Chocolates, Conversation, Compromise: A Love Story
Rev. Estelle Margarones
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Gospel of Luke 10:25-29
Here we are, February 12th. I look forward to this week all year long. We've got a very special day coming up this week. Long stemmed red roses will be delivered, restaurants will be full, and cards will be exchanged. Tuesday is Valentine's Day.
But that special day that I love so much isn't Tuesday, the 14th...it's actually Wednesday, the 15th! Because that's when those big red, heart shaped boxes of chocolates will be 50% off!
Tuesday is Valentine's Day. A day set aside for love. So today we talk about love, but not about loving one other...instead, we talk about loving each other.
In the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, verse 5 we learn that we should love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. In the New Testament, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 10, Jesus changes it up a bit. First he says you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. Then he adds “and love your neighbor as yourself”.
Before Jesus, and even during his time, a neighbor was regarded as someone who lived nearby, but more, had the same ethnicity, the same language, the same culture, the same religion. Back then, people from different places had different customs. They wore different types of clothing. They spoke different languages...and they were often at odds with each other.
Jesus was asked “who is my neighbor?” and it was rather radical of him to give the example of the Good Samaritan.
You know this story, right? A Jewish man is mugged—he's robbed and beaten and he's left in a ditch. A Jewish rabbi comes by sees him and walks by, a Levite —also a Jewish man— walks by, sees him and turns the other way. A Samaritan comes upon the scene, is moved by what he sees, puts the man on his donkey, bandages his wounds, takes him to an inn and gives the innkeeper money to care for him. He also promises to pay whatever extra it takes to keep the man safe and on the mend.
What makes this so radical is that at that time, the Jewish people and the Samaritans had been enemies for years!
To Jesus, a neighbor was anyone with whom you came in contact. This is a great life lesson for us today. A reminder, as the day we celebrate love approaches, to love your neighbor as yourself.
Love is a way of being in relationship. It's a way of approaching the world
Our neighbors today are those who live near us, but they're also the people shopping alongside us at Shaw's, and dropping off their dry cleaning at Dependable Cleaners, and having dinner at the next booth at the Cheesecake Factory over at the Plaza. In 6 hours, you can be in Europe. And with the world wide web, you can shop at stores in Asia. Our neighbors also people across the globe.
Our neighbors are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Humanist. Our neigbors speak English and Spanish and Mandarin. Some share your customs; others don't. Some of our neighbors have been here forever and some have just become citizens. Our neighbors are Republicans and Democrats and those who prefer the “unenrolled” designation.
The directive isn't to think like your neighbor. The charge isn't to act like your neighbor. It isn't to agree with everything they think or say or do. And it isn't to judge your neighbor. It's to LOVE your neighbor.
When you love, you care. Caring means that you recognize that we have more in common than we don't. And it sometimes means standing up for what's right even if there is some personal sacrifice or risk.
Martin Niemoller, a German pastor and concentration camp survivor, wrote the poem, “First They Came”.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
We don't always have things in common with our neighbors. Witness, “the Good Samaritan”.
Love is a way of being in relationship. It's a way of approaching the world
Meet Ben. He lives on a farm in rural Maine. His family has owned acres of land for 300 years. Ben is an oil truck driver and his wife is a social worker. They have two little boys. For the past several years, Ben has had a side-business cutting firewood. About a year ago, the house next door was sold. Ben's new neighbor recently came over, angry. He'd been riding his horse when the horse was spooked by the noise of the wood chopper. He threw Ben's new neighbor to the ground.
Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. So...do you love your neighbor when he comes to your home and yells at you?
You could exchange angry words and tell him that since you pay your taxes, you have a right to do whatever you want.
You might ask that he pick a weekend time when he can ride and during which time you'll refrain from cutting wood? If you have a conversation and come to a compromise, you may even find that he teaches your kids to ride.... and he buys firewood from you!
As humans, we are hardwired with the capacity for compassion.
A couple of weeks ago on the news, you may have seen a bungee jumping accident on the news. A girl jumped off a cliff and a few seconds and several hundred feet into the fall, the bungee cord snapped and the girl hit the water, hard, and was carrried down in the current. Watching that, I felt my heart skip a beat. And I prayed for her. Have you ever had that kind of a reaction? Even though you don't know personally know the person, and even though you will never go bungee jumping, you have compassion for the one who had the accident.
Maybe that's what it was like for the Good Samaritan.
Love is a way of being in relationship. It's a way of approaching the world.
Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Start with a prayer. And a conversation. You will be strengthened when the fabric of your life is open to others.
When you love another, there is compromise. Do you communicate with others? Are you willing to see beyond yourself and to make changes to benefit others? (Will you also ask for what you need?)
When you love another, it's easy to see the good. Do you see the good in others? When you consider your life, do you see the good in yourself?
When you love another, you offer encouragement. Do you support others? (And do you see the possibilities in your own life?)
When you love another, it's easy to do things for that person. Do you care for others? (And do you take care of yourself?)
My friends in faith, when you love God, you live a full, rich, life.
When you love your neighbor you are compassionate, helpful, open to communication and willing to compromise.
When you love yourself, you are peaceful and hopeful, and you reflect God's light right back into the world. So love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Blessed Be and Amen.
