Monday, October 25, 2010

Who is My Neighbor

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, October 24, 2010 Sermon by Pastor Don Allen

Scripture Reference:  Luke 10:25-37

Imagine that you are watching an old Western movie about a town in the Wild West. Like Tombstone, maybe. Suddenly the townspeople see a lone Apache walking down the middle of main street. There is a man flopped across his saddle, with two arrows in his back. Hitching his horse, he carries the wounded man into the saloon and lays him on a table. Handing the barkeep a bag of coins, he says, “Please find this man a room and patch him up. I’ll come back in a week and check on him. Charge me for all his expenses. Let’s get this man healed up.”

Many who read the Story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) will think that the moral of the story is to answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” But as we discovered in yesterday’s message, this story is about how people show mercy to each other, in spite of their differences.

There are many forces around us who want to shape our beliefs about people. Many are afraid of people who look and act differently than us. Jesus reminds us to look upon people as God sees them. He also reminds us that mercy is not a feeling; it is an action.

You have an opportunity today to take action, to show mercy to others. There are many opportunities. Here are a few of them:
  1. Help our youth prepare for summer camp by helping prepare for our rummage sale this weekend. Come down to the office any day this week and help us sort and price everything.
  2. If you have not signed up for our Season of Service, why not call the church office today and tell Rodger or Sharon which project you will help with?
  3. You may remember our friend Meer Nasrullah, the Kurdish youth who sometimes attends our church with his mother and brother. He is awaiting trial for murder, but we believe that God is not finished with him yet! Let’s shower him with acts of mercy. One way we are doing this is to send 365 postcards to him. Call Don and Karen at 480-699-8794 or write them at drdon@cox.net, and offer to buy postcards or to write words of encouragement.

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