“Lord, I Believe”
for April 6, 2019
by Pastor Allen Werk
St. Paul Lutheran Church and School,
                  Batavia, New York                   

           In our society today, I’ve noticed that is very easy to develop a selfish attitude about life.  Everywhere we turn we are encouraged to put ourselves first.  We expect to get exactly what we want whether it is a burger or the results of a debate.  We are told to watch out for ourselves because no one else is going to do it.  The result is that many of us go through life oblivious to or outright ignoring what is happening in the lives of the people around us.  As long as we have what we want we don’t care about anyone else. 

            When you stop to think about it, that is a pretty sad state of affairs.  Jesus points us to a better way to live among other people with a parable.  It is probably one of His most famous parables, the good Samaritan found in the Bible in Luke 10:30-37.  Let me summarize it for you.  A Jewish man is on a trip and he is attacked by robbers along the road.  They beat him and leave him for dead.  A Jewish priest came down the road, saw the man and walked by on the other side of the road.  Then another Jewish church leader came along and when he saw the hurt man also walked by on the other side of the road.  Finally a Samaritan, a hated foreigner, came along and when he saw the man stopped to help him.  He treated his wounds and took him into town and provided for his further treatment.  

            Then Jesus asks the question, “Which of these three acted as a neighbor to the hurt man?”  It’s obvious, right?  The Samaritan.  Then comes Jesus’ powerful statement, “Go and do likewise.” 

            Jesus powerfully highlights compassion, love for enemies, disregard for personal safety, generosity, and selflessness all in one story.  And Jesus says this is the way for us to live.  Jesus encourages us to take the time to put others and their needs ahead of ourselves.  He pushes us to use some of what we have to benefit others in need around us.  Where does that generous spirit come from? 

            In Matthew 10:8 Jesus explains, “Freely you have received, freely give.”  Jesus is pointing out that our lives are filled with many undeserved and unearned gifts.  He freely pours out His love and blessings into our lives.  As generously as Jesus cares for us and loves us, He wants us to pass on that care and love to others.  When we start to wonder who is going to take care of us if we start giving away what we have, we just need to remind ourselves that the love of our God and Savior Jesus for us will never run out.  Jesus promises that He will never stop loving you, so you can concentrate on loving others.  What a powerful impact we can have on our community and world when we put our trust in Jesus and start living out His lessons for us.  Go and do likewise.