him under the table, and me in my chair.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Call to Worship
(from Luke 10:25-28)
Leader: Jesus asked: What is written in the law?
People: To love God with the heart and with the soul,
Leader: To love God with strength, with the mind.
People: To love your neighbor as yourself.
Leader: Do this and you will live.
People: As we live and breathe, we praise the Lord.
Leader: Let us worship God.
OR
(from Psalm 25)
Leader: Good and upright is our Creator, instructing us in the ways of love.
People: God leads the humble in what is right and teaches the ways we might live.
Leader: All of God’s paths are steadfast love and faithfulness.
People: Teach us the way we should choose.
Leader: Keep our eyes trained on God.
People: God shows us what is good.
Leader: Seek justice, love kindness, walk humbly in a relationship with God.
People: We gather in God’s presence to give our thanks and praise.
Leader: Let us worship God!
Prayer of the Day/Collect
Gather us in, O Holy One, from the scattered places of our lives. Where sadness, fear, doubt, or worry fill our minds and hearts, wash us with your Spirit that we may set these aside and come fully into your presence. May we rest in you this day. Amen.
OR
Great Author of the Sabbath, we place this day in your hands to bless and to hold. Silence in us any voice but your own, that our hearts and minds may turn to you. We give you thanks and praise. Amen.
Call to Confession
With confidence in God’s love, we dare to admit our shortcomings, our brokenness, our sin. Let us release these burdens into God’s hands with our prayers of confession.
Prayer of Confession
O Holy God, once we were no people. Now we are your people. We have an identity and a place in this world. Yet we, who were once strangers, are quick to label the foreigner, the outsider, the ones who are not like us. We look with suspicion on those we perceive as a threat. We are cautious in reaching out to the stranger. Forgive us, O God, and calm our fears. Give us hearts of love, that we may risk the unknown and embrace those whom you love. Protect us from harm or danger as we seek to give to those whom you place in our paths. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
OR
Gracious God, we admit that often it is the unlikely person who holds up a mirror to reveal our stereotypes. A person with little money drops coins in the offering plate. The driver of an old, battered car stops to help a person who has broken down on the road. The teen with baggy jeans helps an elderly woman carry bags to her car. Do we do these things? Do we walk on by? We have many words to explain our actions, or our lack of action. The truth lies in our hearts. Forgive us, O God. Open our eyes that we may see the ways our neighbors love one another. Open us to offer help to our neighbors in need. Teach us to love our neighbor as ourself in the name of Christ. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear God’s good news, from Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae: God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have forgiveness of sins. Thanks be to God!
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
O God of all creatures and all creation, we ask: Who is our neighbor?
Is it the Levite, the Pharisee, the Samaritan?
Is it the lion, the lamb, or the little child?
Is it the terrorist, the shooter, the addict?
Or the person in the pew next to us?
Your greatest commandments bid us to love you and to love all,
But fear of threat, fear of the unknown, fear of being known
Override love and compassion.
With so much bad news flashing across our screens, our first response is to build walls to protect ourselves. Isn’t this a way to love ourselves?
Yet, your great and encompassing love stirs us...
To love others as we love ourselves.
We pray, O God, for courage and compassion,
That we may look beyond our fear
To see the neighbor in our midst.
And beyond seeing, may we reach out in prayer, in service, with a helping hand
To love your people and your creation in concrete ways.
We pray, O God, for those who are hurting and for those whom we have hurt.
May your love bring healing and restore relationships.
We pray for people in our church community who feel distant or estranged.
May we be good neighbors to one another.
We pray for those whom we pass on the street, who reside in this neighborhood, whom we serve in the community.
Help us to be real neighbors to those around us. May your love show through our deeds and actions.
Remind us, O God, of our citizenship in your world.
In places across the globe where we cannot affect change or peace or hope,
We beseech your compassion, your healing hand, your work for peace.
Great God, there seems to be so much pain, so much bloodshed, so much struggle in the world.
Be present in these places, and in the hearts and lives of those who need your hope and help.
Hear us, O God, and receive our prayers as we pray together as Jesus taught.
Our Father...
Children’s Sermon Thoughts
There is a challenge in talking with children about the Good Samaritan story. On one hand, it is good -- even essential -- to teach about being a good neighbor. Yet with the realities of “stranger danger” that exist in today’s world, there is need to teach prudence and caution as well. How to straddle this tension?
