Deuteronomy 30:9-14                     Psalm 25:1-9             Colossians 1:1-14                Luke 10:25-37

            The story of the Good Samaritan, though a rich and powerful story is not what captured my attention in today’s gospel reading.  What captured my attention was the introduction to the parable.   And since, you have more than likely heard multiple sermons on the Good Samaritan; I want to focus on the opening verses from today’s passage from Luke. 

Jesus is tested by a lawyer – something people today still try to avoid.   The lawyer asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus, like any good teacher engages the lawyer by asking him what the scriptures (or law) tell him.  He answers, "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." His response is what we refer to as the Great Commandment.  "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."  To this, Jesus says, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

That’s it, the parable of the Good Samaritan is then in response to the lawyer’s question as to “who is my neighbor?”  But, all that we need to know is found in this simple answer:  “Do this, and you will live.”  Do this – love God and love your neighbor.  We must love completely – that is to say our love cannot be conditional, but one that involves our hearts, our souls, our strength, and our minds.  It is a love that challenges us to place God and our neighbors over ourselves. 

At our men’s breakfast yesterday, we talked about faith development in community.  We talked about why we gather as Christians and how we can do more together than each of us can do when acting alone.  We gather that we might be transformed – in mind, heart, and practice.  We gather to worship and pray, to study and learn, and we gather in fellowship.  As a church we live a life in community so that together we might challenge one another to grow in faith and to recognize Christ in others.  As individuals, our faith is strengthened by a living community.  We learn from each other and where we fall short there are others there to see to it that we continue the mission of the church.

I must say that I was pleased to hear members of the men’s group answer correctly the question found in the catechism in our Prayer Book:  “Who are the ministers of our church?”  The answer is “We are!”  Or, to quote our Prayer Book, “The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.”  Our baptism is our call to be ministers.  My ordination was more about my call to fulfill a specific role in the church than my call to be a minister.  It was my baptism, like your baptism, that called me to do the work of the church.

And what is the work of the church?  Quoting again from the Book of Common Prayer, “The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ.”  Our mission, therefore, is rooted in the Shema.  Shema is the Hebrew word for “Hear, O Israel” which is the start of a passage from Deuteronomy, a passage that came before today’s reading.  It is the start of a passage that is well known in the Jewish faith, for praying the Shema is a part of their daily prayers.  Deuteronomy is, you see, considered God’s law, given to the Jewish people through Moses.  It is thought to be a speech by Moses delivered before they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  It contains what they need to understand and do in order to keep their part of the covenant with God.  After this speech, Moses was taken up by God and then Joshua led the people into the Promised Land. 

The Shema has its roots in the following verses from Deuteronomy:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.  Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  (Deut. 6:4-9 NRS)

An article about the Shema on a Jewish Website says, “The Shema is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith in one God. The obligation to recite the Shema is separate from the obligation to pray and a Jew is obligated to say Shema in the morning and at night.”  The lawyer’s response to Jesus was to quote from the Shema with the addition of a quote from Leviticus about loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Together they summarize the relationship we are to have with God and with each other.  Jesus responded by saying, that is what God expects from us.  God calls each of us to affirm and declare our faith in God and to commit our hearts, our minds, and souls to God – who is the source of life.  God also calls us to love each other. 

            We gather as Christians because it is impossible to truly love each other unless we are together.  It is sometimes easier to love from a far, but that love is incomplete.  We can keep only one half of the Great Commandment when we are alone – we can love God.  But to love each other we need to live in community – we need to enjoy and sometimes tolerate each others’ company. 

            In today’s reading from Deuteronomy, Moses attempts to prepare the people for the temptation that is ahead them – the temptation to forget God once they are retired and settled in the Promised Land.  Moses says to them:

The LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

In this passage, Moses reminds us to keep our covenant with “all your heart and with all your soul.”  There are preachers who use passages such as this to promise material wealth to faithful Christians – we call this the “Prosperity Gospel.”  I believe, however, that the parable of the Good Samaritan helps us to understand the scriptures are not about loving God to gain wealth.  Loving God AND our neighbor often requires sacrifice.  It requires us to go out of our way to help others.  The prosperity that God promises the faithful is not material, but spiritual.  When we love God and each other we find meaning in life and we find life in the midst of death.  Our call to love our neighbor is a call to action.  It is a reminder that we are never to be settled, for God’s love is always needed and we are called to deliver it to those in need and to those who are alone.  We gather together as Christians that we might be transformed; then we are sent out in the world in the name of Christ.  Thanks be to God!

Let us pray.

Every loving and eternal God, Creator of all that is and ever will be, we pray that you will help us to love you with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might.  Help this community of St. Andrew’s to continue to grow in faith that our actions will reflect your love to others and draw others into a closer relationship with your Son.  All this we ask in the name of your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.