Is not this the carpenter . . .?

Jesus had come to Nazareth, his home town, and these were the words of his neighbors, the people who knew him and his family during his growing up years, before he left to do that which God sent him to do. Jesus had returned to his home town, not for a family visit, but for the purpose of evangelizing. However, all his old friends seemed to remember is that he was the carpenter - - and they took offense at the idea of Jesus being any more than just that, - - a carpenter. This attitude reflects that of Nathaniel when he said to Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" All this makes a striking and disturbing study of the ways we can miss truth when it appears right in front of our very eyes.

I remember a situation from a very long time ago when I was a brand new salesman of new homes working for a builder in Minneapolis. This story isn't about faith and religion, but I think it makes our point very well.

I was a complete green horn. It was my first week on the sales floor. In walks this scrubby looking guy in overalls, hair a little messed up, dirty work boots; - - every appearance of someone who definitely could not afford to buy one of our homes. The old pro salesmen scattered in every direction but that of this man who had just walked into our sales office. We worked on straight commission, so no one who knew what they were doing wanted to waste their time on this guy. Of course, I didn't know any better, so I approached the man to see if I could sell him a house. To make a long story short, I spent a couple hours with this customer and he ended up buying a house - - and paying cash. Now, are you ready for this? - - The guy was a carpenter. - - Oh! By the way. The sales commission wasn't too bad either.

Now, I'm making no claims that this person had anything to do with faith, religion or Jesus Christ, at least so far as I know, but the point of my story is precisely one of the points of our Gospel today. Implicit in our Gospel story are many reliable examples of how we can be blind to a great opportunity. We see how we can totally miss a great truth or a great call, when it passes right before our eyes. The people of Nazareth missed the meaning of Jesus for some of the same reasons we may miss his meaning in our own lives.

The people of Nazareth were fact finders. They had all the physical facts about Jesus, his birth, his occupation, his home and family. They figured that was all they needed, the obvious facts, in order to decide what they thought of this person. It sounds like Sgt. Joe Friday on the old TV show, Dragnet. "Just the facts, Ma'am, just the facts.."

Unfortunately, the people of Nazareth are just like many of us. Often, we are sure that when we have all the material facts about a situation we have grasped all there is. What else is there? The problem is that in grasping all the facts, we may very well have nothing at all. These fellow townspeople of Jesus had all the facts about him, but they completely missed the real Jesus. The only really absolute fact I know is that the surest way to blindness to total truth is to rely strictly on the facts and nothing but the facts.

Another thing that happened in the rejection of Jesus by these home town folk was that they knew his origin. There is an on-going attitude that if we know the origin of something, we know and understand all about it. Every day of our lives, someone is making a judgement about someone because of where they came from, their background, or whatever. There are scholars that have discovered that religion began with fear. As a result, to them, religion is always based on fear. What a simple way to look at things!

Here is another example: It is common knowledge that love begins with sexual attraction. Does that mean that love, always and forever, is a biological function? I think not!

This kind of thinking misses the truth. The truth is that the meaning of a thing is never to be found in its origin. Truth can only be found in what it becomes at its best. The long and short of it is that to judge anyone by where they come from, to judge them by their past, to judge them by what they look like or how the speak, is to make a judgment with very little knowledge and that judgment is, more than likely, going to be wrong. Functioning from this wrong judgment always ends up costing us, as I believe it did the people of Nazareth.

There is another lesson to be learned from this Gospel. Jesus personally gives us this one. This one is about Jesus' statement, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." It's worth noting that Jesus didn't show any animosity when he said this. I think that's evident because he continued to lay hands on a few sick people and cure them.

Jesus didn't go off angry. He didn't argue. His feelings didn't seem to be hurt. He just kept right on doing what he was there to do. It is obvious that he didn't need some external Ashot in the arm to motivate him to continue to do the work he was sent to do. In other words, he did not need approval of others in order to do his work. He did not harbor any prejudice against these people, even though this was his home town, the place he grew up. It would seem he understood exactly what was going on, he understood their human nature, overlooked it, and moved on.