Often the teaching emphasis is placed on loving the neighbor -- helping the friend who is pushed down on the playground, or sticking up for the friend who is bullied by others in class. These are helpful and tangible actions to lift up with our children. At the same time, it helps to similarly emphasize loving the neighbor as you love oneself. This can mean not stepping into a fight to get hit in the nose, but to tell a trusted adult who can help the one who is being hurt. If a child feels afraid in a situation but sees a need for help, it is okay -- even advised -- to ask for help, either for themselves or for another person.
It is loving to protect yourself from risk or hurt. It is loving to call the police when you see a person with a broken-down car on the side of the road. It is loving to tell a teacher when you or a classmate is being bullied. It is loving to share toys, clothes, or school supplies with a distribution center so other children in your community can have what they need.
While these concrete suggestions for loving others and loving themselves may resonate with children, keep in mind the first commandment: Love the Lord your God with heart, mind, soul, and strength. Invite children to try to love one another with the welcome, compassion, help, and grace that God offers to each of us.
Hymn Suggestions
(Note: These suggestions are in no particular order. GtG = Glory to God, the new Presbyterian Hymnal; PH = The Presbyterian Hymnal)
“Help Us Accept Each Other” (GtG, PH)
“Lord, to You My Soul is Lifted” (Psalm 25) (GtG)
“Open My Eyes, That I May See” (GtG, PH)
“Go to the World!” (GtG)
“God of Grace and God of Glory” (GtG, PH)
“O for a World” (GtG, PH)
“Though I May Speak” (GtG, PH)
“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” (GtG, PH)
“Hope of the World” (GtG, PH)
“The Lord is God” (GtG)
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life” (GtG, PH)
“What is the World Like” (GtG)
“The Lord Now Sends Us Forth” (GtG)
“This Is My Song” (GtG)
“We Give Thee But Thine Own” (GtG, PH)
“For the Healing of the Nations” (GtG)
“What Does the Lord Require of You?” (GtG)
“Like a Mother Who Has Borne Us” (GtG)
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Compassion
by Robin Lostetter
Luke 10:25-37
What you’ll need: Some small hearts or heart stickers, enough for three for each child.
Good morning! Here is a heart (give one to each child) to remind you that God loves you, and that God wants you to love yourself.
I have a few questions for you. Do you have a neighbor? (allow time for answers) Do you know their name(s)? (allow time for answers)
Now, think of a neighbor that your family gets along with... someone whose name you know -- maybe you help with their pets, or maybe you even have a picnic or a meal together sometime.
Do you have that neighbor pictured in your mind?
Okay. Now, if that neighbor needed help... maybe their pet was missing and they needed to put up posters to get their pet back, or maybe they ran out of an ingredient for something they were cooking and asked to borrow something from your kitchen... you would help, right?
Do you know why you would help? (take some of their answers... hopefully something will resonate with one of the following)
Here are some reasons I think might make someone help their neighbor:
* You know what it feels like to worry about your pet.
* You would want them to help you if you needed just one more ingredient to make something yummy in your kitchen.
* Or maybe you just like the neighbor, so you act out of love.
Well, Jesus says that those are good reasons. Since you love yourself, you know how it feels to worry about a pet or be missing something, and then you help someone else who is feeling that way. You act out of love for that person because you love yourself. So here is another heart (give another one to each child), to remind you that it’s good that you love your neighbor just like you love yourself.
Now, that was all about a neighbor you and your family get along with or are friends with. What about a neighbor you don’t know at all? Jesus says everyone is your neighbor. And we’re to love everyone just like we love ourselves. That’s really, really hard if it’s someone we don’t like or who isn’t like us. But we’re given time to learn and get better at it. So here is a heart (give one to each child) to remind us that everyone is our neighbor, and to try to treat them as we would like to be treated.
Remember, first we love God and love ourselves, which means we don’t do anything to endanger us or our neighbor. We always follow our mom and dad’s and grandparents’ rules about people we don’t know. But there is something we can always do for neighbors we don’t know -- want to guess what it is? Yes, we can pray for them!
So this week, how about you try praying for someone you have a hard time loving? It could be a kid at school or a neighbor who isn’t very friendly. Or it could be for someone from another country who dresses differently from you.
Let’s start right now.
