{"id":757,"date":"2021-05-25T11:31:35","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T18:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=757"},"modified":"2021-05-25T11:31:35","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T18:31:35","slug":"god-calls-me-to-love-and-serve-my-neighbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/?p=757","title":{"rendered":"God Calls Me to Love and Serve My Neighbor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Luke 10:25-37)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a modern re-telling of the story Jesus told, but without the happy ending. About ten years ago now, Hugo, a young homeless man from Guatemala, was stabbed on the streets of Queens, NY.\u00a0 He had intervened to help a woman escape from an angry man and was stabbed in the process.\u00a0After stumbling for a bit, Hugo fell to the ground bleeding. Tragic as that was, the account which was all caught on camera, gets more troubling when it reveals what happened over the next hour. One individual came upon Hugo, bent down on the sidewalk to shake him, and even moved him enough to see the pool of blood beneath him. He then walked away. Another two men saw him, talked about him for a bit, and even took a picture of him. Then they<\/em> walked away, too. One passerby after another walked past, glanced his way, and kept right on walking. Hugo laid their dying for an hour before anyone called the police, at which point it was too late. Experts and psychologists have attempted to offer rational explanations for why no one helped a stabbed man, but they all seem to fall short, leaving us with the ugly reality of how easily mankind is inclined to avoid his vocation, his calling, to love and serve his neighbor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s interesting, isn\u2019t it, that this <\/em>is the type of story Jesus told to convict an expert in the law that his take on God\u2019s call to love God and neighbor missed the mark. This story from Jesus, perhaps as much as any others he tells, makes us uneasy. We\u2019d feel a lot better if Jesus had told a story about a cheating husband or a murderer or a liar or any number of other bad things that bad people do, because it\u2019s easier for us to pretend we don\u2019t belong lumped together with those<\/em> kinds of people. But this one leaves us uncomfortable. This one doesn\u2019t really leave us any easy loopholes by which to escape. It\u2019s pretty clear when Jesus illustrates what it looks like to love and serve my neighbor, that I have neglected my neighbor often.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not that we disagree that it\u2019s important to help others. I don\u2019t know too many people – believer or not – who would disagree that we ought to love and serve our neighbor. Most would agree that we\u2019d all be better off as a society following this approach. So if so many people agree about it, then why isn\u2019t it happening? The reason is profoundly simple, and I want to challenge you not just to hear it – don\u2019t just listen for the reason – but take the lead in addressing the problem. You want to know what the problem is? We all agree that our vocation, our calling, is to love and serve our neighbor. In fact, we\u2019re so much in agreement with the statement, that we spend most of our time monitoring how well everyone is doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the problem. How do we address it? Do it yourself, rather than living as if your life is a permanent stakeout, observing the lives of others while overlooking the neighbor you could be loving and serving right next to you. The world doesn\u2019t need more arm-chair quarterback Christians, making it their business to assess how well the world is neighboring; the world needs more Christians – the world needs you <\/em>– to step up your game in carrying out your calling to love and serve your neighbor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admittedly, there is a HUGE obstacle that gets in the way of our serving our neighbor. The challenge with this obstacle is that we carry it with us everywhere we go: it’s our heart. Proverbs 20:9 asks, \u201cWho can say, \u2018I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Since the Fall, our hearts have been hijacked by the prince of this world, and even though we belong to God by faith, our hearts still betray us and commit treason, serving the prince of this world instead of the Prince of Peace. Frankly, it shouldn\u2019t surprise us when we struggle to love and serve our neighbor if our hearts, the very source of that love, are sour. Here are three ways that sour hearts stain loving service to our neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One: we prequalify those we are willing to help. When it comes to credit cards, no one likes to have to take the extra step of prequalifying. Credit card companies know this. It\u2019s why you get all the junk mail for new credit cards that advertise that you\u2019ve been prequalified for their latest, greatest card. Yet we prequalify those who need our help all the time. We have certain standards or expectations or opinions on those we\u2019re willing to help. If we decide someone is taking advantage of unemployment, shame on them – they\u2019ll get no help from me. The homeless drifter I am convinced is probably just going to use anything he gets to support his addiction will get nothing from me. The single mom who had children outside of marriage made that choice and now has to accept the consequences – don\u2019t look to me for help. We prequalify all the time. We determine whose need is worth our time, when the better way is to see any neighbor in need, and take advantage of the time God has given us to meet that need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second way our sour hearts stain loving service to our neighbor: the motivation behind our service. What is prompting me to serve my neighbor? Is it genuine love for my neighbor, to meet her need at that specific time and place? Or, is it love for self, to feel better about doing something nice for someone? Or, is it a greater concern of other people\u2019s opinion of me – that others take note of my kind actions? Is it a matter of quickly addressing what is perceived as merely an inconvenience for me? How often is my motivation so pure that it is nothing but genuine loving compassion for my