9"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you glean the stray ears of grain.
10Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the LORD, am your God.
11"You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
12You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13"You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
14You shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
15"You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly.
16You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the LORD.
17"You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him.
18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Luke Chapter 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27He answered: “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coinse and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
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Good Morning! What a joy to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
I’m happy to be the one to represent all the lives this congregation has impacted over the years. Very happy, indeed. Who wouldn’t want a trip to California, to visit friends, drink good wine and tell stories of hope?
It’s nice work if you can get it, eh?
I’ve been planning this sermon for months, but I didn’t put the finishing touches on it until last night. I have been practicing what my mother would call “creative avoidance.”
I have tremendous respect for pastors who do this every week.
Those of you who know me, know that I have no problem speaking, but “preaching” always feels completely different.
I was here, in San Anselmo, a year and a half after Hurricane Katrina – over three years ago – giving the Minute for Mission. I thanked you all for loving your neighbor as yourself and for sending help. I asked for more help, and this congregation responded I told you then, that we could feel your presence in the pew beside us during worship in Mississippi, and I hardly even knew most of you.
Now, we have so many shared experiences that I feel like not only a member of your congregation, but even a part of some of some of your families.
Knowing that y’all that you all are here, cheering us on; interested in our progress; still sending volunteer teams and financial support. You have no idea how much that means.
There is a passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians Chapter 4 v 12-14 that is very appropriate HERE. It reads: 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.”
Yes…, it was good of you to share in our troubles.
You held us when we cried; listened to our stories; celebrated
milestones; and even sang in our choir. Lisa Cosby, Karl Ralston and the Basore’s and Bicknell’s have been to Gulfport so often that Westminster’s Stewardship Committee has decided to send them pledge cards this year!
We’re a big family of faith. Neighbors and friends… Children of God.
Typically, the concept of “neighbor” is limited to those people one lives near or at least people in the local community. This is how the Old Testament sometimes uses the term, but it is also used in a broader or figurative sense
to refer to all Israelites. In general, it might be used to refer to anyone who isn’t an immediate kinsman or an enemy.
After Hurricane Katrina ripped through south Mississippi, residents discovered that neighbors come from all over. At the dedication of several new home constructions built by volunteers, an elderly black woman approached me and said, “Y’all made me ask God for forgiveness!”
When I asked her why, she said, “All my life, I had no use for white people or Yankees, and it’s been nuthin’ but white people and Yankees who built my house!”
Leviticus is a book of rules. Today’s reading gives us rules for social interactions. Rules for how to treat one another.
In addition to caring for the poor, much of what we are told in this passage is how not to treat a neighbor.
16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
" 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
…“Don’t bear a grudge against one of your people.”
It sounds so simple, but after years of racism and/or economic injustice, that homeowner may have had no use for white people or Yankees, but God used those Yankees to remind her – and us – that we are all His children.
As Christians, we are under the law of Christ which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament call us to be like God in the world. It is not an optional luxury of the believer’s lifestyle. Leviticus 19:2 says, “…be holy because, I the Lord your God, am holy.” Through the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus teaches us that those who show mercy are heirs to God’s kingdom. The duty of neighborliness is an expression of the love of God.
With my family scattered around the globe and a job that involves visiting Presbyterian churches across the United States, I can easily ask... and who is my neighbor? Is my neighbor really the woman with two small children seated next to me on an overseas flight?
The old English definition of neighbor means “near dweller.” For Jesus, a neighbor is one in need--no matter who they are or where they are.
I’ve earned over 30,000 frequent flyer miles so far this year, and every time I step on a plane, I do so with confidence in God’s plan for my life. I’ve come by that confidence the hard way, and through the Grace of God, I’m here to be a witness to His presence.
Most of you know I am a New York transplant, or a damn Yankee. In my childhood I never heard of Gulfport, Mississippi much less imagined I’d be living there.
Once upon a time, it seems like a long, long time ago, almost like a fairy tale, I met a man, fell in love, moved to Mississippi, got married and then… he died.
When my husband, Matt died, I felt like the traveler that robbers had left for dead in the story of the Good Samaritan. The people of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gulfport, MS picked me up off the road of despair and showed me the meaning of neighbor, friend and family of faith.
When Hurricane Katrina hit less than a year later, I became not only a young widow and a damn Yankee, but a Gulfport homeowner who had five-feet of water wash through her home, just like all of her “near dwellers.”
I realized, “I am alive. I have flood insurance, and I am resourceful.” I felt needed, useful. Friends and family came in to help me. We all got to work on the task at hand. There was no more time to nurse my wounds of widowhood, it was time to get busy cleaning up and helping others.
With Presbyterian Disaster Assistance support, churches along the Gulf Coast became “disaster recovery centers” without the benefit of committees to examine the problem and decide what to do. Westminster Church became a “faith-based construction company” as a result of church members responding to God’s call and a community’s need.
Presbyterian Churches - those sending teams and those hosting them - have been living witnesses to the P.D.A. motto “Out of Chaos, Hope.”
Although Hurricane Katrina is still a very present reality to residents of south Mississippi, natural disasters continue to occur everywhere. When the evening news reports stories of disaster, they tell us how terrible things are. The message from the media is, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
I say, “Don’t believe it for a minute.” The Bible tells us “Be not afraid,” and personal experience also tells us there is nothing to be afraid of. Time after time, we encounter angels disguised as humans. Sometimes, God even gives us the opportunity to be an angel or a Good Samaritan for someone else.
Post-Katrina Mississippi has been a training ground for volunteers who can use their experience when disaster strikes close to home. Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN was a close partner of Presbytery of MS Disaster Recovery operations, sending twelve volunteer teams to Gulfport over four years. When Nashville, TN flooded and the Grand ol’ Opry went under water this past April, Westminster Nashville shifted from being the Good Samaritan in Mississippi to helping their neighbors close to home.
Jesus tells the lawyer, Go and do likewise. Be the Samaritan to offer help and be the traveler to receive it. After five years, of recovery work, Westminster Gulfport was able to support Westminster Nashville as they set up recovery operations.
Nashville received trucks and supplies that were no longer needed in Gulfport. Their church became a disaster recovery center WITH the benefit of their years of experience in Mississippi.
We are all called to be Good Samaritans and to help our neighbor wherever they are. Be not afraid.
Walk boldly on the path of love and life and risk being hurt.
Give help even to those who don’t like you.
Be willing to receive help when it is offered.
Love your neighbor as yourself. Do this and you will live.
It’s as simple and as difficult as that... Amen.
Let us pray...
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