This Wednesday: Modern Worship Collective @ 7 pm (Dinner @ 6!)

Dear Kris,

A recent article in The Atlantic dubbed the current times we live in as “The Anti-Social Century.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ research, we are spending more time alone now than ever before. In fact, we are spending more time alone now than we did in 2021. As a pastor, this to me is the ultimate theological challenge of our current time. The concept of neighbor is at the very heart of Christian faith and morality. The command to love our neighbors is inextricably intertwined with the command to love God. There is no separation. 

As we close our sermon series on Mission, we will conclude with the moral challenge of the story of the Good Good Samaritan, in which Jesus seeks to answer the question, “who is my neighbor?” While I do believe that good Presbyterian folk have a healthy conceptual understanding of neighbor, we are challenged by Jesus to go deeper. Neighbor isn’t just a moral concept, but it’s to be a tangible part of our daily reality and relationship with God. In this historic time, I hope we can discover that Jesus’ Gospel is real as we build a real beloved community of neighbors.

Faithfully yours,

Rich

Please join us immediately following the Sunday service for our Coffee Hour

(in-person in Trinity Court or online via Zoom).

bit.ly/SVPCCoffeeHour

Theme for Sunday

The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces the nearness of God’s kingdom, bringing good news to all who are impoverished, sight to all who are blind, freedom to all who are oppressed, and proclaiming the Lord’s favor upon all creation.

Excerpt from the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Section F-1.01: God’s Mission

• The story of the Good Samaritan challenges us with the moral question, “Who is my neighbor?” In what ways do you struggle to live up to this moral challenge by Jesus? 

• Who are your neighbors? Who has attended to your needs?  

• What is one concrete action you can engage in towards being a better neighbor in your local community?

Luke 10:25-37 Common English Bible

A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”

He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”

Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”