I think we can all learn a great deal from the people who took offense at Jesus when he was in Nazareth. Their actions can serve as a wake-up-call in our relationship with others. In thinking about these neighbors of Jesus, we can see clearly the obstacle which their lack of faith, their stubborn prejudice, and their closed minds created for them in their lives.

By learning from the people of Nazareth, we can understand that by the power of the Holy Spirit, in one way or another, we are all prophets. We can learn that the blocks to living by the life and word of Jesus Christ are, among other things, familiarity, contempt and jealousy. If we stay in tune to the presence of Jesus in every person and every thing, perhaps we will not let these enemies of familiarity, contempt and jealousy overcome and blind us to the ever presence of our Lord.

I would like to close with a short piece taken from one of my favorite books, The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, and I quote:

An old priest said, Speak to us of Religion.

And he said: Have I spoken this day of aught else? Is not religion all deeds and all reflection,
And that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom? . . .

In my sermon three Sundays ago I mentioned that there are scholars that have discovered that religion began with fear. As a result, as far as these scholars are concerned, religion is always based on fear. I took issue with such an absolute approach, and I still do. However, today I'd like to talk about where fear does fit into our faith. I doubt that anyone in this church can dispute the fact that at one time or another, they have experienced fear.Assuming this to be true, I must ask the question: Is our faith in Jesus enough to help us overcome our fears?

Very clearly, Jesus' disciples were scared to death when the winds kicked up and the waters got rough. They were even more afraid when they thought they were seeing a ghost. It was only when they discovered that it was Jesus who was walking on the water toward their boat, that their fears vanished. I believe that if we are to truly overcome fear, just like the disciples in our Gospel, we must trust and have faith in Jesus. I further believe that in order to have true faith, again, just as with the original disciples, we must experience Jesus presence in our lives. Those disciples, indeed, experienced Jesus' presence. He was there. He walked to the boat and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." It was then, and only then, that fear left the hearts of the disciples. They were no longer frightened; - - confused maybe, but not frightened.

This might even be sounding confusing to you, so to clarify where I'm going, let me tell you what I believe to be the three requirements of true faith: First, faith must be persistent. Faith must grow on us. As this happens, it become easier as time goes by. We must actually reach the point of taking our faith for granted. Faith is not an overnight affair, but a lifetime of loving companionship.

Second, faith requires a community of fellow believers. We can not, and do not, believe in a vacuum. I do not believe there are really any isolated Christians. I either read this somewhere, or someone told it to me, but I like this analogy to make my point: AWithout the Christian community, we are like seeds drying in the sunlight. In community our faith flourishes and deepens. It puts down roots and bears much fruit. Finally, faith truly overcomes fear and changes our entire outlook on life, only when it is faith in Jesus, trust in the Lord. It does, indeed, matter who we believe in. Believing in Jesus, we realize and experience the truth of grace and forgiveness; life, death, and resurrection. No matter what, believing in Jesus Christ promises us the miracles of God, now and forever. To summarize for a moment, faith, then, requires persistence, a community to flourish in, and it must be a community that shares a strong faith in God.

We heard a great example of persistence in our Old Testament reading this morning. If Elisha wasn't persistent, I don't know what persistence is. Three times Elijah told him to stay put and each time he persisted in his devotion to his teacher and his quest for a double share of the spirit which the Lord God had given Elijah. He knew he was to lose Elijah, but he did not lose faith, desiring only to follow in Elijah's foot steps. He desired to carry on where Elijah left off.

I wonder how many of us would lose faith when faced with what we might see as impending tragedy? I've talked with many people who, when something goes wrong in their life, move right to the faithless statement of, "What kind of a God would let this happen?" - - - - So, persistence is the first requirement of true faith.

