“Another Good Samaritan Sermon” based on Luke 10:25-37 preached at Trillium United Church October 28, 2018 Peace Sunday

A lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer 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.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But the lawyer, wishing to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who stripped and beat him, and ran away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw the beaten man he passed by on the other side. So also a Levite, when he passed by and saw him, crossed to the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to that place, and when he saw him, had compassion. He went and bound up the man’s wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he placed him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” The lawyer said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go, and do likewise.”

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There’s a drawing – a meme – going around religio

us and social media recently. Jesus is standing with several religious leaders. And he says “You use scripture to tell people what love means; I use love to tell people what the scripture means.”

So here we are. Another sermon on the “Good Samaritan’. On Peace Sunday.

Well, I didn’t want to do yet another Good Samaritan sermon . It’s one of those we hear so often -  and yet, some of it will be another Good Samaritan story - because it’s an important story.

But there are problems, too, as we approach it.  First, when we hear a story like this it is so familiar we assume we know what it means. Second, how many would remember that this story was told as an answer Jesus gave to a lawyer – and the complete shock value of the hero being a ‘dirty foreigner’ – a gentile dog? Third, is the story an allegory? It can be used as one, but is that all it is? Fourth, can it be removed from its religious context. Is it only a story about social action?

The lawyer was a highly respected person in the religious system. Pharisees and religious leaders would look to men like this to tell them the tiniest interpretations of the Law of Moses. The question he asks  is “What does one have to do to inherit eternal life.” The lawyer tries this to test Jesus, to see if he can trip him up, and implies that inheriting eternal life is based on something we do.

Custom of the day dictates that a question is answered with another question. So Jesus responds: “what is written in the law”. The lawyer gives the classic rabbinic answer, a combination of texts from Leviticus and Deuteronomy summing up the law. Jesus agrees that this is the correct answer.

But the lawyer now looks foolish. He has asked an obvious question and got an obvious answer. So, recognising that he looks silly, the lawyer “wanted to justify himself”. So he asks “And who is my neighbour”.

Jesus’ answer  “Do this and you will live” has in it the understanding of  ‘always’ do this. But Jewish law includes limitations on what is required, and who is a neighbour. The lawyer is clearly trying to justify himself.

And Jesus does what Jesus does so well – he answers by telling a parable.

In his notes on this text, John McDiarmid says that this story is “the classic genre of the “story of three”. Everyone would know that the first two characters would get it wrong, and the third would get it right. The road between Jerusalem and Jericho was well-known, the plight of the man would arouse sympathy; the reaction of both the priest and Levite would horrify the lawyer, who likely assumed that a Pharisee or similar would do the right thing. The disciples probably assume the hero of the story is going to be an average Jew like them. So the shock of what comes next cannot be emphasised enough. The Samaritans were the sworn enemies of the Jews. Some Jews prayed that Samaritans would not inherit eternal life. Jesus holds up a Samaritan as a model of integrity, as an example of  what love for neighbour means – and then tells the Jewish lawyer to go and do the same thing. The story was told to answer the question - that the one who is our neighbour is the worst of our enemies. That is the one that we are to love as ourselves.

What about the characters?

The Man who travels a notorious trouble spot – is mercilessly beaten up by adversaries is just like us. In the current political climate where Christianity is completely abrogated by some to support violence, incitement to violence, the suggestion that Jesus would support such actions against ‘enemies’ – the ‘Christ militant’ who carries a Bible and a gun - don’t we feel a little as if we are being spiritually mugged. I personally do resent my faith being appropriated by such persons and such misinterpretations.

The Priest and Levite,  representing religious law, but who do nothing to help. Easier to turn aside,  not to look. The religious leaders on the evangelical side, who have stayed mute – until now it is so horrific they cannot remain silent. Jesus gets mugged, and they have passed by, done nothing. Till now.

The Samaritan  - Is it Jesus? Is it us? Is it perhaps the “stranger “coming over the border - who then turns and assists us wherever possible.  The one who comes with nothing, who is branded a dangerous enemy by some, but who then creates a business,  and employs others, helping those who also need it – stepping across boundaries of race, religion, colour – to bring wholeness to people who have been ‘mugged’, one way or another.

In this time, as we watch with mounting horror a political scene we never thought we would see again in our lifetimes – the co-opting of Jesus to justify violence, to turn away the one who is neighbour, to threaten to shoot and kill which in fact disregards actual legitimate law – we take two Sundays to focus our attention.

