Weekly Sermon: 05-03-2026 - Kindness Sunday

The Holy Gospel According to Luke,

An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.

Teacher, he said, what must I do to inherit internal life?

He said to him, what is written in the law? What do you read there?

And he answered, you shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.

And he said to him, You have given the right answer. Do this, and you will live.

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,

and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him,

and took off, leaving him half dead.

Now by chance, a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him,

he passed by on the other side.

So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,

passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, while traveling, came upon him, and when he saw him,

he was moved with compassion.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wrought wine.

Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper,

and said, Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever you spend.

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

And he said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him,

Go and do likewise the gospel of the Lord.

You may be seated.

So james and i recently moved again all right so and it sounds crazy i am we didn't,

um we didn't want to move but uh you know we decided that um our stepdaughter

my stepdaughter was coming home and we needed a bigger bigger space so we had our pick of a litter,

and while we couldn't move anywhere, we decided to move into a bigger unit in the same complex.

And the reason why we chose to just stay in our complex is that we love where we live.

We love our neighborhood, we love our neighbors, and I think our dogs love it even more.

And if you don't know, James and I have two amazing cute dogs.

There's Boo, who is our Jack Russell.

And some of you have definitely seen her making surprise appearances on Zoom meetings.

Or I probably have shoved a photo of her in your face at some point.

And we also, in January, adopted Ziggy Stardust.

Ziggy for short And he's a miniature schnauzer And an 8 month old cuddle bug,

And we got him Because there wasn't enough chaos In our life So let's just throw a new match into it.

And they love it at our complex because almost everyone there has dogs.

There are always people outside and dogs are playing in the dog parks.

And while our dogs are playing with each other, us and our neighbors can actually talk to each other.

And this helps our home feel like a little community.

And it even has two dog parks

so you get to pick and choose which one you take your dogs to

and they put real time and money to

make it a place where people and pets can gather

and all of this works people show up we talk the dogs play there's laughter

and connection and this all forms a kind of easy everyday peace among us but

every once in a while while you're walking through the dog park, you notice something.

Somebody didn't pick up after their dog. And yes, you came to church today and

we're going to talk about dog poop. Let's do it.

It's silly and it sounds like a small thing, but it's a kind of a little bit

of inaction that kind of changes the feeling in this space.

Because instead of relaxing and talking with your neighbors,

you're watching your step and you're having to watch what your dog does because

who knows the health of the other dog and my dogs like to get into things and

eat whatever so we need to watch our dogs like a hawk.

And I don't think it's people just trying to be rude.

I think for the most part, it's just a lot of people are in a hurry or they're

thinking that this is something that the staff does despite the staff sending

emails twice a week saying it's not.

But these little small acts of indifference aren't just personal pet peeves

of mine and my husband and everybody else there.

I think they're kind of social weather. And when the weather kind of grows dire,

we notice what the world looks like when kindness and neighborliness is lacking.

And most of us kind of know this feeling, right?

Because when someone acts in ways that seem selfish or rude,

our gut reaction is discomfort, right?

When somebody cuts us off in traffic, it's not easy to just let it shrug, right?

Shrug it off and say, oh, it's going to be okay.

Something tightens in our chest.

When a busy waitress is being scolded by a customer, we don't cheer that person on.

We shift in our seats and feel uncomfortable and we look away.

We want to disappear in that moment, or cut in and save that waitstaff,

and we're never quite sure what we need to do in that moment.

And when we're in rooms and gossip starts, Santa Ines wants out of that situation.

And what I think is interesting about these moments is that we didn't decide

to feel uncomfortable, right?

Nobody told us that we needed to feel uncomfortable in these situations where

interactions between us just seem off and rude and uncomfortable.

But it's just something that comes up in us naturally.

Moments like these remind us that deep down, we do have a sense of the kind

of world that we want to live in.

We want a world where the waitstaff gets to do their job without being made

to feel small, where people aren't dismissed or torn down by others,

where there's a basic sense of respect for all humans.

And we respond by trying to be kind. And we do it in the best ways that we can.

And we're really good at it.

And a lot of times this kindness looks like small everyday gestures.

We compliment somebody on their shoes.

We hold the door open and say simple things like please and thank you to everybody.

And we even smile at strangers.

And these things matter, right?

They make the spaces that we occupy feel a little lighter.