Dear God, please help us learn to love all our neighbors as we love ourselves. Help us to love someone we really don’t like or understand. Let us think of that person as another child of God. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 10, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
All of this fear can paralyze us -- especially when it comes to reaching out and helping others -- because we are so preoccupied with ensuring our own safety. But that’s hardly a new phenomenon -- it may well have been a motivating factor for the priest and the Levite in this week’s gospel parable about the Good Samaritan. The scriptures aren’t explicit about why they passed by on the other side of the road, but it’s certainly reasonable to surmise that (like us in many situations) they were concerned about befalling the same fate as the man who was beaten and robbed and therefore “didn’t want to get involved.” And this, George notes, is the crux of the problem. When we become worried about becoming the victims of random street crime or terrorist attacks, it affects our everyday behavior. Yet there are unquestionably times when it is prudent to not make ourselves potential victims, or when assistance can be more effectively provided by trained professionals. So how can we live up to Jesus’ command to show mercy to others? George suggests that the way to begin dealing with the stumbling blocks in our mind is to think less about extraordinary situations and rather to practice being a neighbor to everyone in the ordinary, mundane actions of our lives... and thus to make it our default behavior.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the parable of the Good Samaritan through the lens of the exemplary life of Elie Wiesel. Renowned for his literary accounts of surviving the Holocaust, Wiesel also became one of the world’s most respected paragons of peace and compassion -- yet he also championed the necessity of speaking up against injustice and oppression. As Mary points out, for Wiesel it was simply impossible to pass by on the other side of the road like the priest and the Levite. Mary also notes that for Wiesel, as for Jesus, everyone in the world is our neighbor -- and we too must confront the choice to define who will be the neighbors in our own lives.
The Neighbor Next Door
by George Reed
Luke 10:25-37
In the News
Details continue to come in about the death and destruction at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, and who was behind the attack. The death toll now stands at 45 -- and with 20 people still in intensive care, there is a good chance it will go higher. All this while we are still not sure we have the final count of fatalities in the shooting at the Pulse club in Orlando. The rhetoric about who is to blame for ISIS not being contained continues to fly in Washington, DC and elsewhere around the globe. People are afraid and unsure what to do.
And it is not just terrorism that makes us afraid. We are afraid about the economy. For many people, it is not getting better quick enough. Some places seem to be doing better and others are still stuck. Is this caused by government policy? Or is it due to unfair trade practices being used by other countries? Is it just the natural process of different countries’ economies maturing at different times and rate? Is it caused by too much illegal immigration? Whatever the cause, the lagging economy scares us deeply.
The political scene is scary as well. When the politicians are not busy trying to scare us about the world condition, they are trying to scare us about the possibility that their opponent might get elected and that would make things even worse! We are a people almost paralyzed with fear. Many have also capitalized on our fear of foreigners and illegal immigration. In Great Britain, that anxiety seems to have been a major factor behind the “Brexit” vote to leave the European Union -- and in the wake of that decision, there has been a large increase in racist incidents as some feel empowered to act on their underlying fear and hatred.
In the Scriptures
This week’s gospel lesson is a familiar one for most of our congregants -- it’s the story we often refer to as the Good Samaritan. The lawyer who approaches Jesus knows the answer to his own question about the requirements for attaining eternal life, but he wants to quibble about the application of the answer. “Who is my neighbor?” he asks, and Jesus gives him the story of the fellow who fell into the hands of robbers. The priest and the Levite pass by on the other side. We don’t know whether they did this because they wanted to avoid the problem of being unclean or out of fear. The story says the man who was robbed was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and that the priest and the Levite were also going down that road. They could as easily as not have been going home rather than to work.
Whichever way they were traveling, they must have been afraid. This was a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. One did not travel alone on this route if it could be avoided, yet all are portrayed being by themselves. Was the man really beaten, or was he a decoy? Even if he was truly hurt, the robbers might be using him to waylay those who might stop. It was, of course, the Samaritan that stopped and helped him.
Jesus then turns to the lawyer who had questioned him about who his neighbor actually was, and he asks the simple but deep question: “Who was neighbor to the one who was robbed?” The man had no choice but to answer that it was the one who helped him. Jesus told him (and us), “Go and do likewise.”
In the Sermon
Our listeners probably know this story even if they have not grown up in the church. After all, how many Good Samaritan hospitals are there? It is one of those Bible stories that has entered into much of our culture. For some it may be new, but for most of our audience it is very, very familiar. And while this familiarity may not breed contempt, it does breed a lot of defensiveness. “You can’t do that in this society. It is too dangerous,” we will be told. It doesn’t matter that things were no less violent in Jesus’ day. “It isn’t practical” -- like that is the test of the truth of the gospel. The attitude of many of our hearers is that while it is a good story and we would like to be able to act in that way, we can’t and so we won’t. It is an attitude change that we must deal with here.
In a recent article on the Alban Institute website, Peter Coutts discusses the basis for his book Choosing Change: How to Motivate Churches to Face the Future. He contends that it all has to do with attitude, and that attitudes are made of three components: a belief, an evaluation, and a strength. For many of our congregations, the attitude involves a belief that one cannot act like the Good Samaritan because they evaluate the idea as being too dangerous -- and it is often a strong belief.