First, today  - the last Sunday of October designated as Peace Sunday – and what a story to tell on Peace Sunday – that the ones who may be discriminated against – labelled enemies – are actually our neigbours. This means that the Palestinians are neighbours to the Jews, according to the Jewish religious law of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Depending on who and where we are, it’s almost as shocking today as it would have been to the hearers then. In this story Jesus focuses right in on how peace is brought about. Recognising who is the neighbour.  Standing for the neighbour, even if it means personal cost.

Two weeks from today we will recognise those who gave their lives in war, most particularly two world wars. Often, though, in recognising their service we miss the message they also want us to hear. That remembering those who served is only of value if we also talk about war, what causes war, the devastation it brings to those people who are still our neighbour, according to Jesus. Most people who have seen war, or participated in war, don’t want it to happen again.

And the third question is – what do we do about it? How can we prevent violence and the outbreak of war again? Jesus tells us, in this story, that even people we have identified as ‘enemies’ – those of a different colour, a different nationality, those running and labelled ‘illegal’ – there is no such thing in my mind – Jesus tells us that they are all our neighbour, and if we follow him, we treat that person as neighbour.

The lawyer in Jesus’ story realises that to go beyond the law he has been raised with means letting go of those things – and that it has to be a lifelong commitment – not a one-shot deal. Jesus points out that love helps us interpret the scriptures, not the other way around.

Following Jesus is hard. Doing what Jesus asks is hard.  But following and doing is how peace comes about. It takes a step at a time – conscious reflection and redirection of ourselves outward.  Because we are human and not perfect, it’s ongoing.

But we, like the lawyer, need sometimes to be shocked. Most of us inherited the Christian faith from our parents and grandparents, who pretty much inherited it from theirs..

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who lost his life standing against the Nazis, is the author of the book called ‘The Cost of Discipleship’. He said this:

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

“It is only because he became like us that we can become like him.”

May we, as we reflect on these days of peace, become like the one we profess to follow. Amen.

Sources:

1.     John McDiarmid   “Not Another Sermon on the Good Samaritan”

http://www.poolechristianfellowship.org/not-another-sermon-on-the-good-samaritan-john-macdiarmid

2.     Dietrich Bonhoeffer  ‘The Cost of Discipleship’

“Letting Go ” a sermon based on Mark 10:17-31 Sunday October 14, 2018 Trillium United Church Caledon

There was a special brightness to the day as you rose in the morning. The sun shining through your window added particular radiance to morning prayers. The air around you felt vibrant and alive. You felt as if today would be a special day.

You moved out onto the street, and people stepped out of your path. They knew you were important, but they also thought you were greedy. They kept their distance, just in case you cast your eye on their possessions.

You had space to see everything going on around you. With your clear sight lines you easily noticed some people setting out on a journey. Unlike most groups of travelers, trailing behind these people were women carrying children, Pharisees shouting questions, and sick people who pleading leader of the group. You could see the man was the new teacher named Jesus who everyone seemed to be talking about, how he could teach, and heal. People were even saying he knew the way to eternal life.

So you join the crowd following after the travelers. You hurry to the head of the group, up to their leader, and throw yourself down at his feet, and you ask Jesus about the question burning into your mind..

"Good teacher," you blurt out, "what must I do to inherit eternal life." Jesus replies to your question.

"You know the commandments: You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and mother."

"Teacher," you declare to Jesus with a little smile, " I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus smiles in return, and you know he approves of you. Again he responds.

"You lack one thing; " he says to you. "Go, sell what you have. Give all the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, and follow me."

Ouch. Gasps of shock from the listeners around, and dismay. Here is a man who has followed all the rules all his life. He comes to Jesus looking for validation that everything he has done is sufficient. Wham! Jesus says ‘Well, there is one more thing.’ Jesus then posits what seems to the young man an almost impossible task - to sell everything he has and give it away to those who need much.

In the culture of the time, if someone was of good character, then all good things came his way as a matter of course - it was assumed that if someone was wealthy that person was also good; if someone did not have good character he would not be wealthy, and thus if he was not wealthy it must mean he did not have good character. Essentially, prosperity and virtue went together.

Jesus essentially says to this man that the reason for discipleship is not the promise of reward. The man asks Jesus “what must I DO to enter the realm”, and Jesus answers with an action which is more extreme than obedience to the commandments.

Through this week, as Hurricane Michael has devastated the Florida Panhandle, the son of one of my colleagues literally lost everything except his truck and a few belongings. The RV he was living in is almost toast.  His mother has been in a panic trying to stay in touch and make sure he is safe. He is a young man who had a stroke, yet has been able to recover well enough to begin building a home – living in an RV while he builds. He now has his truck, a few things, and his parents.  Yet in the end the gratitude that he is alive supersedes everything else. Somehow he will recover and build again.