Although all three requirements that I have mentioned are necessary ingredients of true faith, I don't think the first and third is possible without the second, which is the need for community. I believe it is next to impossible to be persistent or to keep our eyes and mind focused on Jesus without the existence of a community of faith. I have already mentioned that I don't think there is such a thing as Christianity in isolation. Paul's letter to the Ephesians gives us the classic definition of the Church as the Body of Christ. We hear his words at the beginning of every Baptismal Service. Paul says, "There is one body and one Spirit. . ." This statement of Paul's relates us all to one another in purpose and meaning. We are called together into a community that has one call and one hope, because there is Aone Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. . .

This unity of spirit, this relationship to one another in a single minded community, is the source of the strength we need for the first and third requirements of faith. It's within this community that I can find the where-with-all to be persistent. I can hang in there because of the relationships I have developed as a member of the body of Christ - the church.

As a member of Christ's body, I will also keep my focus, the third requirement of faith, which is a firm belief in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. We must keep him present in our lives, just as the disciples had him constantly present with them. When he wasn't around, they were quick to lose their focus, build fear and as a consequence, lose faith.

We keep Jesus ever present in our lives through community. Jesus' constant presence with the disciples was necessary for them to overcome their fear and allow their faith to grow. Only Jesus' constant presence with us through this community of believers can overcome the fundamental fear of life that most of us have learned because of our negative and often tragic experiences.

The sad truth is, that we are bound to encounter more such experiences before we die. These events are truly unpredictable, but when they occur, I believe we must immediately turn to Jesus, certainly in prayer, but also in person. We need to reach out to those in the same community of faith to which we belong. I believe our faith will stay strong and our fear subside, no matter what the problem, if we count on the ever presence of Jesus, which we can only recognize by physically reaching out to one another. Then, and only then, can we hear the words of Jesus as the disciples heard them.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Jesus says to us today, "Have courage. There is no need to fear. I am with you. Trust me." I like the words of Henry Ward Beecher when he said, "Fear is a kind of bell ... it is the soul's signal for rallying."

Rallying is what we do as a Christian community. In order to help keep someone in touch with the ever presence of Jesus in their life, especially when there is tribulation, we reach out; we rally around with love, care and support. On the other hand, when we are in a similar situation, we can only know Jesus is with us when our Christian brothers and sisters reach out to us. It is when they rally to our side that we recognize the presence of Jesus.

All this, of course, is the very reason we do not want to suffer in silence, as they say. If we have problems, we need to seek Jesus through our community of faith, being ever on the alert for others who need the same kind of help. As we learn to trust one another in this way, we learn more and more how to trust in Jesus.

The Church Of St. Paul In The Desert
The Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost, November 12, 2000
1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

The Reverend Vernon L. Suter

Some recent headlines:

Bedlam reigns in Florida

Israelis track down, kill paramilitary leader - Paramilitary comrades vow vengeance

Videotape of police brutality sparks outrage in South Africa - TV broadcast shows beatings, dog maulings.

All one has to do is pick up the morning Desert Sun or turn on your television set to read or see such stories about the headlines I've just mentioned. We can read or watch a little longer and find out that we may have to go on water conservation, or that we have lost a bundle in the stock market. It begins to sound like things simply are not going very well.

Some time ago I got a call from a lady who was looking for a couple of beds for her children. They were sleeping on the floor. It didn't sound like things were going very well for this lady either. However, as bad as all this sounds, things have been worse.

Every once in awhile I think about the fact that my parents had to raise my brother and me during the great depression. I don't remember those days, since I was just an infant, but I'm sure they were pretty bad. As bad as that great depression was, things have been worse. Let's take a look at the time Mark's Gospel was written. Those were really bad times.

In Mark's time, the Christians were living in fear of being thrown into the arena with its hungry, wild beasts, -- or being coated with tar and strung up and ignited as living torches in Nero's gardens.

In addition to all this, there was also a great amount of poverty in the land. No one had much to give away. Some didn't have enough to take care of themselves. The widow in Mark's Gospel had only two coins.

