"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Read Sunday's scriptures here.

If Jesus was a recording artist, the Parable of the Good Samaritan would have been on his album of greatest hits (yes--I thought a corny music anecdote would be amusing on this humid afternoon). Joking aside, it is one of Jesus's most widely-known teachings, and yet it is one whose true meaning is often brushed aside. 

Jesus tells this story in response to a lawyer who was testing Jesus by asking him how to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with "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." But of course, being the stereotypical lawyer that he was, he needed the fine print behind the word "neighbor." And to that, Jesus tells his story of the Good Samaritan.

We know all about the lawyer-like people in our lives. Those who like to point out "what you really meant," those who are able to get their way by finding little loopholes in the corners, and certainly those who require an explanation or definition for everything (guilty as charged). But if there's one person you don't want to pull those shenanigans with, I'd say that would be Jesus.

At the heart of the matter, this particular lawyer is defining who his true neighbors are, thus clarifying to whom he specifically needs to show God's love. Leave it to Jesus to turn it into a parable, but the short answer is EVERYONE. 

As we have heard the past several weeks, Jesus is not allowing us to settle for comfortable Christianity. He calls us to reach out to ALL those in need, whether it be physical or spiritual, to show them the Love of Christ and the Loving-Kindness of His Church. In St. James terms, he demands that we be "radically hospitable" to both our neighbors in this congregation and outside its doors.

Friends, the Christian life that Jesus calls us to lead cannot and should not feel comfortable until we are able to make the Love of Christ unconditionally visible through thought, word, and deed. Opportunities are abound with all the programs beginning at St. James in the coming weeks and into the fall. How will you fulfill your Christian duty?

It is my hope that all of us (including myself) choose not to be the priest or Levite, for their indifference to the injured man on the side of the road is exactly why Christianity has been given a poor reputation in recent years. Rather, I hope we all strive to be the Samaritan, who manifested the love of Christ through thought, word, and deed.

With thoughtful prayer, we indeed become a radically hospitable church full of caring Samaritans, truly living into our church's mission to be a center of worship and common life where Christ's love is truly visible.

Blessings and beautiful music,

Alex