We stop listening. We get it ... but do we? Who is my neighbor?

That's a question that remains with us. On September 11, 2001, we knew who our neighbors were. Our hearts ached as we watched the horrible scenes from New York and Washington. These were our neighbors.

But when the bombs began to fall on Iraq in March, 2003, did  we have the same emotions? Were these our neighbors?

In Luke 10:25-37, the key to Jesus' encounter is in what the lawyer doesn't say. Even at the end, he can't use the word "Samaritan." He can't expand the circle of those who are his neighbors to include someone from this hated group.

Jesus says, "Go and do likewise." The call is for us to move outside the boundaries we have created between those like us and "others."

Who is my neighbor? Jesus' answer: "Who isn't?"

7th Sunday after Pentecost - July 11, 2010