Grace and peace to you from God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Let me introduce you to two prominent preachers of late 19th century England. Catherine Booth the "mother" of the Salvation Army and G. Campbell Morgan. In the words of Morgan, "Wherever Catherine Booth went humanity went to hear her. Princes and peeresses merged with paupers and prostitutes."

One night, Morgan shared in a meeting with Mrs. Booth; and a great crowd of "publicans and sinners" was there. Booth's message brought many to Christ. After the meeting, Morgan and Mrs. Booth were entertained at a fine home; and the lady of the manor said, "My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was dreadful".

"What do you mean, dearie?" asked Mrs. Booth.

"Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible, many of them. I don't think I shall sleep tonight!"

"Why, dearie, don't you know them?" Mrs. Booth asked; and the hostess replied, "Certainly not!"

"Well, that is interesting," Mrs. Booth said. "I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!"

Here in suburbia how many of our neighbors do we know? It's not uncommon for us and our neighbors to come home go in the house and rarely if ever interact with the people right next door. I suspect Catherine Booth was hinting at something a bit more insidious than her hostess not knowing the people in the meeting. It comes across clearly to me that the hostess was being taken down a notch because of her attitude toward the less fortunate at the meeting.

Can any of us say we have not at least in thought taken the same attitude at times? Especially toward people perceived as different than us?

For several years I was working in center city and panhandlers were a common sight. I watched many times people would be approached for money and the person would just ignore the panhandler. Sometimes you would see someone hand them change or a dollar or two. When approached I would often try to engage the person in conversation and offer to buy them something to eat, most of the time they would refuse. For a while I even carried McDonald's coupons and would offer them coupons instead of money. The coupons were usually refused as well. That experience can sour your impulse to help. If they weren't interested in food then I suspected the money was for drugs of alcohol.

In the gospel we can sense the great tension between heart and mind, a heavenly heart and worldly mind.

The lawyer in our reading must have been very skillful and confident in his knowledge. By this time Jesus was a well-known Teacher. The seventy sent out in pairs has returned and their preaching has made many aware of Jesus. The lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus counters by asking for the lawyer's interpretation of the Law. The lawyer correctly sums up the reading from Leviticus, He answered:"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

So far the lawyer has done well. However he decides to ask another question that shows his worldly thinking is different than the heavenly heart Jesus expects of us. Who is his neighbor? Being an expert of the law and a pious Jew he seeks to justify himself probably because he has not lived the words that just left his lips.

To answer the second question Jesus tells the parable we know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

A man is beaten and robbed left on the side of the road to die. Not just any road but the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. The implication here is that the priest and the Levite serve in the Temple. Both are in the service of the Lord in his house yet they avoid the duty of love and pass by the beaten man. We can presume that they didn't want to take a chance of helping a man that my die in their arms thus making them ceremonially unclean. They wouldn't be able to perform their duties in the temple as long as they were unclean.

It's no accident that Jesus chooses a Samaritan to be the caretaker of the beaten man. Remember the Samaritans are bitter rivals of the Jews. Even a Samaritan knows who his neighbor is, anyone in need. Now when asked who was the neighbor of the beaten man the lawyer answers, "The one who had mercy on him." And Jesus replies "Go and do likewise."

If we peal back the cover we see something even more illuminating. Of the three men who come upon the victim of the robbers, two of them had to take extra steps to avoid his neighbor. The Samaritan walked directly to him.

Our neighbors in need are everywhere right in front of us. Do we make a determined effort to avoid helping? Are we like the haughty hostess of Catherine Booth not even recognizing who our neighbors are? Granted we don't always know who is in need and or how we can help. The real issue is do we have the heavenly heart to help?

I'm sure most would think that the Samaritan put in more effort than the priest and the Levite. After all they just crossed to the other side of the road while the Samaritan took the beaten man to an inn and provided funds for his care. Yes that is true in our worldly way of thinking. However anyone who has acted according to the heavenly heart will tell you the joy they received by helping was far greater than the effort expended.

Jesus expended a greater effort than any of us could ever do. He died to carry the sins of all humanity to a place where they can no longer threaten us. He has shielded us from the wrath of God by taking our sins upon Himself. With great joy He looks upon His children who cannot be snatched away from His loving embrace.

Helping our neighbors can be that kind of joyful experience as well. Don't cross to the other side of the road walk directly to those in need.

In the Name of Our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.