Margaret Visser's book, "The Gift of Thanks", addresses a social ritual we take for granted. How many times did your mother tell you to say "Please" and "Thank you"? It is part of our ritual of politeness, and we get irritated at people who don’t say thank you. In Japan, it is even more so. Thanks must be given at every opportunity, and there is a ritual of thanks for every occasion. If you are invited to someone’s home for dinner, and you then don’t see them for another six months, when you do see them you have to say thank you yet again.

Margaret Visser responds to our 21st century experience of dismissing thanksgiving when we say "I don't need gratitude. Everything I want I can buy." She says that "We often forget that it is not gratitude and giving, but advantages taken for granted, and then unshared, that are much likelier to produce and encourage both differences in status and injustice."

A quick Google of “gratitude” brought some interesting results. The website for Café Gratitude - a chain in California - focuses on locally grown foods and an attitude of being generous and grateful.

Then I found a page called Gratitude Quotes. Rev. John Henry Jowett was born in Halifax, England, and served pastorates there. He lived from 1864 to 1923, and for a time was minister at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. He said "Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road."

He also said “The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.”

This goes directly to Jesus’ comment to the young man, who had observed all the virtues, all the rules, and yet was missing the one critical thing.

The rich man came from a detailed, rule-based religion, and was asking a rule - based question. His culture told him there must be a rule-based answer, one which could be fulfilled in much the same way other rules were fulfilled.

Jesus responds first to being called “good teacher”, reminding the rich man that "good" is not a compliment one tosses around in polite company, but a particular state of being that only God inhabits. Second, he says, the rules are clear, there are ten. Follow them.

But this rich man knows something else is needed, and so does Jesus. That is where gratitude enters the story. This rich man has all the advantages - money, comfort, enough food, enough clothing, respect. But he takes it for granted; he assumes it is his right to have it. Jesus is clear he needs to share what he has with others in order to fully enter God’s realm.

Margaret Visser’s phrase sticks with me - advantages taken for granted, and then unshared, which produce and encourage differences in status, and injustice. There, I think, is the key to this Gospel reading. Here was a wealthy man who took for granted his advantages, and did not share them. Jesus directly tells him that sharing can create a difference and right an injustice.

I don’t for a moment think Jesus really was telling the man literally to sell everything he had and give it all away.  I don’t think this text is about selling everything off.  In Jesus’ time and in our time, that’s not practical. I think the text does ask us to look closely at our own wealth, realistically. Did the rich man need everything he had?  Do we actually need everything we have? Does having lots of things mean we are good and caring people? Does being poor and having little mean we are not good people. 

 The text does bring us up against ‘all that we have’ – do we actually need everything we have in order to live? How do we decide between need and want? I think Jesus was telling the man that by sharing what he has, he demonstrates his gratitude to God, and brings the realm of God a little closer.




Sources:
1. Inheriting Life, a sermon by Rev. Frank Fisher, Waltham Presbyterian Church, Utica, Illinois.

2. Rule Based Answers, Thanksgiving sermon by Rev. David Shearman, Central Westside United Church Owen Sound, Ontario.

3. Margaret Visser, “The Gift of Thanks”, HarperCollins Canada, 2008.

“Giving Thanks for Life” sermon for October 7, 2018 Thanksgiving and World Communion Deuteronomy 8:10-19

Deuteronomy  When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise God for the good land given you. Be careful that you do not forget God, failing to observe the commands, laws and decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, when your herds and flocks grow large, your silver and gold increase. and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget God, who brought you out of Egypt, the land of slavery; led you through the vast wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. You had water out of hard rock; manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember it is God who gives your abilities to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

 If you ever forget God and follow other gods, worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

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A True Story

“I was checking into my hotel in Surrey this evening and I asked the man at the desk if he knew if there was a restaurant in the hotel. He told me that there wasn't but there were a lot of restaurants up on 152nd. I made a face and said I didn't really feel like getting into my truck and heading out to look for a place to eat. but I guess I'd have to. We finished up with the check in procedure and when he gave me my key card he said that his wife was bringing him some food for dinner and he could tell her to bring some extra if I wanted to join them. I was taken off guard completely. When was the last time a hotel worker offered to feed you? I felt awkward and stammered a bit and said that I didn't want to impose. He assured me that there would be plenty of food and I should meet them in the breakfast room at about 6:30 when his dinner break started.