They soften the edges after a long and hard day and they can help remind people

that they are seen even for just a tiny moment.

And in a world that can often feel sharp and super rushed, that kind of kindness is not nothing.

But it also doesn't always cost us a lot either.

It doesn't interrupt our plans and it doesn't ask us to step too far outside of ourselves.

We can be kind like that and still keep moving and still feel comfortable.

But there are moments in our lives that we come across where kindness asks for

more than just a simple smile.

And the scripture we're sitting with today introduces us to another kind of

kindness, kind of like a kindness at a whole other level.

Because in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 10, somebody comes to Jesus with a

question that sounds on the surface to be straightforward.

Who is my neighbor?

What he is really asking is, where are the edges of my neighbor?

Who am I actually responsible for? How far is this supposed to go?

Does neighbor mean the people in my household and the person next door?

Is it the people who look like me, think like me, believe like me?

Is it just in my community?

Or is it something else entirely? And this man who asked Jesus the question

seems like he wants a clear answer.

He wants a list that he can work with, a definition, so that he can love the

right people, feel good about it, and move on with his life.

But instead of giving this man a list, Jesus responds with a story instead.

And Jesus talks about a man who is traveling on a road He is attacked and beaten

and left there on the side And he is hurt and completely dependent on somebody

else stopping and helping save him.

And people do come. First is a priest.

And this is someone deeply committed to God.

And this person has real responsibilities and real reasons under the law to

be careful about who he touches and when.

And the scriptures tells us that when he sees a man, he just passes by.

And next comes a Levite.

This person is connected to the work of the temple. and somebody with a role

to protect and a life to maintain.

He sees this man also and passes by.

And it's important to notice just an important detail with both of these people.

They do see him. They're not ignorant of this man's pain.

And the text doesn't necessarily say they don't care. It just says they saw and they keep going.

And it's not hard to understand why they are doing this. The road is dangerous

and stopping could put them at risk.

There are real questions about whether or not this is a trap.

And whether or not this man is alive or dead.

And on top of all that, they have responsibilities they need to go and do.

And so no one hearing this story is surprised that they just keep going.

But then another character enters into our story, and this person is a Samaritan.

For the people hearing this story for the first time, that detail lands like a brick to the face.

They notice it. Samaritans were the other, caught on the wrong side of a multi-generational

conflict over holy sites and religious as well as cultural identity.

They weren't trusted and they weren't liked

so if anyone in the story had the cleanest excuse

to just keep walking it was this

man but when he sees the hurting man

on the side of the road something happens it says in the text that he has compassion

for the man the greek word the text uses here after the samaritan sees him it

literally means that his gut moves not to hit that he felt a little sorry,

or that he simply noticed and thought, well, that's too bad.

But his insides were moved.

The man's pain so moved the Samaritan that it reached into something deep within

him and would not let him keep walking.

Another word that we might use here is empathy.

But compassion works just as well.

And after being moved inwardly in a real way, that inner movement becomes outward action.

He goes to the man, he tends to his wounds, takes him somewhere safe and pays for his care.

And finally, he promises to return and follow up with the man.

And when the story ends, Jesus turns the original question back around.

But he doesn't ask, well, who is your neighbor?

As though neighbor can be a category defined in the fetid, he asks instead which

of these three acted like a neighbor.

And just like that, the word shifts. Neighbor is no longer a person,

place, or thing that can be taken or lost and defined and put walls in between.

But rather, neighbor becomes a verb.

Jesus' question turns neighbor into something that you do.

Therefore, unlike the man asking who is a neighbor and trying to find out who

to love and who not to love and all these different boundaries,

From this lesson, we learned that neighbor is something that we do,

and that the recipient is anyone and everyone who needs our care and kindness.

And that the terrible teaches us anything about how to be a neighbor.

We learned that it starts with seeing and then really letting their pain become

inside of us, feeling their pain with them.

And not to fix everything afterward, word, but to actually have the needs of

others landed on us in a way that lands on the Samaritan in our story.

We are to let the pain of others move us, and then the parable asks us to follow

through and stay until something real has happened.

We are to see the person, let it move us, and then follow through.

And that is what the scripture calls us to do today, and it can look like several different things.

And the first thing that comes to mind is that if we can put away our devices

and our distractions for just a little moment,

despite being more connected than we ever have been in history,

it seems like sometimes we are disconnected to the needs around us more than ever.

