Blessing Our Community: Our Heroic Calling

Last week in service, we learned that Jesus was a hero. He wasn’t the military leader who saved the Jews from Rome as they were hoping. He did something better.

Jesus was a hero because he conquered death. He rose from the dead and was seen by approximately 500 people. There were too many witnesses for it to be disputed. Because Jesus conquered death, we have a chance at eternal life.

Jesus was a hero because of his radical teachings. He took the 613 rules the Pharisees insisted upon and simplified them down to two things: Love God and Love People. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always loved a teacher who can make things clear and simple.

Jesus was a hero because he served the needs of others. Jesus was and is the Son of God, King of Kings…but he said that he did not come to be served but to serve. He taught that serving is the way to be a great person.

This week we learn that Jesus didn’t just teach about serving others, but he calls us to serve others. In Luke 10:25-37 we find the story of an “expert in the law” who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus knows this is a trick question meant to trap him. After all, every hero must face villains. So Jesus turns the question back on the expert, asking him what he reads in the law.

The expert states the two laws that every good Jew knew by heart. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (from Deuteronomy 6:5) And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (from Leviticus 19:18) Jesus tells him that he is correct and by doing these things he will live.

But the expert asks for clarification, or maybe a loophole. “Who is my neighbor,” he says. In reply Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. He concludes by asking the expert, “Which of these three (priest, Levite or Samaritan) was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” When the expert replied it was the one who showed mercy, Jesus said “Go and do likewise.”

Go and be a neighbor to everyone. Go and show mercy and generosity, like the hero of the story.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Cindy