So what can the poor preacher who wants to address this attitude do? Too often we have tried to change the attitude by telling people it isn’t too dangerous because God is with us and we will be “protected.” Or we tell them that of course it is dangerous, but we should do it anyway. We haven’t been too successful (as far as I can see), because our listeners are always coming back with scenarios about stopping in a bad neighborhood to help someone and ending up being beaten and robbed themselves. The worst-case scenario is offered, and it is hard to refute that acting like the Good Samaritan would indeed be dangerous under those circumstances.
Let’s take the theme of being a neighbor, and reframe it from the very scary prospect of being placed in a very dangerous, scary situation. What if being a neighbor means smiling at someone while waiting in line with them? What if it means saying “Hello” to people we pass by? What if it means holding the door for someone who is coming into a place behind us, even if it means they may end up in line at the DMV ahead of us? Okay, that one is scary!
By reframing the commandment to be a neighbor, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves into situations that are doable, we can begin the change the attitude that we can’t be Good Samaritans. We can in some contexts, maybe. Once we begin our people down this path of attitude change, then it is just a matter of helping them travel down it further. Maybe we can begin to see those who are very different from us as our neighbors. Maybe we can begin to see the immigrant as a neighbor. Who knows where we might end up then? Maybe in the Kingdom of God.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 10:25-37
Like the Samaritan who stops to help the wounded traveler, the late Elie Wiesel committed his life to getting involved wherever he found oppression. The Samaritan traveler could easily pass by, declining to get involved, but as Wiesel famously said, “The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference.” The Samaritan declines to be indifferent to the suffering of the injured traveler. Wiesel made a similar choice, saying: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must -- at that moment -- become the center of the universe.” In Wiesel’s view of the world, there was no passing by places of injustice and oppression.
Wiesel’s story evokes both the beaten traveler and the rescuer in the parable that Jesus tells. Imprisoned in the concentration camps, Wiesel experienced the bleak hopelessness of the injured, abandoned traveler in the story. In his book Night, Wiesel wrote: “Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.”He was determined that the suffering he and others experienced in the Nazi death camps should never be forgotten. From that foundation, he also grew into the figure of the rescuer from the parable, attentive to human rights abuses wherever he found them.
Speaking about this kind of contagious compassion, Wiesel said in a speech about Sudan: “How can a citizen of a free country not pay attention? How can anyone, anywhere not feel outraged? How can a person, whether religious or secular, not be moved by compassion? And above all, how can anyone who remembers remain silent? As a Jew who does not compare any event to the Holocaust, I feel concerned and challenged by the Sudanese tragedy. We must be involved. How can we reproach the indifference of non-Jews to Jewish suffering if we remain indifferent to another people’s plight?” Rooted in the same Jewish tradition as Jesus, and in words parallel to Jesus’, Wiesel continued: “Lo taamod al dam réakha is a Biblical commandment. ‘Thou shall not stand idly by the shedding of the blood of thy fellow man.’ The word is not akhikha, thy Jewish brother, but réakha, thy fellow human being, be he or she Jewish or not. All are entitled to live with dignity and hope. All are entitled to live without fear and pain.”
The story of the Samaritan who takes the time to become a neighbor to the traveler calls us out of ourselves into unlikely kinds of community -- ones we may not even want to be part of at first. The message from Jesus calls us out of our own blind spots into a life where we see the suffering around us, whether the person looks like us, thinks like us, or lives in our geographical neighborhood. Wiesel was criticized during his lifetime for his unquestioning support for Israel, and in an opinion piece American journalist (and columnist for the Israeli paper Ha’aretz) Peter Beinart observed: “Wiesel is acutely, and understandably, sensitive to the harm Jews suffer. Yet he is largely blind to the harm Jews cause.” Being a neighbor, in the way Jesus is talking about it, requires a high level of awareness -- something that is difficult for all of us, even a luminary like Wiesel.
Ironically, Wiesel was much more lauded around the world than in Israel itself. Never very popular in Israel, “Wiesel’s very universal message... was difficult for many Israelis, particularly those on the right, to stomach. ‘He was an intellectual who took the Holocaust out of the ghetto and used it to teach the world about racism,’ [Zeev Degani] says. ‘He didn’t talk about revenge or hate, and he wasn’t a fear-mongerer. That didn’t suit the isolationist agenda of many Israelis, and that’s why I believe he never became anything more than a footnote in this country.’ ” His books, widely read around the world, are largely overlooked in Israel.
