"Who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29)

    In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus teaches us to "Love God,,,and your neighbor as yourself."  And then Jesus is asked this question.   "And who is my neighbor?" 
    Jesus answers by telling the story of the Good Samaritan, who helps the man who was robbed and beaten up, in need of care.  And so Jesus answers the question by leading each of us to help those in need.  
    This week we are reminded of many opportunities to be a good neighbor who helps those in need.  Tomorrow is Juneteenth, a federal holiday in the US, commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  It was on June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War.
    But there is a lot of work yet to do in our country, as we continue to see racism in our nation.  And exploitation (defined as "treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work") is a problem across our nation and world, including sexual, labour, domestic and other forms of exploitation.  Marginalized people continue to struggle in our society, due to their race, sexual orientation, social-economic status, disabilities, and for other reasons.
     Perhaps it is best to sum up all of these groups of people, as those in need, those hurting, and those whom we can help.
     So how can we help?  How do we love our neighbor?   Our faith and life in Christ is a wonderful source of love for all people.  Jesus came to be Savior of the world.  He died for all.  And now He lives in and through each of us as we bring God's love to one another.  In fact, our Savior is also in those who need our help.  As He tells us in Matthew 25:40, "just as you did it to one of these (who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, in prison, etc.) you did it to me."

     May we see the needs of our neighbors!  And may we use the resources we have to help others in need.  In so doing, we will be loving God and our neighbors.

God Bless,
Pastor Steve