Rev. Estelle Margarones
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Gospel of Luke 10:25-29
Here we are, February 12th. I look forward to this week all year long. We've got a very special day coming up this week. Long stemmed red roses will be delivered, restaurants will be full, and cards will be exchanged. Tuesday is Valentine's Day.
But that special day that I love so much isn't Tuesday, the 14th...it's actually Wednesday, the 15th! Because that's when those big red, heart shaped boxes of chocolates will be 50% off!
Tuesday is Valentine's Day. A day set aside for love. So today we talk about love, but not about loving one other...instead, we talk about loving each other.
In the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, verse 5 we learn that we should love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. In the New Testament, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 10, Jesus changes it up a bit. First he says you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. Then he adds “and love your neighbor as yourself”.
Before Jesus, and even during his time, a neighbor was regarded as someone who lived nearby, but more, had the same ethnicity, the same language, the same culture, the same religion. Back then, people from different places had different customs. They wore different types of clothing. They spoke different languages...and they were often at odds with each other.
Jesus was asked “who is my neighbor?” and it was rather radical of him to give the example of the Good Samaritan.
You know this story, right? A Jewish man is mugged—he's robbed and beaten and he's left in a ditch. A Jewish rabbi comes by sees him and walks by, a Levite —also a Jewish man— walks by, sees him and turns the other way. A Samaritan comes upon the scene, is moved by what he sees, puts the man on his donkey, bandages his wounds, takes him to an inn and gives the innkeeper money to care for him. He also promises to pay whatever extra it takes to keep the man safe and on the mend.
What makes this so radical is that at that time, the Jewish people and the Samaritans had been enemies for years!
To Jesus, a neighbor was anyone with whom you came in contact. This is a great life lesson for us today. A reminder, as the day we celebrate love approaches, to love your neighbor as yourself.
Love is a way of being in relationship. It's a way of approaching the world
Our neighbors today are those who live near us, but they're also the people shopping alongside us at Shaw's, and dropping off their dry cleaning at Dependable Cleaners, and having dinner at the next booth at the Cheesecake Factory over at the Plaza. In 6 hours, you can be in Europe. And with the world wide web, you can shop at stores in Asia. Our neighbors also people across the globe.
Our neighbors are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Humanist. Our neigbors speak English and Spanish and Mandarin. Some share your customs; others don't. Some of our neighbors have been here forever and some have just become citizens. Our neighbors are Republicans and Democrats and those who prefer the “unenrolled” designation.
The directive isn't to think like your neighbor. The charge isn't to act like your neighbor. It isn't to agree with everything they think or say or do. And it isn't to judge your neighbor. It's to LOVE your neighbor.
When you love, you care. Caring means that you recognize that we have more in common than we don't. And it sometimes means standing up for what's right even if there is some personal sacrifice or risk.
Martin Niemoller, a German pastor and concentration camp survivor, wrote the poem, “First They Came”.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
We don't always have things in common with our neighbors. Witness, “the Good Samaritan”.
Love is a way of being in relationship. It's a way of approaching the world
Meet Ben. He lives on a farm in rural Maine. His family has owned acres of land for 300 years. Ben is an oil truck driver and his wife is a social worker. They have two little boys. For the past several years, Ben has had a side-business cutting firewood. About a year ago, the house next door was sold. Ben's new neighbor recently came over, angry. He'd been riding his horse when the horse was spooked by the noise of the wood chopper. He threw Ben's new neighbor to the ground.
Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. So...do you love your neighbor when he comes to your home and yells at you?
You could exchange angry words and tell him that since you pay your taxes, you have a right to do whatever you want.
You might ask that he pick a weekend time when he can ride and during which time you'll refrain from cutting wood? If you have a conversation and come to a compromise, you may even find that he teaches your kids to ride.... and he buys firewood from you!
As humans, we are hardwired with the capacity for compassion.
A couple of weeks ago on the news, you may have seen a bungee jumping accident on the news. A girl jumped off a cliff and a few seconds and several hundred feet into the fall, the bungee cord snapped and the girl hit the water, hard, and was carrried down in the current. Watching that, I felt my heart skip a beat. And I prayed for her. Have you ever had that kind of a reaction? Even though you don't know personally know the person, and even though you will never go bungee jumping, you have compassion for the one who had the accident.
Maybe that's what it was like for the Good Samaritan.
Love is a way of being in relationship. It's a way of approaching the world.
Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Start with a prayer. And a conversation. You will be strengthened when the fabric of your life is open to others.
When you love another, there is compromise. Do you communicate with others? Are you willing to see beyond yourself and to make changes to benefit others? (Will you also ask for what you need?)
When you love another, it's easy to see the good. Do you see the good in others? When you consider your life, do you see the good in yourself?
When you love another, you offer encouragement. Do you support others? (And do you see the possibilities in your own life?)
When you love another, it's easy to do things for that person. Do you care for others? (And do you take care of yourself?)
My friends in faith, when you love God, you live a full, rich, life.
When you love your neighbor you are compassionate, helpful, open to communication and willing to compromise.
When you love yourself, you are peaceful and hopeful, and you reflect God's light right back into the world. So love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Blessed Be and Amen.
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