Sunday Sermon: 7/14/25

 

For the first time I was asked (or maybe I volunteered) to speak at a church that I am not officially a member of!  I think it went over well, but I'll leave you to judge what I wrote:

I’d like to thank Rev. Katherine for inviting me to speak this morning.  Although I was confirmed a Presbyterian at the church up the block way  back in the last century, I have always had strong ties to this church.  My father was a member here.  My late brother was confirmed here.  The funerals of both my grandmothers were overseen by the rector here and Rev. Katherine was gracious enough to preside  over the graveside services of both my parents.  During the pandemic, the 8 am contemplative services were essential to me and have continued to be so.  My son is working here over the summer as your sexton.  So although not an official member, I have been welcomed.  What warms my heart and touches my soul is that you don’t just say the words, all are welcome, you live them.  And that’s the heart of this church.  

Today’s scripture lesson, the parable of the good Samaritan, is as relevant today as it was when it was written.  Maybe even more so.  It  has always been one of my favorites.  It’s understandable.  It’s relatable. It’s probably one of the best known stories in the Bible and I wonder if anyone would know who a Samaritan is if it weren’t for the parable.   After all, when you hear the term “good Samaritan,’ you don’t think of someone from Samaria, do you?  Generally what we think of is a person that helps someone, just to help, not to get anything in return.  This parable is so powerful that you don’t have to be a Biblical scholar or even a Christian to know it.

I guess it’s obvious that I love this story.  When I was young and attended a week long summer Bible camp, this was one of the stories that I can remember learning.   We were split into groups and made “movies” (yes, this was before the advent of video tape and digital recordings).  My group used this parable.  I don’t remember who the poor person was who had to play the robbed and beaten man, but they had ketchup poured on their head and laid in the stream by Verona park.  I was one of the people who walked by and ignored them. This was over 40 years ago (a fact I am loath to admit) and I still remember it vividly.

In re-reading  the parable for the zillionth time, there were three  take-aways that jumped out at me.

 

1.  Help comes to the injured man from an unexpected place.  The priest would be a person of power, authority and probably some wealth who would be in a position to help. Likewise, the Levite  would also be in a position to help. But both the priest and the Levite who you might expect would help, instead choose to ignore the situation.  They  make a conscious decision to turn their backs on humanity.  Then comes the surprise. Help comes from one without authority, and without immense wealth, although we know he has some money since he is able to afford a room in an inn where he takes care of the  injured man and then pays the innkeeper to look after him, promising to return and reimburse him for any additional expenses. When it comes to the Samaritan there may not be wealth or power, but a  person with an open and loving heart.  A person who in this case just happens to be a Samaritan. When we are in need of help we might expect it to come from our leaders, government officials,  or medical professionals.   We expect help from those in positions of authority.  It is what we expect, but it isn’t always so.  Jesus points out that loving kindness can come from the most unexpected places.  We cannot blindly rely on expectations.  We need to be open to the possibility that the least of us might be the one to save us.  For example, back in December 2021,  11 year old Davyon Johnson saw a classmate choking  and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving him.  Later that same day, he witnessed a woman’s house on fire.  The woman was disabled and not able to move quickly.  So Davyon assisted her in getting off of her porch and safely into her vehicle.  How many of us would expect an 11-year old to be a life saver?  A teacher might have stepped in to help the choking child.  A fireman would have shown up at the woman’s house.  But Davyon did not wait, he acted.  He IS the definition of a Good Samaritan.