In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, delivered when he won the prize in 1986, Wiesel said that in reaction to his time in the camps, “I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides.” He added, “As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.” His life, like the message of Jesus in the parable, calls us out of our solitary journeys into being a neighbor to our fellow travelers. At the end of the story, Jesus asks the lawyer which of the travelers chose to be a neighbor, making clear that we all have the same choice to make.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Amos 7:7-17
Pat Summitt, for many years the legendary head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Tennessee, recently died. During 38 seasons with the team she compiled 1,098 victories -- more wins than any other Division I basketball coach, male or female. She was also the first female coach to be paid a salary of over $1 million. When she began coaching, she was paid $250 a month. She was once offered the job of coaching Tennessee’s men’s team. She declined, saying: “Why is that considered a step up?”
Application: Pat Summitt understood the plumb line that measured what is important.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
Buddy Ryan recently died. He was the head coach of several NFL teams, but is best known for his pioneering of the “46” defense during his time as defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears. Named for Bears player Doug Plank, a frequently blitzing safety who wore the number 46, this scheme put as many as eight players on the defensive line to foil opponents’ blocking plays. Ryan and Bears head coach Mike Ditka did not respect each other. Knowing that Ditka was once an offensive player before he became a coach, Ryan believed that Ditka knew nothing about defense. It often seemed that the Bears had two teams. When they won the 1986 Super Bowl, the offensive team lifted Ditka onto their shoulders, and the defensive team lifted up Ryan.
Application: Amos was trying to get Israel to become one team and respect just one authority.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
Mack Rice, best known for writing the song “Mustang Sally,” recently passed. Rice was inspired to write the song, which ranked No. 434 on Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” by the newly introduced Ford Mustang sports car. The original title of the song was “Mustang Mama,” but Aretha Franklin, the pianist on Rice’s 1965 demo, suggested the new title.
Application: Amos was trying to tell the leaders of Israel to accept advice if they truly wanted to be successful.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
In a television interview regarding the Orlando nightclub shooting, FBI Director James Comey outlined a new policy established by the Justice Department not to mention a killer’s name, thus denying them the notoriety they seek. Comey said, “You will notice that I am not using the killer’s name, and I will try to do that.”
Application: Amos instructed us that we must stop evil.
*****
Amos 7:7-17
If you are not famous but want to be famous, you can buy yourself a professional interview. For $50,000 to $150,000, you can have Ben Mankiewicz, a host on Turner Classic Movies, conduct an interview with you. Mankiewicz realizes he is selling the greatest and most constant of commodities: human vanity.
Application: Amos tried to convince the leaders of Israel to have a sense of humility.
*****
Amos 7:7-17; Luke 10:25-37
Calvin Trillin recently published a new book titled Jackson, 1964: And Other Dispatches from Fifty Years of Reporting on Race in America. In the book he discusses how difficult it was to be a reporter in Alabama and Mississippi in the 1960s. He realized that as a reporter he was to be neutral, reporting each side of the conflict fairly. He wrote, “I couldn’t pretend that we were covering a struggle in which all sides... had an equally compelling case to make.” Those who were having their houses burned and attacked by police dogs had to have their story told.
Application: We are to look at the struggle before us and realize one side does have a more compelling story.
*****
Amos 7:7-17; Luke 10:25-37
Paul Simon is considering retiring. He is now 74, and he started performing when he was 13. In 1957, when he was 15, he began playing with Art Garfunkel, who he is now estranged from. Simon reflected on the perils of fame: “I’ve seen fame turn into absolute poison when I was a kid in the ’60s. It killed Presley. It killed Lennon. It killed Michael Jackson. I’ve never known anyone to have gotten an enormous amount of fame who wasn’t, at a minimum, confused by it and had a very hard time making decisions.”
Application: Those in charge must be good leaders and not addicted to fame.
*****
Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
Intel has started a new marketing campaign. The company is known for providing the processors that make computers work; thus their well-known slogan “Intel Inside.” But Intel does much more than provide technology for computers. Their PC chips provide creative solutions for fashion, art, medicine, and science. The Intel chip does save lives. So their new slogan is “Agency Inside,” to highlight the contributions they are making to many various aspects of society.
Application: Paul instructs us that we must bear fruit; we must be an “Agency Inside.” Jesus instructs us that we must become involved.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt was known for her demanding style, steely stare, and unapologetically withering remarks. Once when her team came late to an early morning practice after a night of partying, she ran them until they vomited. She even put barrels around the court so they would have a place to discharge. When the team was upset in an NCAA tournament game by Ball State, she made the players practice the next day even though their season was over.
