29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii,[a] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:29 – 37)

Jesus is continuing his journey towards Jerusalem, when a lawyer confronts him, asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” A lot of people today ask that question, and a lot of people have answers – but the question being asked is, essentially, what is the minimum requirement for heaven? It is, indeed, the wrong question. Nevertheless, Jesus answers with a question, “What does the law say?” And the man answers that the law tells him to love God and to love his neighbor. Jesus says that is the right answer, go and do it.

But the man is not satisfied, he wants a minimalist answer, he wants to justify himself. And so he says, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus tells the story we call “the Good Samaritan”. A man is injured by bandits on the road to Jericho. I’ll bet a lot of people in Jesus’ audience thought, “Well, anyone ought to have sense enough not to go down that road alone! He was just asking for it!” Do we think that when we see reports of someone hurt, robbed, or raped – they were in the wrong part of town; they were wearing the wrong clothes; they should have known better?

But there the man is, lying beside the road, naked and bleeding. The religious leaders, a priest and a levite, walk by on the other side – why should they help this man who had gotten himself into this mess? It would make them late; they would have to touch blood & that would make them unclean! No, better to ignore him, look the other way. Do we do that when we see a person who is homeless?

But one person stops, cares for the man, goes out of his way to take him to an inn, and pays the innkeeper for his care. Most, or all, of Jesus’ audience was Jewish; they hated Samaritans, thought they were heretics, that they worshipped the wrong God, or at least worshipped God the wrong way. But the hero in Jesus’ story is a Samaritan. For us, Jesus would have used a different example – possibly a Muslim.

And then Jesus returns to the question – but he does not answer what the lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Instead, he rewords the question to the lawyer, “Who was a neighbor to the man?” And so our question is, who do we treat as a neighbor? Who should we be treating as a neighbor? If we love God, who are we obliged to treat as a neighbor?

16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:16 – 17)

Let’s go to the end of the passage we have been studying from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In these verses, he is talking about filling our hearts with love for one another, with the word of Christ, and with gratitude.  We live into the Kingdom of God by living in gratitude for God’s love for us. This is the essence of life, and of eternal life.

When we have recognized that we truly are God’s beloved, we respond with love, and with gratitude. When we realize that God also loves, and chooses, others, we do not respond like jealous children, who say, “Momma and Daddy love you the best”, but we respond with love for those whom God loves, and gratitude for that love. Jealousy comes from the child’s assumption that their parents’ love is a limited commodity, and scarce. What is given to the sibling must be taken from them. But God’s love is unlimited, and unqualified. His love for others only magnifies his love for you, and me.

Some people will disagree with me on that – they will say that God’s love is only for people who believe a certain way, say certain words, or live by their rules. That is not how I read the Scripture – in the pages of the New Testament, I find that God sent his Son to save us all, “For God so loved the world, he sent his only Son”. Jesus came to save all humankind, and during his time on earth he was much more likely to be seen with the sinners and tax-collectors than with the religious rule makers and rule followers of his day.

As recipients of such unsurpassed, unlimited, amazing love – we should be living in daily gratitude! Jesus came to us, to show us God’s love for us! That is why we sing hymns! That is why we come together in worship! That is why we love him, and share that love with our neighbor! That is why, whatever we do, we should be able to do it in Jesus’ name, and we should do it with hearts filled with gratitude!

Questions for reflection:

1. What does it look like in your life to show your thankfulness to God and to Christ?
2. What is the difference between living in gratitude for God’s love and following the rules because you are supposed to?

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:12 – 17)

Let’s stay another day on this passage – “as those who have been chosen of God” – whatever does that mean? When I first felt God’s calling in my life, I thought I was special; God had called me, and that was a special thing. Over time, however, I came to realize that God calls each and every one of us. He just calls us to different things! First of all, God calls all of us to come to him, to experience his love. We Methodists call that “Prevenient Grace”, but it doesn’t really matter what you call it, so long as you know that it begins with God and we don’t have to earn it. We are all loved by God and called to experience that love.

But once we recognize God’s love, once our hearts are filled with it, then we have a responsibility, to love God’s other beloved people, and that includes everyone. Think about a much loved child; if that child has no responsibility to love his parents back, to behave in ways that show that he loves and respects them, he becomes a spoiled brat! If we sit back and think that God loves and favors us, to the exclusion of others, we are behaving like that spoiled child. It is our responsibility to share the love. We do that by being compassionate – caring for others who need a comforting word, a gift of food, a helping hand; by being kind – in your life today that may mean a generous tip for a waitress, a smile for a check-out clerk, avoiding a confrontation in traffic; by being humble – we are not “God’s favorite”, God loves every person, including that homeless man on the corner, that person picking ferns who may not have a green card, that mother who is having trouble finding food for her children; by being gentle and patient – look at your own family, are you gentle and patient with those who love you? This is what it means to recognize God’s love in our own lives; we then share it with others.

Sharing God’s love, living immersed in God’s love, is to live into the Kingdom of God, in the here and now. Most of us have not yet reached perfection in this, but can we just love others a little more today? and tomorrow? Can this be how we prepare our hearts for Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection?

Questions for reflection:

1. Where can you be more compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient in the next few days?
2. How does your heart feel when you do that?

We began the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday yesterday. Lent is a season to prepare our hearts for Good Friday and for Easter, for crucifixion and resurrection. I intend to write on this blog about how we prepare our hearts during this season of Lent, leaving political comment behind for a season.

During the Ash Wednesday service, I was reminded of these words, “You are the Lord’s Beloved.” These words strike a special note in my heart; years ago, during a spiritual formation class with Rev. Dr. Steve Harper, we had a time of meditation in a lovely chapel in the woods. While we sat in those moments of peace, a song was playing softly – John Michael Talbot sang these words, “Because you are chosen, called to be holy, because you are the Lord’s Beloved.” The words, of course, come from scripture; this passage is Colossians 3:12 – 17.

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

It struck me on that day, that I was indeed God’s Beloved, and I was reminded of that yesterday.  I would remind you that you, as well, are God’s chosen and beloved, called to God for a purpose. In this passage, Paul says the Colossians should “put on” a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. This heart is “put on” as a garment, considering each morning that this is what you will wear, who you will be. This would be a beautiful garment, a flowing silk of many colors, swirling about you in all life’s trials. But such a garment only works when it is tied together with a sash of love – love is the thing that binds us together, as a people chosen to do God’s work, as a people beloved by God, and yes, as individuals beloved by God.

The first step in preparation for Easter is to recognize God’s love for us, and to let that love swirl about us in love for others. Now, here are some questions for reflection:

1. Think about that phrase – “You are the Lord’s beloved” – how does that make you feel?
2. How do you “put on” a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, and gentleness?
3. What difference does this make in your life?