I went up to my room and got settled in and then I headed down to the breakfast room for dinner. I walked in and the first thing that hit me was the delicious smell. Mohammed introduced me to his wife Aseel and we all sat down to eat. OH. MY. GOD! Falafel, kebabs, fattoush, shawarma and other amazing foods. I was treated and fed like a king. We chatted for a long time and they explained to me that they had fled Syria and came to Canada with 60,000 other refugees last year.

They spoke very little about how bad things were in Syria but they couldn't wait to tell me how happy they were to be living and working  in Canada. Mohammed is a pharmacist and upgrading at University and Aseel is a lawyer who has to pass the bar in Canada before she can work as a lawyer. They were so enthusiastic to be here that I couldn't help but share their enthusiasm as we spoke. At the end of the meal Aseel wrapped some food in tinfoil for my lunch tomorrow (Wendy's laughing I'm sure) and Mohammed said one last thing to me. "Don't take your country for granted" I of course got a lump in my throat and gave them a hug and thanked them profusely.

While I was walking up to my room it occurred to me that a Syrian Refugee family came all the way to Canada and fed ME! I got off the elevator and walked a little further and corrected myself. A CANADIAN family fed me.”

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The lectionary this week gives us the scripture which carries  the instruction to the wanderers in the desert to remember blessings, and that when the harvest comes in, the first fruits of the land should be offered before anything else is done.

The Feast of Shavuot in the Jewish calendar follows Passover, but comes before Pentecost. On the day after Passover, a sheaf of new wheat or corn is waved over the altar, as a sign of gratitude to God for bestowing blessings. At Pentecost two loaves of leavened bread made from the new wheat are waved over the altar. It is clear that all the first fruits are to be offered to God - the law commands: “You shall bring the first fruits of your land to the house of Hashem, your God.”

When we think of the Exodus story, we usually think of the high points, the ones which bookend the time in the wilderness:
- the crossing of the Sea of Reeds and the defeat of the Egyptian armies.
- the triumph of crossing the Jordan and shouting till the walls of Jericho fell.

We tend to forget that they were in that wilderness for 40 long years. We forget the death by snakebite; the monotony of desert life; we forget that it was so bad at times some wanted to return to slavery, since it was a known quantity, and it was seen as “better than this”. We forget that not all of those people who left Egypt would actually make it to the land of promise, but their children and grandchildren would be the ones to see it. We don’t know how many died along the way. We know Moses didn’t get there, but died with the promised land within his sight.

The people who left Egypt in the exodus were refugees. They wandered for an incredibly long time, from place to place, dependent on whoever was willing to help and feed them. Hospitality to the stranger was critical in lands which were often harsh; hospitality to the stranger, for the Israelites, was a scriptural imperative.

They came from slavery – not the kind of abject mind-numbing slavery with poor living quarters, poor clothing, heavy work and poor food. Quite the contrary – they were well treated, had good homes, clothes and good food. They had everything they needed to stay alive, and well, - but they were captives. And so they mourned and cried out.

When Moses took them out into the world – the world of freedom, of making their own decisions, and of course, being responsible for themselves, life was significantly different. God knew how the human heart and mind works – that after they reached the promised land, and settled and began to build and prosper, they would get caught up in thinking they had done everything themselves – and as generation passed into generation, there would be no memory of the events of slavery and exodus, only stories. And even those would fade. People would become arrogant.

To complement the story from Deuteronomy, I’ve offered you a true story, posted on Friday, from a gentleman in Vancouver who reflected on the immigrant experience. A man who finds himself too tired to go out to eat, being offered a meal by hotel staff.  A meal to feed royalty, but more important, hospitality extended. A story of refugees, coming to a new land – perhaps a promised land – making a new life; two highly skilled people working on making their skills compatible in Canada, and working at whatever they can – in this case the hospitality industry. People of generosity who have not forgotten what it means to be without, to run in fear, to find safety. Yet not dwelling on their past experience, but looking forward and creating a new life. Giving back, with thanks and with generosity.

When Tariq Hadhad and his family came to Canada, they settled in Antigonish in Nova Scotia. They were a family of chocolatiers from Damascus in Syria, and determined to rebuild their business here. They established a tiny company called Peace by Chocolate, in a shed. At their one year anniversary of arrival in Canada they were self-supporting. Then they opened a tiny shop and employed 10 people. And in 2017 they opened a fully functional factory – and now employ more than 20 people, and employing other refugees across Canada as distributors. Tariq is now a member of the board of Invest Nova Scotia.

Perhaps it’s good for us, on this Thanksgiving, to reflect on what we take for granted – because we do – and reflect on what Thanksgiving means for others. There is much we can learn about giving thanks, for life.