Missionary Renegade: The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 06 June 2016 - “Which one of these three was a neighbor?”

Thursday, June 9, 2016

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 06 June 2016 - “Which one of these three was a neighbor?”

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 06 June 2016 - “Which one of these three was a neighbor?”
Daily Scripture: Luke 10:25-37
Reflection Questions:
Luke said, “A legal expert stood up to test Jesus,” language that showed the man was not just curious, but had an agenda. Jesus answered his question with a question, in good Middle Eastern style. The expert quoted the law from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18—the same Scriptures Jesus quoted as the greatest commandments (cf. Mark 12:28-31). But then he asked another question that hinted that his idea of “neighbor” was quite narrow. Jesus went on to tell the famous parable of the Good Samaritan to try to expand his view.

When Jesus first turned the question back to the legal expert (verse 26—“What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”), the man gave a great answer—the one Jesus would have given. Have there been times when your head knew a correct answer, but your heart and hands hadn’t yet caught up with what you knew? Where is the “growing edge” in your life right now when it comes to loving your neighbor as yourself?
“Who is my neighbor?” the legal expert asked. Jesus told a story. Two religious leaders, probably afraid of ceremonial defilement since they couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead, passed by a beaten up man left by the roadside. But a Samaritan (one of “them”!) went “above and beyond” to help the badly hurt Jewish man. Jesus simply asked, “Which one of these three was a neighbor?” The answer was painfully obvious. Has anyone you thought of as an “outsider” or enemy ever helped you, even though you didn’t expect any help from them? If so, how did that experience affect your attitudes and actions moving forward?

Today’s Prayer:
Loving Lord, help me love the people I find unlovable. Change my heart to more and more see all people (including myself) as you see us—as your children, worthy of love. Amen.Insights from Donna Karlen

Donna Karlen serves in Communications at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, creating and managing social media content.
So what does make a good neighbor?
A few years ago I might have said someone who doesn’t clutter up my backyard view by stacking stuff on their patio that should really be in a garage and/or storage… and someone who doesn’t drain their pool across my yard… and someone who doesn’t suddenly start letting their dog bark incessantly every time I go out in my own backyard.
Not unreasonable to be a little cranky about those things, right?
Well, perhaps instead of focusing on what would make my neighbor a good neighbor, I maybe needed to pay a little more attention to what could make me a good neighbor. And just maybe a step toward doing that was to ask some friendly (not accusing!) questions – and get to know my neighbors a little better – over the fence, so to speak.
By doing so, I might discover that they were temporarily storing some things in their garage and basement for a friend who was needing to downsize due to job loss. I might find that they recently got a new dog after losing their beloved 12-year-old pooch (and that once the new little guy got to know us, he stopped freaking out whenever we came outside). And the pool draining? Well, that actually was a pretty legit thing to get cranky about. But a simple offer to loan them a couple of our hoses to add to their own so they could reach the street took care of that problem quite nicely.
In her message this past weekend, Pastor Wendy shared how asking questions helps us to invite God into our lives and have a relationship with him. So to put the question Jesus asked in today’s scripture another way: Of the three men who Jesus described in the story of the Good Samaritan, which one do you suppose had a true relationship with God?
Just askin’…