Hospitals are named after this story told by Jesus in Luke 10, civic awards recognize exceptional citizens with this same name, and our highest praises go to the ideal of this concept: “Good Samaritan.” What was Jesus describing when he told this story (which Scripture does not actually designate as “parable”)?

As you know context is everything and we will explore the fact that Jesus is speaking to a lawyer who was disturbed by what He heard Jesus teaching. To answer the lawyer, Jesus tells the account of the Good Samaritan.

Tomorrow, I will present why this designation is really only properly designated to one and only one person. At the same time, this is not to say that we are not in the story Jesus tells. We are. Come to church to learn more about this amazing lesson which proclaims the depth of God’s love for you.

Furthermore, those who confess the true body and blood of Christ in the Holy Sacrament will live out the account of the Good Samaritan and this truth will also be demonstrated tomorrow. But come and be refreshed. The one who receives God’s forgiveness receives all of the gifts of His kingdom!

(1) We are conducting a special offering tomorrow morning for our 2013 national convention to support “Together as Synod,” global missions, Lutheran Malaria Initiative, the joint seminary fund, and the global seminary initiative. Please prayfully prepare your offering for the important work the Lord is conducting in and through the LC-MS.

(2) Tomorrow at 12 noon is our parish council meeting for all current members of the council (newly elected members do not start until their installation in September). Lunch will be provided.

Also our Higher Things youth group is headed off for Tacoma, WA this coming week. Parents thank you for providing the medical release forms. Please ensure that you have also provided us with Individual Registration forms. I have attached this form to this email.

I hope to see you in God’s house tomorrow morning!

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow’s sermon:

But the lawyer’s pride would not allow him to shut up! Again, the truth came out and he thought, “There must be something wrong with the Law!” So He asks, “And who is my neighbor?” And here again we must think about the words being used. We are too general with our basic answer. We want to give the easy answer. The easy answer is “everybody;” “everybody is our neighbor!”

 

Here is the danger with that answer: it puts us in the position to play games with God. We can reason: “because ‘everybody’ is my neighbor, I can be kind and loving to all kinds of folks and that list is indeed very impressive; that’s a lot of people, because ‘everybody’ covers a lot of ground!” But as we play this game and keep ourselves astoundingly busy, the game of “everybody” lets us have good reason to exclude some and of course the moment we exclude anyone, we become sinners and liars.

 

“Neighbor” per biblical definition is more precise than “everybody,” it is rather the person who is nearby and close at hand. Your neighbor is per time and place. Your neighbor is in accord to where God puts you in a given moment in time. In that moment and time, your “neighbor” is the person right there! But my goodness, can you just imagine the implications of all of this? In a given moment in time, you might be around HIM! You might encounter HER! Or you could even wind up in the presence of THEM!

In Your Service and To Christ’s Glory,

Pastor Espinosa