We Need Each Other
based on Luke 10:25-37
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

We are probably all very very familiar with this parable and I think we all have had experiences in our life when we actually had a good Samaritan help us or when we turned into a good Samaritan. Not too long ago my wife and I went on a trip, last summer actually, to Morrow Beach on our little motorcycle. I knew I didn't have a whole lot of gas in my tank left but i didn't realize that there wasn't going to be a gas station for 45 miles once I got on 101.

So we got stranded and here we were by the roadside, cars passing, it was really hot. I remember thinking: well, we just have to walk 12 miles to Lompoc. OK, we’ve got to do what we've got to do. At least, we get our exercise. But wouldn’t you know that a truck stopped and an extremely nice person, his name was Billy, took us back to his farm, got a gas canister, and filled our tank so we could reach the next gas station. I wanted to give him a $20 bill, but he didn't want to accept that. Can you believe it? He did not want money and all I could say was "thank you!" And that day as we continued to Morrow Beach I had to think about Billy and how much of a good Samaritan Billy was.

And I'm sure that most of us here have had an experience like that. Or maybe you have stopped at the side of the road when somebody had trouble or you helped out a neighbor when they were in a pinch. I think these stories are really inspiring us!

Well, this morning we hear this amazing parable that Jesus shared, but I think it's important for us to understand the context of it. Once again, the scribes and the lawyers tried to put Jesus to the test, to see if they could poke holes into his theology. When asked about the most important law, he identified it as the love for God and love for neighbor. But then something interesting happens. One of the scribes wasn’t thinking when he asked Jesus a follow up question: who exactly should we consider our neighbor? Jesus answers the question with a parable and by doing so he really turns the tables and put the scribes to the test.

He picks as the hero for his the story a person that he knew was most despised in Jewish community, especially among the religious leaders.

The Samaritans, as we know from Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman-the woman at the well-were actually worshiping the same God, but they had their own worship traditions. It’s true, they had much in common the Jews and Samaritans. They had the same ancestors, they worshiped the same God. However, the Samaritans were not worshiping in Jerusalem, they were worshiping at Mount Horeb and were thus beyond the control of the religious powers that be. So, in Jewish society, the worst person imaginable was a Samaritan. The Samaritan was a person you wouldn't greet in the streets, you wouldn't even establish eye contact with.

And yet, Jesus picks exactly his person that is so despised in Jewish culture and makes him the hero of this parable. I want you to understand that, because the people that were listening to the story, they did not think of it as inspirational at that moment. They were shocked, especially the scribes. What an affront that Jesus would actually use a Samaritan as the hero of this story who saved this poor, beaten up Jew in the street. You can tell by the response when Jesus asked the scribes: "so who acted as a neighbor in the story? Who was the hero in the story? And the scribe who answered could not even get the word "Samaritan" across his lips and instead said: "the one who had mercy."

I want you to understand the depth of that. That's incredible, isn't it? But there's more to the story. I think the story is teaching us that we need to love our neighbors not just those in the "good neighbor" category, but every neighbor. "Who's my neighbor?" That was the question. By picking a Samaritan as the hero, Jesus made pretty clear statement: "even those that you think of as your worst enemies are your neighbors."

And here is another remarkable observation. Think about it! Had this beaten-up Jew in the street not accepted the help of the Samaritan, he surely would have died. And the same is true for the Church. If we continue to exclude certain people, we're going to die because we need their help. And I think that is a very, very true statement toward inclusiveness and the celebration of diversity. Now, had Jesus told the story today, who would have picked? I'm sure in our church culture and struggle today he would have picked an LGBTQ person to be that hero in the story.

I firmly believe that without our LGBTQ members of the Church, we will surely die. We need their help! Not too long ago, one of our bishops was quoted to say: "if we were to expel all of our LGBTQ members in the Church, surely our music program would collapse." I’m sure that it wouldn’t just be the music program that would collapse! There's so much more that would collapse. The simple biblical truth is that we all need each other. People of all different persuasions, colors, beliefs, we need each other! We are many members, but one body.

We need to come together at the table, and bring all of those diverse gifts that God has given us. First Corinthians 12 is so clear on the fact that the Holy Spirit has given gifts to a variety of different people. And that all of these gifts are necessary in the body of Christ; for the body of Christ-the church-to actually function properly. We need all of the people and all of the gifts that God has given all of us people. Diversity really is the key to success. Without celebrating diversity, without inviting everybody to the table, without accepting the help of all people, we will not succeed.

I think that is a message that we should take to heart. In fact, that is a message to be celebrated. God's message is loud and clear: I gave you diversity to celebrate it; I gave you diversity to enrich you; I gave you diversity to succeed. Amen.