A sermon preached on the eighth Sunday after Pentecost
(Proper 10 Year C, RCL)
at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, University City, San Diego

Amos 7:7-17
Psalm 82
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37

(Link to Sermon audio here)

Sermon Outline

• Last sermon at St. Peter’s after the Orlando shooting.
• Lamented that I already had a stock sermon on gun violence.
• Now we come together after another week of gun violence.
• Unnecessary killing of human beings, of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
• God is weeping and we weep with him.
• The words of Deuteronomy are hard.
• God had promised the people of Israel that he would restore them and shower them with blessings, and make all things well.   He promises that promise is not far away.   But today it feels very far away.
• It  is a hard reading to accept.
• But God is close, he is walking with us, he is wanting peace and restoration of what he desirers the world to be.
• Gospel reading Good Samaritan.
• It is hard to be a Good Samaritan to those who kill, who are full of anger and full of hatred but that is what a Good Samaritan does.
• Good Samaritan – amazing story  – The man presumably a Jew.
• Road from Jerusalem to Jericho just short of 17 miles and falls more than 3,400 ft.
• Josephus spoke of the road in the first century as desolate and rocky.
• Infested with robbers.
• Preist
• Levite
• Neither compelled to live in Jerusalem.
• Samarian – layman outside the pale of orthodox Judaism.
• What was he doing there?
• Two denarii – several days compensation to the innkeeper.
• Jesus put him on a dangerous road.
• Jesus is calling us to be on a dangerous road.
• Atlas.
• College north wales – plan your journey.
• Now we rely on GPS and google maps.
• Charts the fastest route, avoids traffic, and redirects if there are any problems.
• Focused on the destination.  We need to pay attention to the journey.
• May be good for driving – not so sure good for Christian life.
• We are called to think about the journey.  About the path that we take.
• We are called to take that road between Jerusalem and Jericho.  Rocky, hilly and even full of robbers.
• It is only when we get out of our comfort zone that we will find the people we need to meet.
• As Christians we need to embark on a journey that will take us to situations that will put us at risk and make us unpopular.
• In a few minutes we are going to Gather around Gods table.
• We need to be welcoming and invite all to that table.
• But we need also to go out and join other where they find their table.
• We need to go and stand in solidarity with the other.
• Menorah in the window story.
• We need to use God as our GPS so that we journey the road where he calls us to be.
• We need to pray.
• We need to put our prayer in action and stand in solidarity with those who the world tosses aside, we need to share the light of Christ with those who only want to cast darkness.  Darkness has never been ended by more darkness only by light.
• I want to walk that journey, turn off the GPS of life, get out God’s Atlas and work out where he is calling us.   Then I want to take that path – no matter where it goes.  I pray that you will journey with me.