Substitute Samaritan with another identity that gives us a
better sense of how these words might have sounded to those who heard them in
the earliest years. If we substitute that, we also have the chance to
substitute who it is that's been injured. Is it a stranger? Is it someone who
we'd never encountered before?
Or might we be the one who was injured and suffering? Would
we care what the identity was of the one who came to help? No, I think we would
just thank God that someone that stopped had cared. So, who is our neighbor?
Who are we called to extend mercy to? To potentially receive mercy from? It has
nothing to do with identifiers that separate us from one another.
It has to do with mercy, with kindness and compassion and
love. These may not seem like big things, but they can change everything. And
perhaps they are everything. When I think of love of neighbor and mercy and
kindness, there are names and faces in this congregation that come immediately
to mind. People who just always seem to be checking in checking the pulse of
individuals, checking the pulse of this community. To look out for people who
might have needs. To be in response to those needs, whether it's within this
community or in the broader Cincinnati community.
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