Love your neighbor

 Scripture: Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82  •  Deuteronomy 30:9-14 and Psalm 25:1-10  •  Colossians 1:1-14  •  Luke 10:25-37

This week Jesus gives us the parable of the good Samaritan.  What is a good Samaritan? What is involved in being a good Samaritan? See The Rev. David Lose's "Who is our neighbor?" for an interesting insight into what Jesus says, not only about our neighbors, but also about caregivers - about all of us.

In "Meeting the Good Samaritan," The Rev. Dr. Thomas Long also tells us there's something deeper going on here than the moral of helping those in need. He says something has to happen to us to be good Samaritans. What does he mean? Why do we have "Good Samaritan laws? As in most parables, Jesus teaches us to examine ourselves. What will we find?

Debie Thomas in "Afflicting the Comfortable," asks, “Is that all there is?” To be good, kind, compassionate, like the good Samaritan? Considering the bitter hatred the Jews of Jesus' audience had for the Samaritans, she suspects Jesus is telling us there is much more to learn - more importantly, to live out, as we heed his parable. She asks, “What if we were the helpless victim in the story?” Would it matter who our rescuer is? What implications does this have in our bitterly divided society, country and world?