Application: If we are to help our neighbor in need when confronted with hostility, we need the courage and determination to be a winner.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Bud Spencer recently died. Because of his big frame and girth, the burly comic actor was known as the “good giant.” Spencer appeared in many movies, both in his native Italy and in the United States. He changed his name to Bud Spencer, after his favorite beer (Budweiser) and his favorite actor (Spencer Tracy). After he made a film in 2003 with Italian director Ermanno Olmi, Spencer said it was the first time he felt like an actor. Until then, Spencer said, “I always said I was only a character.”
Application: In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus calls us to be an actor -- not just a character.
***************
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Luke 10:25-37
Know Your Neighbors
Catherine Booth was co-founder of the Salvation Army with her husband, William Booth. Because of the high esteem in which she was held and the influence that she had, she was known as the “mother” of the Salvation Army. Theologian G. Campbell Morgan said that wherever she went to speak, all of “humanity went to hear her. Princes and peeresses merged with paupers and prostitutes.” Morgan never tired of telling the following story about her.
One night he shared in a meeting with Mrs. Booth, and a great crowd of “publicans and sinners” was there. Her message brought many to Christ. After the meeting Morgan and Mrs. Booth went to be entertained at a fine home, and the lady of the manor said, “My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was dreadful.”
“What do you mean, dear?” asked Mrs. Booth.
“Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible, many of them. I don’t think I shall sleep tonight!”
“Why, dearie, don’t you know them?”Mrs. Booth asked, and the hostess replied, “Certainly not!”
“Well, that is interesting,” Mrs. Booth said. “I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!”
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Philip and Elizabeth Meet Their New Neighbor
The television series The Americans is about Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, a pair of deep-cover Soviet spies masquerading as a typical Washington, DC couple, and whose children, neighbors, coworkers, and friends are completely unaware of their activities. At home they’re the stereotypical parents of stereotypical kids; at work they pose as travel agents; but at night they weave a web of confidants, lovers, dupes, and historical figures from the Reagan-era Cold War.
Yet the writing is so compelling that even though we know that Philip and Elizabeth are the “bad guys,” they are also sufficiently sympathetic that we care about them.
In one episode early in the series, they notice that a new family has purchased the house across the street and, being “typical American suburbanites,” they take some baked goods and go over to welcome the new neighbors, the Beemans.
They seem to hit it off well, and Philip asks Stan Beeman what he does for a living. Stan smiles shyly and says, “I’m an FBI agent.”
There’s a moment of uncomfortable silence as Philip and Elizabeth’s eyes meet. Finally Philip chuckles and says, “Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about any bank robberies around here.”
Stan also chuckles and shakes his head, “No, I work in counterintelligence.”
“Counterintelligence?” Philip asks.
“I catch spies,” Stan says.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
Who Is Kaiser Söze?
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t yet seen the movie The Usual Suspects and you plan to, you might want to skip this illustration.
In The Usual Suspects, the name Kaiser Söze (SO-zay) strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it. None of the characters has actually seen or met the feared and allegedly ruthless, murderous criminal -- but people have been known to commit suicide upon hearing that Kaiser Söze was angry with them.
At one point in the film Roger “Verbal” Kint, a disabled, low-level con artist, tells what he has heard about Söze -- and from that point, everyone in the audience is horrified, but equally fearful. This is not a man we even want to see on the screen, much less meet in person. We are happy to only deal with Mr. Söze’s spokesman and messenger, stoically played by character actor Pete Postlethwaite.
As the movie moves to its conclusion, the identity of Kaiser Söze is revealed. Or is it? Is Söze the person we are led to believe he is, or is this just another layer of deception?
Bryan Enk, writing for UGO, states that the story of Söze’s origins is a classic ghost story that would be right at home in horror fiction. Writing about psychopaths in film, academic Wayne Wilson explicitly compares Söze to Satan and assigns to him demonic motives.
In the end, whether or not Kaiser Söze’s identity is revealed, he is still a ghostly, mythical figure that is much to be feared.
*****
Luke 10:25-37
James, Afraid of Storms
Our Jack Russell terrier, James, is afraid of thunderstorms.
Usually he is content to crawl under the end-table that is his “safe” place whenever thunder rolls. But one time the storm was so fierce and the thunder so loud that his usual safe place simply was not enough. That night he knocked over the little gate in the doorway between the family room and the rest of the house, made his way upstairs and leapt onto our bed, waking us up. We realized that there was no way he was going to go back to his space, so we broke our rule and invited him to stay in the bed with us.
But that was not what he wanted.