By disconnecting from our media, whether it's TV, phone, computers,

or even a little bit, we can rediscover the world around us.

And open ourselves to the pain of those in our vicinity.

And when we are able to disconnect from our media, it lets us be more attentive

to the people we are talking to.

Because if you've ever been in a conversation and somebody keeps looking at

their phone, it feels defeating.

It feels like you are not worth more than anything that's going on on my screen.

But and it says i see you and but

when we are able to put down our phones and our screens for

just a minute and pay attention to those around us it says that i see you and

you're not just somebody i am passing by but i see your very person and for

so many today that i've spent a long time feeling invisible by giving this kind

of attention real attention to others,

we are not doing a small thing.

Because in our story, the Samaritan doesn't just walk by the man.

And he's not distracted. He really sees him.

And like the story of the Good Samaritan, living out the kindness that the scripture calls us to,

can start by being attentive to those around us and putting aside any distractions

that may keep us from being attentive to their needs.

And the next one that we can do is that we can sit with somebody who is going

through a difficult time.

And this one can be hard for many of us, right?

Especially me, because when somebody around me is feeling pain,

I feel like I have to say something.

And even if I don't have the words to say, I have to stop myself by making stuff

up to say and simply just be present with them.

Because in the church, we are kind of trained to respond to pain with answers

or with scripture or with silver linings and so on and so forth.

But when somebody is going through something heavy, whether it's about their

marriage falling apart or a bad diagnosis or simple exhaustion,

sometimes the first thing they need to hear is not an answer,

but it is a witness to their pain and somebody that they can share their pain with.

And this can be as simple as saying, I am sorry, please tell me more.

And that's it. And that can be the whole response. You don't have to fix everything

in that moment. You don't have to know what to say next.

You just have to stay in a room with people and let their pain matter to you.

Let it move you in a real way.

And finally, we can show up for the unglamorous moments of life.

Because we're all pretty good at showing up for the big ones,

whether it's funerals, hospital visits, and so on and so forth.

But what about the Wednesday?

Those random days when nothing special seems to be happening,

because these are the days when somebody is having a hard time,

and unfortunately nobody knows it but them.

This can be the friend who is three months into grief while everyone else has moved on,

the colleague who has been quietly overwhelmed for weeks, the person in your

friend group who keeps saying that they're fine and you have just started to

believe them, but something inside of you is not quite sure.

Kindness that follows through doesn't just show up for the dramatic moments,

it comes back like the promise of the Good Samaritan. It checks back a second

time and a third and so on.

It sends the text that says, I've been thinking about you.

And it doesn't always have to be during a crisis, but simply because we check

in with others and sit with them because that is what neighbors who wish to be kind do.

Because remember from our story, the Samaritan didn't just bandage the man and

wish him well. Kind of like a deuces dude.

Rather, he made arrangements and he came back. He stayed connected to the outcome.

And we can use this as a model for biblical kindness that we wish to integrate into our own lives.

And if even a handful

of us left here today and tried to live out the

lessons from the Good Samaritan and started

paying a little bit more attention to the needs around us either by putting

down our phones by just being present with somebody going through a hard time

or by showing up on those random Wednesdays or whatever it is that the Spirit

is leading you to do today to be a kind neighbor,

If we can live out these lessons from the story...

The world around us would feel it. Our homes would feel it.

Our workplaces can feel it. The little communities we move through every day,

the apartment complex, the carpool lane, the break room, they would all feel a little bit different.

Not because we are doing some grand gestures, but because somebody,

whether it's you and me, has decided to see and respond to the people in front of them and around them.

Because this is what the kingdom of God looks like when it shows up in ordinary

life. It doesn't come with an announcement.

It doesn't always come like a miracle.

It looks like a text on Wednesday. It looks like staying in a room when you could have left.

And it looks like the good Samaritan on a dangerous road with every reason to

keep walking, but doesn't.

And when we live like that, we are not just being nice people.

We are being neighbors who embody biblical kindness.

And by embodying and doing this kindness, we are answering the same question

that man asked Jesus all those years ago.

And we do it not with definitions, with walls or lines about who's our neighbor

and who's not, but we will be doing it through the example of our very lives.

Go forth into the world, strengthening Christ to live with values that stick,

sharing the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Tell others what Jesus has done for you and invite them to St.

Luke's as you love, serve, and welcome all. Thanks be to God, and we will.