Pentecost 8 C: The God We Didn’t Expect

Luke 10:25-37 Dear Partner in Preaching, Nine preachers out of ten, I’d wager, will preach this week’s parable of the Good Samaritan as a morality tale. And, frankly, I think that’s just fine. It does, after all, reflect a profound example of how we are to treat each other, regarding as “neighbor” not merely those who are close to us or look like us or believe like us, but rather anyone who is in need. Given the political and cultural impetus, just now, to perceive anyone as different as a threat, this is a timely message indeed. If you move in this direction, I think there is an important pattern available to us in this parable to...