Going back to our Old Testament reading, in Elijah's time there was a drought and famine in the land. The widow Elijah encountered had only enough food for one more meal.

And then there's Jesus. What about him? What did he have to give? The answer, of course, is that all Jesus had to give was his one life. In spite of all this poverty and these adverse circumstances, each of them, the two widows and Jesus, gave all they had. They gave what they had so that others might have.

One of the most dominant message running through our readings for today is about giving. Actually, it's about more than just giving. It's about sacrificial giving. Sacrificial giving is very different from simply giving. The important point about sacrificial giving is that it is not measured in terms of amount. It is measured in terms of the cost to the giver. In other words, it's not the size of the gift that makes it sacrificial, but the fact that it is, indeed, a sacrifice. Real, true generosity is a generosity that imposes on us, the giver, in some way.

The widow in our Gospel reading gave her last two coins, yet others gave much more. Now, I don't think the message here is that we have to become poor in order to be a sacrificial giver. In fact, I think giving all one has in order to become poor and sacrificial in our giving could conceivably be seen as a cop-out; ---a sort of martyrdom for attention, if you will.

So, when we think about the definition of sacrificial giving, how do we explain it? Perhaps a good way to do that is to look at what sacrificial giving is not. It is not sacrificial giving when we make absolutely certain that before we give anything, we have taken care of ourselves in every detail. There is no sacrifice in that kind of giving. That is simply giving whatever might be left over after I've taken care of myself.

Well, I don't know about you, but if I were to make sure I had all there was that I wanted before I gave anything away, I would not have anything left to give.

In all this talk about giving, the implication is that I'm talking about money, but money is just one small way that we can give of ourselves. I remember a time, a very long time ago, when I was living in Minneapolis. I had quite a huge crisis in my life. I needed someone to talk to that might understand. I called a friend of mine just to talk on the phone a few minutes. I talked a few minutes and suddenly he interrupted me. He said he was coming right over; that he'd be there in twenty minutes. I cannot tell you how much that meant to me. He dropped whatever he was doing or planned to do at the time, and came to my aid. Though my need was not financial, the emotional need was, in my mind, all consuming. The care that he gave me could not be measured in financial terms. He gave of himself. He sacrificed his own needs for mine.

Recently, when the plane crash occurred in which the pilot attempted to take off on the wrong runway, I was reminded of another plane crash that occurred many years ago. I bring the example to this sermon because it, to me, represents the ultimate in sacrificial giving.

An airplane crashed into the Potomac in Washington D. C. Those of you who watched the TV coverage saw a man dive into the icy waters to save a woman who was unable to hold on to the lifeline from the helicopter. This apparently humble, almost bashful person in front of the TV cameras, said he would do the same thing again if need be.

Another situation relating to the same tragic event was one of a man who did not survive for a TV interview. Every time the helicopter came back to pick another person from the icy waters, this man would help someone else to the lifeline rather than saving himself. Sadly, he was not able to hold out until the helicopter returned to get him. There were others killed in the crash, so no one ever knew who this brave person was who sacrificed his life while giving to others.

William Barkley, an Anglican theologian, once wrote, ". . . Jesus called his men, not to a comfortable ease and not to a lethargic inactivity; he called them to a task in which they would have to spend themselves and burn themselves up, and, in the end, die for his sake and for the sake of their fellow men. He called them to a task wherein they could win something for themselves only by giving their all to him and to others."

I sincerely hope none of us are ever faced with the decision to put others first in the tragic ways I've just mentioned. However, I believe that we can all examine our everyday lives and ask ourselves how often we put ourselves first, without any further thought for others. I believe that I must challenge myself over and over again, asking the question as to whether I'm truly following Jesus, or whether my time, effort, and money is given only if I have any time, money, or effort left over, - - after I've taken care of myself. I must admit that very often I don't like my answer. The question and the answer, when I don't like it, puts me back into the place that I need to be if I am to be the person that I think God wants me to be.

