Luke 10:25-37 You have probably heard a dozen sermons on this parable. You know what it’s about, I don’t need to tell you. Maybe we should just skip ahead to our next hymn and get out of here early today. It’s one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. Everyone – whether or not they ever go to church – knows what a Good Samaritan is: a do-gooder; a helpful person. It’s the name of hospitals and counseling centers and homeless shelters and more. Never mind that it once was an oxymoron, as much as “jumbo shrimp” or “boneless ribs” or “entertaining sermon.” We all know that the point of Jesus’ story is that people should be like that – the Good Samaritan – helpful to those in need. It isn’t something I need to tell you today: you know this – and what’s more, the legal expert who approached Jesus knew it. […]
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What We Give
Scripture texts: 2 Samuel 1:1,17-27; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Ours is a culture that believes in charity. It’s a value we share, that it is good to give to those who are in need. We believe that it is good to give, but not that we should be compelled to give. It should be something that comes from the heart, so each one should have the right, and should be encouraged, to give freely; to give as much as one has made up one’s mind to give. I think we got this idea from the Apostle Paul. Paul tells the Corinthians that he wants them to be generous, basically for their own sake, but that he does not want to compel them to be generous. Because that would sort of defeat the purpose. He really wants them to want to do good. And you just can’t force that on someone. That […]
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