Once he knew we were awake, he leapt from the bed, ran to the hall, and turned to look at us. Having lived with him for a long time, I recognized that he wanted me to follow him. So I did.
He led me downstairs, and I sat down in my chair and invited him to my lap. He darted under his table next to my chair. No, he didn’t want to sit on my lap. He wanted me to sit in my chair while he hid under his table.
The fact is, he didn’t want to be with us; he wanted us to be with him.
We both slept in the family room that night -- him under the table, and me in my chair.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Call to Worship
(from Luke 10:25-28)
Leader: Jesus asked: What is written in the law?
People: To love God with the heart and with the soul,
Leader: To love God with strength, with the mind.
People: To love your neighbor as yourself.
Leader: Do this and you will live.
People: As we live and breathe, we praise the Lord.
Leader: Let us worship God.
OR
(from Psalm 25)
Leader: Good and upright is our Creator, instructing us in the ways of love.
People: God leads the humble in what is right and teaches the ways we might live.
Leader: All of God’s paths are steadfast love and faithfulness.
People: Teach us the way we should choose.
Leader: Keep our eyes trained on God.
People: God shows us what is good.
Leader: Seek justice, love kindness, walk humbly in a relationship with God.
People: We gather in God’s presence to give our thanks and praise.
Leader: Let us worship God!
Prayer of the Day/Collect
Gather us in, O Holy One, from the scattered places of our lives. Where sadness, fear, doubt, or worry fill our minds and hearts, wash us with your Spirit that we may set these aside and come fully into your presence. May we rest in you this day. Amen.
OR
Great Author of the Sabbath, we place this day in your hands to bless and to hold. Silence in us any voice but your own, that our hearts and minds may turn to you. We give you thanks and praise. Amen.
Call to Confession
With confidence in God’s love, we dare to admit our shortcomings, our brokenness, our sin. Let us release these burdens into God’s hands with our prayers of confession.
Prayer of Confession
O Holy God, once we were no people. Now we are your people. We have an identity and a place in this world. Yet we, who were once strangers, are quick to label the foreigner, the outsider, the ones who are not like us. We look with suspicion on those we perceive as a threat. We are cautious in reaching out to the stranger. Forgive us, O God, and calm our fears. Give us hearts of love, that we may risk the unknown and embrace those whom you love. Protect us from harm or danger as we seek to give to those whom you place in our paths. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
OR
Gracious God, we admit that often it is the unlikely person who holds up a mirror to reveal our stereotypes. A person with little money drops coins in the offering plate. The driver of an old, battered car stops to help a person who has broken down on the road. The teen with baggy jeans helps an elderly woman carry bags to her car. Do we do these things? Do we walk on by? We have many words to explain our actions, or our lack of action. The truth lies in our hearts. Forgive us, O God. Open our eyes that we may see the ways our neighbors love one another. Open us to offer help to our neighbors in need. Teach us to love our neighbor as ourself in the name of Christ. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear God’s good news, from Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae: God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have forgiveness of sins. Thanks be to God!
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
O God of all creatures and all creation, we ask: Who is our neighbor?
Is it the Levite, the Pharisee, the Samaritan?
Is it the lion, the lamb, or the little child?
Is it the terrorist, the shooter, the addict?
Or the person in the pew next to us?
Your greatest commandments bid us to love you and to love all,
But fear of threat, fear of the unknown, fear of being known
Override love and compassion.
With so much bad news flashing across our screens, our first response is to build walls to protect ourselves. Isn’t this a way to love ourselves?
Yet, your great and encompassing love stirs us...
To love others as we love ourselves.
We pray, O God, for courage and compassion,
That we may look beyond our fear
To see the neighbor in our midst.
And beyond seeing, may we reach out in prayer, in service, with a helping hand
To love your people and your creation in concrete ways.
We pray, O God, for those who are hurting and for those whom we have hurt.
May your love bring healing and restore relationships.
We pray for people in our church community who feel distant or estranged.
May we be good neighbors to one another.
We pray for those whom we pass on the street, who reside in this neighborhood, whom we serve in the community.
Help us to be real neighbors to those around us. May your love show through our deeds and actions.
Remind us, O God, of our citizenship in your world.
In places across the globe where we cannot affect change or peace or hope,
We beseech your compassion, your healing hand, your work for peace.
Great God, there seems to be so much pain, so much bloodshed, so much struggle in the world.
Be present in these places, and in the hearts and lives of those who need your hope and help.
Hear us, O God, and receive our prayers as we pray together as Jesus taught.
Our Father...