We are constantly being challenged to help, - -to support, - -to reach out. We are constantly challenged to be courageous and humble, as opposed to the worldly temptation to be complacent in the status-quo, merely thinking of ourselves. We are constantly challenged by our very presence within the body of Christ, and by having his presence in us and among us to be sacrificial givers in whatever way we are needed to be. We can never forget that Christ is present whenever there are people helping people. It takes faith and trust to give sacrificially.

Would we be willing to, say, miss a plane that is to take us on vacation, in order to take the time to help a friend? Could we trust that the sudden interruption in plans would work out somehow, the way God would have them work out? If a situation like that presented itself, could we have the faith to not worry about it and just do it, - - as the widow did with Elijah? I wonder about my own answer to that question! I wonder, because there are so many seemingly rational reasons not to respond.

The giving that Jesus was watching in our Gospel for today was sacrificial giving to the max. The basins people put money in were shaped like trumpets and made of metal. When coins were deposited they made a noise as they struck the metal sides. The larger the coin, or the more coins dropped in the basin, the louder the noise. The widow could have refrained from putting her coins in out of sheer embarrassment. Everyone would know how little she put in.

Another scenario is that she could have rationalized that her small amount would make no difference, since everyone else was giving so much, and just not put anything in the basin, -- or she could have said to herself, "There are plenty of people around here that have so much more than I've got and are much more able to help, so there is no sense in my giving since I need it so badly myself." However, she did none of those things. She knew that there was someone who was in need of her coins, regardless of the other money being put in the collection.
Sacrificial giving is a giving of ourselves. It is a giving that empties us. It creates in us an emptiness before God. When we are empty, there is a capacity to be filled; a capacity to receive and witness the true joy of the Grace of God and the love of Christ.

I'd like to close with a short poem entitled, Others.

There is a destiny that makes us brothers
None goes his way alone.
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined. . . . For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. . . ."

These are the words we just heard awhile ago as read from our Old Testament Lesson. They are words that have long been considered as Isaiah's prophesy of the coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Of course, as is typical of Biblical interpretation, there has also always been conflict among the scholars as to the truth of Isaiah's meaning. However, today I'd like to simply take things at face value and attempt to speak to this reading, as well as our other readings, in a way that can make sense and meaning for our lives. I never have been one to get too involved in controversy over interpretation. I tend to go with the logical, or what I deem logical, and see if it works for me.

As an example, I don't get into the argument of creation vs. evolution. My simple answer to the whole question is that God started everything, so what's the problem? The very first line in the Bible says, "In the beginning . . . God created the heavens and the earth . . ."

The first paragraph in the Gospel of John reads in part, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. . . ."

All this seems quite basic to me, leaving no question about the origin of everything. So, now, we read in a book written centuries ago of Isaiah prophesying that this child will be born who will take us from darkness to light. He will be our Lord and Savior. He will lead us from the very beginning, to where we find ourselves today, and finally, to everlasting life with him.

With the birth of Jesus, that wonderful occasion that brings us here this morning, we were provided with that light mentioned in the Book of Isaiah and the Gospel of John. When we are baptized we are presented with a burning candle along with the words, "Receive the Light of Christ." This is representative of the guiding light of Jesus that we are to follow the rest of our lives.

Now, this all sounds so beautiful and simple, and actually, it is all beautiful and simple. However, that which is simple isn't always easy. - - - - So, what makes the simple so difficult?

In answering that question, I must make reference to something I've talked about before from this pulpit. It is the fact that in order to see Jesus, we must look around us. All to often we are picturing Jesus in some far away place called heaven, waiting for us when we get done with what we are doing here on earth. We can also conjure up images of Jesus at various stages of his life when he was on earth. We can see him in the manger scene which is prominently displayed everywhere during the Christmas season. We can get the horrible image of his crucifixion, especially during Holy Week. But how often do we see Jesus around us, walking with us in our everyday life? In speaking for myself, I would submit that it isn't all that often that we are aware of Jesus constant presence among us. I would also submit that if we aren't aware of his presence, we are oblivious to his great guiding light. Though we subscribe to it, the Light of Christ is not in our sight.

