Based on Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Coloessians 1:1-14, and Luke 10:25-37

Thus Moses spoke to the children of Israel from Deuteronomy “the repetition of the law.”  Forty years after the Ten Commandments of God have been handed down from Mount Sinai, Moses reminds them that they are able to live according to these laws–they are not too hard to live by, and they do not need anyone to come down from heaven to provide a model.  They are the epitome of what good can be achieved in the fruit of their own bodies.

So much for high hopes!  I glanced at one of my charts of ancient Jewish history, which speculates that Moses gave this address around 1250 years before Jesus told the story about the Good Samaritan.  Now, let’s stop for a moment for a bit of reflection, for in this statement, it is clearly seen that those who are being addressed have the ability to obey the commandments of God.  How much more specific can one be than to say: “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away… the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.”

I believe we know what happened next, don’t we?  One thousand, two hundred and fifty or so years later, God saw the word was still too far away from the hearts of humanity, so One was sent from heaven for us in the person and embodiment of Jesus of Nazareth, to teach us anew, and lead us anew in the ways of right thinking and living.

So what’s new?  The need to hear the story of our Gospel reading, the Good Samaritan, is not new, for like those who listened to Jesus and Moses, we need to be reminded about God’s plan for harmony in Creation, and how to obtain such harmony.  How is harmony obtained in the midst of discord?  By obeying the Lord’s commandments and decrees with all your heart and with all your soul.  And guess what?  It’s just as easy, and just as hard, to do now as it was to do in the time of Moses, and Jesus, and the Apostle Paul.  Let me ask again:  So what’s new?

One of the scholars I read to prepare for our morning sermon concluded that because the story of the Good Samaritan is so familiar, it may have lost its ability to move us to be effective in the ministry of Christ–or to put it as he so bluntly stated: “Is there anything new about thie story that we haven’t already thought about or heard preached about?  Hasn’t it been worn smooth?”

I suppose this is a good question, for even the term “Good Samaritan” has become a bit of a cliche.  We have Good Samaritan laws which are so benign people don’t follow them, as in, you are supposed to help someone you see in trouble.  We have hospitals named Good Samaritan, but they need to collect money to pay their bills, just like every other institution.  We hear the opening words of this parable and begin to doze off just a little bit.  And just my luck, the lectionary calls for it to be preached in the heat of July each year.  We know it so well, we can even anticipate that the minister will eventually ask with thunderous inflection:  “Of the two who passed by and the one who stopped to help, which one do you think God wants you to be like?”  And if the volume in the preacher’s voice is just enough, but not too much, everyone will agree that it was a good Sunday morning sermon and they can get on with the rest of their summer Sunday.

But what if we chose a new way of looking at this parable–and used the suggestion of the Rev. Ken Kesslus to focus on a different character in this parable, not the Samaritan or the other two travelers, but the victim, the one who was robbed, stripped, beaten and left for dead.

According to Kesselus, it may be difficult or “inappropriate” to identify with the victim.  Why this response?  Supposedly it’s easy for most Americans to feel too privileged and blessed and lucky to equate themselves with such an unfortunate soul.  While this may be true on the surface, I ask you to try this new way of considering this parable, for we can all recall a time when life was not all peaches and cream.  It may have been a robbery, or an illness, or a death in the family, or a loss of a job.  There have been times when our strength has been diminished as we care for a sick loved one who lies at death’s door.  We may have had to be the intermediary between the warring factions of our families.  We may have been stripped and left by the wayside by those who told lies about us and tried to harm our reputations.  And worst of all, we may have tried to sleep knowing that our world was crashing down around us, and there was nothing we could do as we tried to face the morning.

Are you praying yet?  Are you on that road begging for help?  Where is God?  Where is Jesus?  When is someone, anyone going to help you?

Beloved, the help you need comes when you have helped others in need.  How can you help others?  I believe it may take new ways–ways we have yet to imagine, and ways which others, even our families and friends, may not always approve of, but may be answering the question, “who is my neighbor?” nonetheless.  Summarizing this Gospel lesson, Rev. Kesselus made a key point which I believe is important for us to consider this week:

This powerful and rich parable reminds us of the essentials of our faith.  It is a foundation of Christian ethical and moral values.  It includes the familiar themes that Christians are called to:

• Avoid the faithless idolatry of those who pass by on the other side.
• Take risks for the sake of the Gospel.
• Care for our neighbors.
• Recognize that the “neighbor” includes everyone, everywhere.
• Affirm the calling to give ourselves away for the good of others.
• Give with no strings attached.
• Provide for those in need without regard for whether they are deserving or not.
• Love even those considered different from ourselves, who we may even despise, and who we consider unlovable and undeserving.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, how are we able to achieve such a high standard of living, or bear this spiritual fruit?  We pray.  As we learned during the itme of Lent this year, when we pray morning, noon and night, miraculous things happen!  As Paul wrote the Colossians:  “We have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.  May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”