Luke 10: 25-37 Sunday 11^th July 2010.

Do we love all our neighbours as ourselves?

I suppose we all like to think that we are good Samaritans – but in truth are we? What makes us a Good Samaritan?

We know the Gospel well; we are horrified to think that someone would cross the road rather than help someone who had been assaulted, robbed. But the parable means much more than that, of course. So as we focus on those who encountered the beaten man on the road to Jericho; – the two who passed by and one who stopped to help. Which one are we, which one is today’s church, today’s Anglican Church. We like to think we would stop, we would listen, we would help.

But we need to remember the priest, the Levite, people with a belief and trust in God crossed the road, crossed the road to avoid what? It was the Samaritan, despised by the Jews who stopped and helped, who not only showed love but gave practical assistance. So what stopped the other two – was it that they thought the man could be unclean?

Was it really a difficult scenario to be faced with – a scenario offering the choice of different responses, or was it really very straightforward , was the message help me as you would wish someone to help if it was you?

As we hear these words again are we like the lawyer - do we want to know what we should do, and when we hear Christ’s answer do we truly understand it.

What is asked of us when we say we love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves When we read all that is wrong in this world, does it all seem too much, to be asking too much of us.

There are so many needy people in the world, there is so much suffering, would it be better if we closed our eyes, put our arms round our ears and say I trust God to sort it all out.

But if we look at the passage again, yes Jesus tells us to love and serve God, but he also tells us to love our neighbour; and his example is the passage we have just heard.

Well we may say we give money through the Church to the Bishop’s Lent Appeal, Christian Aid, WelCare, Zimbabwe surely that is a sign of our love for our neighbour – and of course it is. But I am drawn to asking if giving money, as wonderful as that is, is enough. If we truly believe in God’s love for all his children should we be doing more, should the Church be doing more, in fact is the Church setting a good enough example.

The Anglican Church is again tearing itself apart at Synod over the subject of Women Bishops; even though the most hardened traditionalist, as they like to call themselves, has to admit that without women clergy the Anglican Church would be hard pressed to carry out its mission. I’m not sure what tradition they are referring to as the early Church had women Bishop’s ; and while Hilda was called a saint not a Bishop she ran the monastery at Whitby and taught and encouraged men and women to serve God indeed she trained five monks who became Bishops. And then, of course we have the question who will be our next Bishop, will it be someone who preaches with passion, who truly tries to draw everyone into God’s family, who shows love and compassion or someone who the extreme wing of the Church want? What is their excuse?

When we re-read the Gospel we need to look at the two who walked by, think how they lived their lives, try to understand why they didn’t stop. In Jesus’ time the Temple had very strict rules as to who could enter, any number of everyday illnesses, disabilities could deem you unclean. All the people Christ healed were people banned from the Temple because the law of the time said they were unclean, and I think we need to ask if it this old Judaic law that still governs part of the church today. I don’t often talk about a TV programme in the middle of a sermon, but if you watched Rev last Monday you will probably know what I mean.

Do they feel they must be right, just as the Temple leaders thought they must be right, or can we all like the good Samaritan, ready to see all people as God’s children, to acknowledge we are all made in his image. Do we truly understand that to love God we have to love all his children, we don’t have a choice, it is God’s will.

Today we are baptising Hannah and welcoming her in to the family of the Church, let us pray that she will grow up in a church which truly loves our neighbour, where we are truly the Good Samaritan and not the priest or Levite who walks by on the other side.

For if we truly make the Church into the Good Samaritan we will not be acting on the basis of obligation or guilt, but a compassion which will motivate what we do; our response will be as true servants of Christ who truly love our neighbours as ourselves. Then when we sing ‘Brother, sister, let me serve you; let me be as Christ to you’ we will truly mean it. Amen.