I read an article on the Internet yesterday. The headline got my attention, so I clicked on it to see what it was about. The headline was, "The Nightmare Before Christmas. Harsh Winter Weather Creates Off-the-Road Rage "

The story tells of airport police at Chicago's Midway Airport being called to calm tempers as passengers complained they were not able to get to the terminal gate. Some said they sat in their planes for more than three hours after landing. In Chicago, hundreds of AMTRAK passengers waited about 15 hours for a train to leave the station Thursday night after minus 9-degree cold froze up cars and locomotive fuel lines. A Massachusetts family bound for a sunny Florida Christmas vacation was stuck at Boston's Logan airport —— for two days in a row.

I'll bet none of those folks were thinking much about Jesus being in their midst.
I may be doing a little over-kill to make my point here, but the fact is that our everyday life can, if we let it, keep us so involved that we haven't time to consider the presence of Jesus and his guiding light. The question then becomes, "How do we keep Jesus in mind when our everyday life is so pressing?"

The only reasonable answer to that question, as far as I'm concerned, is to practice looking for God in everything we encounter, both good and bad. If we do that, it will help us see that we can learn from even the negative stuff in our life. It isn't easy to say, "Where is God in this?" when something really bad has taken place. However, if we look for what we can learn from the experience and apply it to our lives, we can give God credit for giving us such a wonderful learning experience. Of course, this doesn't imply that God causes bad experiences so that we can learn something from them, but if we practice at looking for God in everything, we will eventually find ourselves looking for the positive, even in the most negative.

I'm sure most of you have heard of the song, "Look for the Silver Lining." The point of the song is that every cloud has a silver lining. Every negative experience has a positive side to it, but sometimes we have to look for it. It doesn't just jump out and announce itself. For me, the silver lining is Jesus. He will show himself in every situation, but seldom, if ever, in the form of any of the images we have of him. He will look like your neighbor next door. He can be seen in the person in the pew next to you. He may show up as a fireman or policeman; perhaps even a clergy person.

Jesus is everywhere, standing ready to lead us from darkness to light, - - if we just look around with an eye toward seeing him. Consider this quotation from the Gospel of John:
"[Jesus said]...I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. ...he abides with you, and he will be in you. ...On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."

Understanding Jesus' words in this Scripture quotation, we see that the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us. It follows, then, that the love of God, the light of Christ, is with us all the time. As love spreads in the form of help given and received we see God working through people. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we touch God every time we touch one another. Of course, we must do this touching with love and kindness. We hear God every time we speak to one another, as long as the words spoken are out of love.

I was talking to a man one day about God working through people and he asked a very important question. He said, "If God works through people, why is there so much evil?" A complete answer to this question is too lengthy for this sermon, but a brief one is necessary. Evil is a human choice. God's choice is love. Whenever love is present, God is present. God is never present in evil.

ST. Paul's Church In The Desert
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 15, 2001
Luke 10:25-37

The Reverend Vernon L. Suter

As some of you may recall, I'm a fan of Shel Silverstein, author of such books as, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, as well as many others. It's been awhile since I've quoted from Shel Silverstein, so I thought I'd revive him this morning. Most, but not all, of his writings are humorous poems, many of which have a profound meaning. The poem I'd like to begin with today is not humorous, but, in my opinion, relates quite directly to our Gospel reading. This poem is from Mr. Silverstein's book, A Light in the Attic, and is titled:


The Little Boy And The Old Man.
Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."

Said the little old man, "I do that too."

The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."

"I do that too," laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, "I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I."

