Love God, Love Neighbor: Faithfulness in Proximity

I think perhaps we've been identifying with the wrong person in this story. See, for most of the sermon, I think it's tempting to see ourselves as the Samaritan and ask whether we're doing enough. But perhaps we are first that wounded traveler. Perhaps we are the ones lying beside the road unable to heal ourselves, unable to save ourselves, and that is precisely why the gospel is called the good news. Friends, we don't bear burdens because we are strong. We don't bear burdens because we are the saviors. We bear burdens because we have a savior. [00:33:45] (46 seconds)  #WoundedNotSavior

See, the Samaritan, he doesn't solve every problem on Jericho Road. He doesn't eliminate crime. He doesn't reform the transportation system. He doesn't heal every wounded traveler and create a hospital system and health care. He doesn't fix hostility between Jews and Samaritans. He simply refuses to pass And perhaps that is what faithfulness to Jesus most often looks like. Throughout this series, we wrestled with difficult questions, but perhaps the most important question isn't which side is right, which side reflects Jesus's kingdom more. The deeper question is what kind of person am I becoming? [00:35:51] (41 seconds)  #RefuseToPass

See, the world wants us to be experts and commentators and critics and activists and saviors, essentially, but Jesus simply calls us to be his followers. The good life is not found in carrying all the burdens that cross your path. The good life is found in being remaining connected to Jesus. The Christian life is not sustained by outrage or by information or by guilt. The Christian life is sustained by communion with Christ. Human beings were created for compassion, not for omniscience, not for omnipotence. We were not created to be infinite. We're simply created and called to be faithful to the one who is. And because there is one who sees every burden in this world, we are free to follow him. [00:36:37] (63 seconds)  #FollowNotFixer

I love this story because it contains both mystery and truth. The mystery is that none of us can fully explain what happened in that MRI machine or with his symptoms, how they even began in the first place. Only God knows. The truth is that sooner or later, every one of us encounters burdens that we cannot carry and problems that we cannot solve. The lawyer asks Jesus, what must I do? But there comes a moment when effort and competence and determination, it's not enough. We need mercy. We need grace. We need someone to carry what we cannot carry ourselves. [00:32:52] (53 seconds)  #NeedMercy

See, all three men, they see this man. The difference is not their awareness. The difference is what happens after they see. See the priest, he passes by. The Levite, he passes by. And perhaps we're not we're not told why they passed by. Perhaps they're they fear the danger is too too dangerous to stop. Maybe they were concerned about their ritual impurities because they were faithful Jews, and to touch a dead body would mean you have to go through this whole ritual cleansing process. [00:27:38] (36 seconds)  #SeeingVsActing

And perhaps that is why Jesus tells the story about one wounded traveler rather than all the wounded travelers in ancient Palestine or the Roman Empire. You see, love becomes possible when suffering becomes proximate. becomes suffering when, love becomes possible when suffering becomes proximate. In our adult nurture teaching time, we were talking about priorities of how do we prioritize all the problems of discrimination or racism. And I would say it's not about priorities. It's not about what's possible. It's about what's proximate, what's closest to you. [00:26:28] (40 seconds)  #ProximityMatters

And I suspect that question probably resonates more with us today, particularly in a city like DC, a city filled with people who care deeply about the world and its needs. Many of us have given our vocations and careers to doing just that. We want our lives to make a difference. But beneath all of our accomplishments and responsibilities, there's this quiet and persistent question. Am I doing enough? Or even more honestly, it's like, why does it feel like I can never do enough? Does it make a difference? [00:21:47] (38 seconds)  #AmIDoingEnough

Now for many modern Christians, that question about eternal life sounds like about what happens after we die. But for a first century Jew, that phrase carried a much richer meaning. Eternal life referred to participating in God's future, sharing in life of in the life of God's kingdom, and receiving the blessing that belongs to those who live faithfully with God. Now in contemporary language, maybe how do I inherit eternal life might sound like this. God, how do I know that I'm living the life that you intend for me? [00:21:06] (41 seconds)  #InheritGodsLife