Ep. 22: A Levite and Priest walk into a bar - the Samaritan ducked, or Proper 10C / Ordinary 15C / Pentecost +8

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For Sunday, July 14th
Episode 22 - Proper 10C / Ordinary 15C / Pentecost +8

Show Notes after the break (click read more)

SHOW NOTES -  7/14/2013

Intro Music: The Fratellis “Chelsea Dagger” 
Episode 22 - Proper 10C / Ordinary 15C / Pentecost +8
Luke 10:25-37
Amos 7:7-17

Check-in

Primary Scripture -– Luke 10:25-37 - Good Samaritan

  • Good Samaritan or unfaithful priest and levite?
  • Context:
    • Luke 10:21-24 sets up the next 2 Sundays
    • Seeing and Hearing
    • The lawyer does not see
    • Martha does not listen
  • What must I do to inherit eternal life?
    • different from Matthew (cf: 22:35 - what is the Greatest Commandment?)
    • Love God and Love Neighbor
    • Do it!
  • What keeps us from loving neighbor?
    • In story, it was about ritual cleanliness and inconvenience
    • In our lives, it is usually fear.
      • Fear of inconvenience
      • Fear of stranger that may be doing harm
      • Fear of “wasting” resources
  • Who is my neighbor?
    • begs the question - who isn’t - sets up a distinction between who is in and who is out
    • The most unexpected is the neighbor - Samaritan
      • Who is the Samaritan in your context (the least likely neighbor)?
      • Connection to last week - Evangelism w/o conversion - doing the good news
        • Samaritan is the example of doing what must be done to inherit eternal life, but is still a Samaritan
    • Identified by showing kindness/mercy
      • ‘"kindness" that is so conspicuously absent from the life of our world—a world driven by competition, greed, and individualism, but also (let us note) a world whose most ethically minded often seem apt to be more concerned for rights than for forgiveness, for justice than for mercy, for equality than for compassion. ‘Douglas John Hall - Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year C, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season After Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16).

Secondary scripture -Amos 7:7-17- God’s Judgement against Israel - plumbline

  • Historical context - see more here
    • Divided Kingdom: Israel in the North, with King Jeroboam.  Judea in the South.
    • Amos is from Northern Kingdom, here is told to go to Judea because they don’t want to hear it.
    • Northern Kingdom will be destroyed in 30 years.  After destruction, the area is rebuilt, Bethel remains central to their worship.  People become known as the Samaritans - distinct from the Judeans.
    • Southern Kingdom will go into exile in another 150 years.
    • Jeroboam = King. Amaziah = Priest.  Amos = Seer (or Prophet)
  • Amos is a book of judgment against Israel for unfaithfulness
  • Plumb line is used to measure the straightness of a wall and to “judge” a faulty wall
    • Is Israel, literally, “in line” with God? No
  • Not loving neighbor = not loving God
  • We are quick to jump to grace and ignore the judgement of God - the consequence of our actions
    • We often want to think of God with us and watching over us (not passing us by) when we need God’s grace and comfort- what about when we are being unfaithful?
    • “Amos attacked a one-day-a-week kind of religion which allowed a dichotomy between faith and daily life, saying that worship in the temple was nauseous to the Lord when there was no concern for justice in the courts and honesty in the shops.” (James Limburg in Interpretation)
  • God’s judgment is not a rejection of the covenant but God’s way of remaining faithful to the covenant
    • Think Amos 5:24 - we use MLK Jr’s words in a light and easy manner, but it was an omen of death and destruction - of painful cleansing
  • “Mr. Cellophane” - sung by Amos in Chicago the Musical
  • Prophecy is not solely the gift of the “holy” or “great men,” or professional religious people.  Amos declares, “I’m just a herdsman who the Lord uses.”  
    • Prophets were known to take salaries from kings.  Amos declares “I am no prophet” means he is not a professional.
    • Everyday prophets in our midst - Those willing to speak the truth even when there may be repercussions.
    • Speaking truth to power:
      • to the government
      • to the culture
      • to the church

Closing
TY: listeners, Opening music, The Fratellis “Chelsea Dagger”
TY: Closing music,Paul and Storm, “Oh No”

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All, Amos, Luke, Pentecost-Sept, PodcastEric FistlerComment