Children’s Sermon Thoughts
There is a challenge in talking with children about the Good Samaritan story. On one hand, it is good -- even essential -- to teach about being a good neighbor. Yet with the realities of “stranger danger” that exist in today’s world, there is need to teach prudence and caution as well. How to straddle this tension?
Often the teaching emphasis is placed on loving the neighbor -- helping the friend who is pushed down on the playground, or sticking up for the friend who is bullied by others in class. These are helpful and tangible actions to lift up with our children. At the same time, it helps to similarly emphasize loving the neighbor as you love oneself. This can mean not stepping into a fight to get hit in the nose, but to tell a trusted adult who can help the one who is being hurt. If a child feels afraid in a situation but sees a need for help, it is okay -- even advised -- to ask for help, either for themselves or for another person.
It is loving to protect yourself from risk or hurt. It is loving to call the police when you see a person with a broken-down car on the side of the road. It is loving to tell a teacher when you or a classmate is being bullied. It is loving to share toys, clothes, or school supplies with a distribution center so other children in your community can have what they need.
While these concrete suggestions for loving others and loving themselves may resonate with children, keep in mind the first commandment: Love the Lord your God with heart, mind, soul, and strength. Invite children to try to love one another with the welcome, compassion, help, and grace that God offers to each of us.
Hymn Suggestions
(Note: These suggestions are in no particular order. GtG = Glory to God, the new Presbyterian Hymnal; PH = The Presbyterian Hymnal)
“Help Us Accept Each Other” (GtG, PH)
“Lord, to You My Soul is Lifted” (Psalm 25) (GtG)
“Open My Eyes, That I May See” (GtG, PH)
“Go to the World!” (GtG)
“God of Grace and God of Glory” (GtG, PH)
“O for a World” (GtG, PH)
“Though I May Speak” (GtG, PH)
“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” (GtG, PH)
“Hope of the World” (GtG, PH)
“The Lord is God” (GtG)
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life” (GtG, PH)
“What is the World Like” (GtG)
“The Lord Now Sends Us Forth” (GtG)
“This Is My Song” (GtG)
“We Give Thee But Thine Own” (GtG, PH)
“For the Healing of the Nations” (GtG)
“What Does the Lord Require of You?” (GtG)
“Like a Mother Who Has Borne Us” (GtG)
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Compassion
by Robin Lostetter
Luke 10:25-37
What you’ll need: Some small hearts or heart stickers, enough for three for each child.
Good morning! Here is a heart (give one to each child) to remind you that God loves you, and that God wants you to love yourself.
I have a few questions for you. Do you have a neighbor? (allow time for answers) Do you know their name(s)? (allow time for answers)
Now, think of a neighbor that your family gets along with... someone whose name you know -- maybe you help with their pets, or maybe you even have a picnic or a meal together sometime.
Do you have that neighbor pictured in your mind?
Okay. Now, if that neighbor needed help... maybe their pet was missing and they needed to put up posters to get their pet back, or maybe they ran out of an ingredient for something they were cooking and asked to borrow something from your kitchen... you would help, right?
Do you know why you would help? (take some of their answers... hopefully something will resonate with one of the following)
Here are some reasons I think might make someone help their neighbor:
* You know what it feels like to worry about your pet.
* You would want them to help you if you needed just one more ingredient to make something yummy in your kitchen.
* Or maybe you just like the neighbor, so you act out of love.
Well, Jesus says that those are good reasons. Since you love yourself, you know how it feels to worry about a pet or be missing something, and then you help someone else who is feeling that way. You act out of love for that person because you love yourself. So here is another heart (give another one to each child), to remind you that it’s good that you love your neighbor just like you love yourself.
Now, that was all about a neighbor you and your family get along with or are friends with. What about a neighbor you don’t know at all? Jesus says everyone is your neighbor. And we’re to love everyone just like we love ourselves. That’s really, really hard if it’s someone we don’t like or who isn’t like us. But we’re given time to learn and get better at it. So here is a heart (give one to each child) to remind us that everyone is our neighbor, and to try to treat them as we would like to be treated.
Remember, first we love God and love ourselves, which means we don’t do anything to endanger us or our neighbor. We always follow our mom and dad’s and grandparents’ rules about people we don’t know. But there is something we can always do for neighbors we don’t know -- want to guess what it is? Yes, we can pray for them!
So this week, how about you try praying for someone you have a hard time loving? It could be a kid at school or a neighbor who isn’t very friendly. Or it could be for someone from another country who dresses differently from you.
Let’s start right now.
Dear God, please help us learn to love all our neighbors as we love ourselves. Help us to love someone we really don’t like or understand. Let us think of that person as another child of God. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, July 10, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