neighbor that prompts me to love and serve him? Not very often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has a direct impact on the third way our sour hearts stain loving service to our neighbor: the extent to which we help. This deals with the wrestling match between helping to actually meet someone else\u2019s need or to meet my need to feel good about helping someone. I\u2019ll help meet someone\u2019s needs\u2026 to the extent that it\u2019s convenient for me. When that is the case, I am less concerned about whether or not what I offered actually helped the person, and more concerned with feeling good about having done anything at all. But real sacrifice, when it puts me out, when it takes more time than I have, when I have to return to square up the bill like the Samaritan? That is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, in addition to these three heart issues, we Christians also have an escape clause that acts as a catch-all to get out of meeting my neighbor\u2019s needs: we justify our neglect of others’ needs by reminding ourselves that Jesus is more concerned about people\u2019s salvation and souls than he is their temporary needs. But why do we pit one against the other when Jesus clearly calls us to care about both? Did Jesus ever take anyone to task for feeding the hungry, telling them, \u201cStop that – they need spiritual food more than physical food. Don\u2019t waste their time with silly things like hunger\u201d? Or on the flip side, did he ever take anyone to task for talking about sin and grace and faith and forgiveness, saying, \u201cStop that – they don\u2019t need all that religious talk; what they need is a hot meal\u201d? No, Jesus says to do both, so why do we pit one against the other instead of looking for the countless opportunities he gives us to do both?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be so shocked by any of the above – it\u2019s all just a reflection of how corrupt our hearts are in a fallen world – so much for \u201cpeople are basically good!\u201d Yes, we\u2019re pretty good at making sure our exteriors are nice and polished\u2026 as long as you don\u2019t dig beneath the surface! No, don\u2019t be shocked by the ugliness of what\u2019s in here; be shocked by something else – that Jesus came to love and serve hearts like that! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wouldn\u2019t it be something if the Samaritan did something else? Wouldn\u2019t it be something if he tracked down the Levite and the priest and offered them some random act of kindness? How would we feel about the Samaritan if he reached out and helped those schmucks? It might make us bristle a bit. We’d cringe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until we connect the dots and realize that is our<\/em> situation. Jesus was much more than a Good Samaritan; he is a perfect Savior. He didn\u2019t just come for the left-for-dead on the side of the road; he came for those who heartlessly passed by the left-for-dead on the side of the road. He came to save sour hearts and souls. He came for you and me. Jesus is the solution David begged for in Psalm 51:10, \u201cCreate in me a pure heart, O God.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Through Jesus, he did! No more sour hearts; our hearts are pure! Take up the invitation extended in Hebrews, \u201clet us draw near to God with a sincere heart and in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience\u2026\u201d (10:22)<\/em><\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friends, if that doesn\u2019t change your heart, I am at a loss as to what possibly can. If the reality of the absolute best – Jesus – giving himself for you at your absolute worst doesn\u2019t soothe your sour heart and cause it to start beating with an unyielding and relentless desire to pour yourself into loving service for others, then I am out of ideas. That\u2019s all I have. I can\u2019t drum up some inspirational, moving story that can ever pull at your heart strings like holy Jesus giving himself for heartless us. Rather than desert or ignore us, he mercifully rescued us. And we weren\u2019t even his neighbor; we were his enemies! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But not anymore! Now we are his friends. For eternity. Forever. What do friends do? They love and serve each other. Jesus continues to love and serve us with his Word and Sacrament to provide us with peace and forgiveness and gush over us with grace. How do we love and serve him? By loving and serving our neighbor. By loving and serving his other friends, the other souls precious and dear to him, the other souls for whom he died, the other souls with whom he longs to spend eternity. And no, you don\u2019t need to wait until someone is left-for-dead to love and serve him; just look for someone who has a need – any need at all – and lovingly meet it as you\u2019re able. THAT is your calling.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

#Violence is everywhere. #Conflict and war, shootings, assaults, oppression – these all flood our newsfeed daily. What is wrong with our world? Has the #GoldenRule become outdated? When will we #heal? How do we heal? We realize that \u201cwe\u201d starts with \u201cme.\u201d God has called you to #love and serve your #neighbor. What are you waiting for?… Continue reading God Calls Me to Love and Serve My Neighbor<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Violence is everywhere. Conflict and war, shootings, assaults, oppression - these all flood our newsfeed daily. What is wrong with our world? Has the GoldenRule become outdated? When will we heal? How do we heal? We realize that \u201cwe\u201d starts with \u201cme.\u201d","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[128,65],"tags":[141,138,136,139,36,137,108,140],"class_list":["post-757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summer-vocation-series","category-sermons","tag-conflict","tag-goodsamaritan","tag-neighbor","tag-preach","tag-sermon","tag-serve","tag-teaching","tag-violence"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p842FN-cd","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=757"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":759,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757\/revisions\/759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1thingmatters.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}