"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems grown ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

"I know what you mean," said the little old man.
-----------------------

Today's Gospel is most popularly referred to as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. This parable tells of how an injured man lay helpless while others ignored him. A priest and a Levite came by, saw the man, and yet paid no attention to him. Finally, a Samaritan comes along, stops, and takes the time to give first aid and then takes the man to where he can get some rest and heal. He not only helps the man, he foots the bill for the whole thing.
The bottom line to our Gospel for today is all about loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. This parable is Jesus way of answering the lawyer's question of what must be done to inherit eternal life. Further, the parable deals with the lawyer's question of, "Who is my neighbor?" Let's take a closer look at that question?

When I say I will love my neighbor as I love myself, I am saying a lot about who I believe my neighbor to be. It is a fact that we tend to like or love people who have traits or beliefs similar to our own. Therefore, it follows that my neighbor is determined by the way I regard myself. What this means is that if what I like the most about myself is something I share with only a small group of other people, my interest will be largely limited to that group. It follows, then that my neighbors will be those who share the same things as I love about myself. And this being the case, my circle of neighbors is extremely limited. As an example, if I hold to this idea, being white would eliminate any other race from being my neighbor. Since I am straight, no gay person can be my neighbor. Since I'm Episcopalian, no Baptist or Methodist or Roman Catholic can be my neighbor. I'm sure the priest and the Levite in Jesus' parable thought of themselves, esteemed themselves, if you will, primarily as priest and Levite. The wounded man was neither, thus not their neighbor. He was not one of them, thus was of no concern to them.

On the other hand, if I look deeper into myself with more humility and objectivity, I will find things about myself that I share with the whole human race. If I am able to do that, their will be no limit to my concern for others. The definition of who my neighbor is will have expanded to include all of God's children, not just the select few that I thought were special as relates to me. Actually, I don't think the Samaritan thought of himself primarily as Samaritan or of a certain class of people. I doubt that he even thought of himself as a Samaritan. I think he thought of himself simply as a human being; a human being that saw another human being dying along side the road. I don't believe he considered the fact that this dying man was a Jew. I really don't think it mattered. He was just a man, a human being, a person in need of help, so he helped him.

The question, then, is: How, exactly, do we love ourselves? What kind of love do we have for ourselves? The answer to this question will tell us who we believe our neighbor to be. If the answer to this question is that our love for ourselves is limited to our race, color, creed or special talent; if it is limited to our education or position; then, knowingly or not, we are defining a very limited circle of neighbors. We are defining our neighbors as we define ourselves and by definition, we must limit our love to these people who have the same surface traits as we have. If we are doing this, we are missing the point of what Jesus is all about, and need to do something about it.

If I want to do something about such a narrow view of who my neighbor really is, I will want to do some careful self- examination. If take a careful self-examination and find that I fit the description I've been talking about, what can I do? How can I get back on track? How can I broaden my understanding of who my neighbor is? In summary, how can I think and behave as Christ intended.

I'm sure there are many answers to this question. One that comes to mind is to explore and understand the word empathy.

The dictionary defines empathy as "Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings and emotions." I wonder what might have happened if the priest and Levite had taken a few minutes to picture themselves lying there half dead on the side of the road. If they'd thought a little about how they might feel, switching places with the man lying in the road, realizing they would die if someone didn't stop and help them, might they have offered some help? I think that's a possibility. To step out of ourselves for just a few moments can often change our whole perspective on the other person's dilemma.

There is another and more obvious answer, though given the prejudices we have grown up with, is not all that easy. However, if we can get by those prejudices we will realize that Christ died on the cross for all of God's children. Both my neighbor and I are people for whom Christ died. He died for my neighbors all over the world that I will never meet. He died for my next door neighbor who may not even go to church. Christ sacrificed himself on the cross of crucifixion for all human kind. When we get back to concentrating on this well known fact, we will then find the true happiness of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. We will, indeed, become like the good Samaritan instead of the priest and the Levite.

When the Jesus asked the lawyer the question, "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?", the lawyer replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
I would submit that for us to follow Jesus' command to go and do likewise, we must first recognize that we are all the same under the skin. We are all the same whether we are in or out of our office, known by our title or not known at all. We must recognize that everywhere we look we see our neighbor, another of God's children.