A lawyer asks Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Together they agree that the answer is found in Jewish law: “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.” But the lawyer is still unsatisfied. He asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus proceeds to tell this lawyer the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). A man who is traveling is robbed, stripped, beaten, and left for dead. Three people pass him on the road: a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. It is the Samaritan, the outsider, who shows mercy, providing lavish care and kindness. Jesus concludes, “Go, and do likewise.”

Just as the lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?”, those of us who hear this story often ask who the characters are. Who, in our lives, is the robbed man, the person whom we have passed by on the road? Who, in our lives, is the Samaritan, the compassionate person whom we have misjudged?

The wisdom of the Samaritan is abundance in the face of need, mercy in the face of prejudice. If we love God with all that we are, God will help us to have compassion for others, no matter what stands between us. In this way, we will find healing, and the courage to serve and be served.

Holy Comforter, there is so much need inside and around us.  Teach us to love you, and to receive your love, so that we might put your teachings into action, showing mercy for one another. Amen.

Namaan, the commander of the army of the King of Aram, had a problem. He had a skin disease that caused serious discomfort and social shame. But Namaan was a man of means, and so he looked for the very best specialist he could find. When he hear about the prophet serving the King of Israel, he thought: this might just be it.

But when Namaan arrives at the great prophet’s house with luxurious gifts and a royal letter of recommendation, he is disappointed. He doesn’t get a long consultation and a complex prescription. He doesn’t get to see the prophet at all. Instead, a messenger comes out and says: “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored.” Namaan storms away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord, and wave his hand over the spot, and cure me!”

People who are sick or grieving often get infuriated pieces of simple advice for their complex problems. Everyone has a solution: Give up dairy; take up meditation; have a positive attitude. But in our times of greatest need, this advice is the last thing we need. We need people who will listen to us. We need people who will join us in our anger, our grief, or the mindless movies and indulgent desserts that we sometimes use to escape it all.

The bible doesn’t offer much advice for those who are hurting, except for this: God is a good companion. God may not fix our problems (though Namaan was cured when he finally followed through on his prescription). But God’s been around the block a few times. She knows how to rage.  She knows how to grieve. She can walk with us in whatever we’re in, if only we can figure out how to let her.

God, when it’s me with the problem, help me to let you in. God, when it’s someone else with the problem, help me to swallow my advice and open my heart, and bring something great from the bakery. Amen.

We asked members and friends to report back from their summer adventures.  Here are our first submissions, from Stonehenge and Mt. Watatic!  Join the fun and send your pictures to wcuc.office@gmail.com.