Gregg DeMey 0:08
Hey good morning friends and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. This is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church and it's Thursday, the 4th of July. It's the season of green and growing things, our spiritual lives included as we listen to Jesus's parables. Today, I'm going to read a few verses from Luke chapter 10, verses 36 and 37. This is the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Gregg DeMey 0:30
At the close of his story, Jesus asks, "So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" And the expert of the law replied, "Well, the one who had mercy on him." And Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
Gregg DeMey 0:51
On this Fourth of July holiday friends, hopefully many of us feel an increased sense of warmth and neighborliness for all of our fellow Americans. Sadly, in the run up to this Fall's election cycle, I'm not going to be shocked if this neighborly warmth quickly fades as campaign ads run, political preferences begin to run hotter and the presidential election itself is cast as a moral apocalyptic choice - it is not. I wonder how Jesus's story of the Good Samaritan would play out if it were retold in modern North American political terms instead of Jews and Samaritans. You know, a man wearing a Trump shirt in a Red Hat is beaten up and lying on the side of a road and a fine young Democrat walks by or vice versa. If you're in a desperate or fraught situation, do the political preferences of the person who's willing to help out matter at all? Hopefully not. Desperate, difficult times either reveal our common humanity, or the sad callousness of our hearts.
Gregg DeMey 1:58
Jesus story is meant to leave us wondering, "well, who is not my neighbor?" Sometimes I look around the world in the following way: every single person I see today (from a small baby to the oldest senior citizen), will no longer be on this earth in roughly 100 years. It's for this brief moment of history that we are on this globe altogether. God's providence has given all of us this moment and these people. God has given us the opportunity to make the most of this precious slice of history, this precious moment and this precious planet as we prepare for a better life and better heavens and earth on the other side of this moral existence. Look around - we are neighbors.
Gregg DeMey 2:50
Will you pray with me? Dear God, thank you that from your point of view, we are all your image bearers. We are all as human beings, the pinnacle of your creative work here on Earth. And thank you that in Christ, there is no East or West, male or female, rich or poor, slave or free, but that you've designed us and already see us as friends, neighbors and family. Please teach us your point of view and to act like it's true, for Jesus sake, amen.
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