2. We know nothing else about this person other than where he, and we have to assume it is a he, is from.  We don’t need to know more.   We don’t know if he is young or old, short or tall, thin or fat.  What does stand out is that this person, this helper, is not from the neighborhood.  He is not “from here”. This parable is a  reminder that our neighbors aren’t just the people who live next door to us, down the block or even in our town or  community.  We are all neighbors.  We all share this planet.  We should care for it and for those who inhabit it, no matter where their actual residence may be because every human being on this planet is our neighbor.  And, unexpectedly in this parable,  it is the outsider who shows us how to act with humanity.  I think back to an instance just about a  year ago when I encountered my own good Samaritan.  Backstory, I travel to Newark via bus and light rail two days a week and even after doing this for several years, I still have bouts of what I will call “travel anxiety.”  One day, after getting off the bus  at the light rail station  I noticed a LOT of people waiting for the bus.  This is HIGHLY unusual.  I knew something had to be up, but I didn't know what and no one said anything, so I went down the steps to the light rail.  There I found a train sitting there waiting for me.  Only there was no driver!   I could see  him down at the other end of the train, so I walked to him.  He told me the light rail was not in service due to an issue.  I would have to catch a bus to Penn Station and I had no idea what bus I would need to take. Thankfully for me, I also encountered my own good Samaritan, who spoke just enough English for me to understand that the 72 would go to Penn Station.  I checked the  transit app, but it looked like no 72 buses were coming in the immediate future. As I stood there for a few minutes getting more and more anxious for no rational reason, I kept my eye on the kind stranger, since I knew he was going to Penn Station too.  A bus pulled up, but it said 702.  I know NOTHING about the 702.  Which makes sense and the 702 doesn't go to Newark.  My good Samaritan  waved me over and I could hear the bus driver yell out several times that this bus was the 72 and was heading to Newark Penn Station.  That the sign on the front of the bus was not working,that there was tacked-up paper on the front windshield and side window said 72 and we should board to head to Penn Station.  So I got on and sat down not far from the man who has been so kind to me.  I thanked him once again as we made our way through the streets of Newark, finally arriving at Penn Station an hour and ten minutes AFTER I had left my home.  This stranger was my neighbor, he showed me mercy and kindness and that is something I will not forget.

3.  Finally, I think we can assume that the Samaritan’s action saved this man’s life.  That is a big deal.  He doesn’t put himself in harm’s way, but he saves a life. This unknown stranger sees a bad situation and makes it better. ”  Now this isn’t in the Bible, but I believe all of us have the ability to do so as well.  We don’t have to wait to see someone lying in the road bleeding, there are so many other, often simple gestures, that can save lives.  A conversation can save a life.  A smile can save a life.  Handing out food on one Saturday a month at the food pantry saves lives.  We may never know the lives we have impacted or saved.  We may think we are small and unimportant, but so was the Samaritan.  We may think that one small act may not change the world, maybe it can.  Maybe it can’t.  But while our actions  might not change the world, it can change one person’s world.   I think again of an instance that illustrates just that.  When I was a teen or maybe a tween, my brother who was several years younger than me, got sick while we were on vacation.  It didn’t seem to be serious, but he complained a lot and as a result we cut our summer vacation at the Jersey shore short and headed back to Verona.  My mother wanted to take him to the doctor, but ours had recently retired.  She had no idea who to go to.  Upon learning that he was sick, a neighbor, one of three “little old ladies” who lives up the block recommended a new doctor in town, Richard Cirello. I suspect some of you may remember him.  He saw my brother that day and immediately told my mother to take him to the hospital as he suspected Epiglottitis.  What’s that?  Epiglottitis is a serious medical condition where the epiglottis, a flap of cartilage at the base of the tongue, becomes inflamed and swollen. This swelling can obstruct the airway, making it difficult to breathe and swallow, and can be life-threatening.  My brother was in the hospital for several days treated with antibiotics and oxygen.  Now my brother was saved by medical professionals at the hospital and by the diagnosis of Dr. Cirello, but the unsung hero of this story, my family’s “good Samaritan” was Ethel, the “little old lady” up the block,  who moved us in the right direction.  She had a hand in saving his life.  I’m not sure if she ever knew it, but she did, which is one of the reasons I remember her name approximately 40 years later.

As you’ve probably surmised by now, this parable is one that has had a great impact on my life.  I’ve been blessed to encounter my share of Good Samaritans in my life. I’m hoping that you have too because we all need them.  As Mr. Rogers has said:  When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”  No matter how crazy or chaotic this world may be or may become, the good Samaritans, the helpers,  still persist.

 I’ve tried and will continue to try to be one myself.  We have a choice every single day to act like the Samaritan or the judge.  Some days it may be an easy choice.  Others not so much.  And there will be times when we fail, because we are human.  But let us not be defined by our errors, but continue to move forward as good neighbors to all who we encounter.   As NJ born Bishop Mariann Budde reminded us back in January, “Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people.”