For Sunday, July
14, 2019 ~ 5th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings:
Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Psalm 25:1-9, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37
“Surely, this commandment…is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away…No,
the word is very near to you; is in your mouth and in your heart for you to
observe.” [Deuteronomy 30:11,
14]
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you…Gracious and upright is the Lord…He guides the
humble in doing right and teaches his way to the lowly. [Psalm 25:1a, 7a, 8]
May you be made strong with all the strength
that comes from [God's] glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure
everything with patience... [Colossians 1:11]
[Jesus] said to him,
"What is written in the law? What do you read there?" [The lawyer]
answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all our soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your
neighbor as yourself…" But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?” [Luke 10:26-27, 29]
We bounce around non-sequentially in the Old Testament in this season after Pentecost, and this week we slip in near the end of the book of Deuteronomy, only a few chapters shy of the end of Moses’ life. Moses, in this reading, is outlining the many positive ways following the Commandments will bear fruit for the still traveling Israelites – in body, in livestock, and in the soil. He wants them to understand the do’s and don’ts of life in God’s care. God delights in and prospers those turning their hearts and souls in obedience. Moses assures the gathered that the incentive to obey is strong because The Law is protective – it helps resolve earthly squabbles, the dietary rules of the time are for physical health, and best of all, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far away. The Psalmist confirms that God, to whom we lift our souls, is gracious and upright and guides the humble in doing right.
We bounce around non-sequentially in the Old Testament in this season after Pentecost, and this week we slip in near the end of the book of Deuteronomy, only a few chapters shy of the end of Moses’ life. Moses, in this reading, is outlining the many positive ways following the Commandments will bear fruit for the still traveling Israelites – in body, in livestock, and in the soil. He wants them to understand the do’s and don’ts of life in God’s care. God delights in and prospers those turning their hearts and souls in obedience. Moses assures the gathered that the incentive to obey is strong because The Law is protective – it helps resolve earthly squabbles, the dietary rules of the time are for physical health, and best of all, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far away. The Psalmist confirms that God, to whom we lift our souls, is gracious and upright and guides the humble in doing right.
Paul’s
letter to the Colossians also speaks of bearing fruit through faith in the
Gospel of Jesus. He, like Moses regarding The Law, tells them the Word of Jesus
is close as the Gospel has come to them, and in turn, to us all. We will bear
its fruit in every good work as we grow in the
knowledge of God.
The
lawyer in the passage from Luke speaks words that are so familiar we could
recite them yet we still find them difficult to live. This was a shocking
parable in its time and might be in our own day if we use a substitute for
Samaritan such as Satanist and contagious for the man beset by robbers on the
road. Perhaps, in that way, we can understand the apprehension of those who
passed by without helping. One’s adherence to The Law that forbade touching one
who is “unclean” is extra-convenient when faced with a distasteful situation.
And just imagine the utter amazement of on-lookers that this victim would be
helped by so unlikely a person – a foreigner, a stranger, one not like the
others.
The
“Summary of the Law” as the sentence uttered by the lawyer is known, gives us
everything we need to hear, understand, and accept as the way of the Gospel. It
is a succinct and complete restatement of all of God’s Commandments. If we
truly love God so completely in heart, soul, strength, and mind we’d never
consider coveting, killing, thieving, adultering, etc. Living as the
personification of that deep love is our sole purpose for being and embracing
it is also to absolutely love our neighbors as we love ourselves – that is, we
will love our neighbors as if they are ourselves, all of us being created by
and through God’s unlimitable, unconditional love.
Then
our lawyer, very learned in The Law, wanting to justify himself, continues
and gets more legalistic in his question “who is my neighbor?” The
answer is clear, simple, yet complex. From the parable Jesus shares, even the
lawyer understands we are to show mercy to everyone, whether liked,
unliked, feared, mistrusted, dangerous, contagious, annoying, wrong politics,
wrong age or gender- identity, wrong religion or skin color or legal status,
etc. Anyone who needs help IS our neighbor, and we become as the Samaritan when
we have or can find the means or other neighbors to give help. Our neighbor
is us. If we cannot love ourselves we cannot love God or our
neighbor. If we are mistreating our neighbor, we are reflecting how we love –
or don’t love – ourselves.
Paul prayed, as we must, for our strength, endurance, and
patience from God. The Samaritan showed mercy ~ above and beyond ~ Jesus us
tells us to go and do likewise. We must hear, taste, ingest,
digest, live into, and breathe through the words again: 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. Simply.
Difficult. Necessary.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Gracious Lord, free
us from the darkness of the fear and suspicion of those, even if unlike ourselves, who are our neighbors in Your sight. Open us to the knowledge of Your will through
Your word already within us, that our acts of love and kindness will be a true measure of
our full faith in Christ.
O God of Goodness and Love
RESPONSE:
To You we lift our souls
~ O Gracious Lord,
grant enduring patience and soul support to those upright and honorable people who
uphold the principles of integrity, compassion, and mercy, serving now in national
and local governments, across Your Earth. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God of Goodness and Love
To
You we lift our souls
~ O Gracious Lord,
rescue and give hope to the poor, the weak, and the sick, and give comfort and strength
to all who assist them. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in
need…
O
God of Goodness and Love
To
You we lift our souls
~ O Gracious Lord, rest
the hearts of those who grieve, as all who have died, now shine in the eternal
light of Christ’s heavenly peace. We pray especially for…
O
God of Goodness and Love
To
You we lift our souls
~ O Gracious Lord, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or
silently…
O
God of Goodness and Love
To
You we lift our souls
~ O
Gracious Lord, we look to our
faithful ministers of Your Word and Sacraments as our guides of truth in
action. Endow them with steadfast faith to urge us in humility along right pathways
to share in the inheritance of the saints. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God of Goodness and Love
To
You we lift our souls
The Celebrant adds: O God of our Salvation, fill us with the spiritual
understanding and wisdom to lead lives worthy of You, bearing the fruit
of the Gospel to our neighbors, and ourselves, being made strong in Your
glorious power. We ask through the forgiveness and redemption of Jesus, our Christ;
and by the love of the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God, now and forever.
Amen.
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