Jesus said, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Have you ever crossed the street to avoid someone? Or ducked into another aisle in the grocery store, hoping they didn’t see you? Maybe it was someone you knew but felt you didn’t have the time or energy to face. Or maybe it was someone you didn’t know, but you made a judgement based on their behavior or appearance.

Regardless, something about that person made you uncomfortable, so you looked away, or moved in another direction.

What about the opposite? Has anyone ever crossed the street or looked the other way to avoid you?

We tend to avoid engaging with people who might pull us out of our comfort zone.

In the parable, Jesus tells to demonstrate what he means when he says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He chooses to identify the protagonist as a person who was used to being avoided.

As a Samaritan living on the fringes, he had likely watched people cross the street to avoid him on many occasions. And now, here was his chance to do the same. After all, even the religious leaders crossed over and walked on by. This robbed, beaten and injured man was not their problem. It was a reasonable thing to do.

Who would have blamed the Samaritan if he had crossed the street and kept on walking too?

What would it take to stop and offer help to someone knowing that if another the situation were reversed, they would have crossed the street to avoid you?

This is the grace Jesus offers each of us, and it is the grace he calls us to offer our neighbors.

It is what he means when he says, “Go and do likewise.”

Brother Jesus, teach us how to be good neighbors, that the deep woundedness of this world might be healed. In Your Holy name we pray. Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mentioned in this episode:

Thank you for joining us for Grace for All. This month, we are repeating some of our most loved episodes. We hope they will inspire and encourage you on your faith journey. Welcome.

I don’t know the full history of the Jesus prayer, but recently I keep tripping over it. The first reference I read was years ago. A Russian peasant seeking wisdom and peace is told to pray “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” He travels for years seeking understanding, only to discover that reciting the prayer unceasingly was his source of peace.

Recently, I stumbled over it again, and the writer questioned, “how does one pray without ceasing when we are constantly interrupted by everyday life?” Mystics have written about it. More recently, I read a week of Father Richard Rohr’s meditations on it.

How does one pray without ceasing?

As I sit writing this, the sun is rising over my backyard. The beans in my garden are climbing poles as the sunlight glistens on the dew that covers all. Perhaps the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ that we pray for is like the dew that covers everything I see.

Sometimes I think to myself I would like to work in the yard now, but I will get soaked. I tell myself I should wait. I see it as a problem. I hesitate as if it is something bad.

Perhaps the dew is a beautiful blessing that I should let soak me through and through because the love and mercy of Christ is shining through it and everything I touch. What if the dew is a blessing and not a curse? What if my perception that something seems difficult, or unpleasant, or inconvenient is the curse, because it keeps me from seeing the light of Christ’s mercy on me? What if by hesitating I am failing to share mercy and light with all that I encounter?

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Give me the strength to recognize the blessings and your love that is in everything I see, and touch, and am. May your light shine on me, through me, from me. Lord, give me the strength to pray unceasingly and never hesitate. Lord Jesus Christ HAVE MERCY ON ME!

This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mentioned in this episode:

This month on Grace for All, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. If you are enjoying these devotions and would like to have them in written form, our first six months of content is now available in print. You can find it by searching Grace for All, a book of daily devotions, by Jim Stovall on Amazon. As always, thank you for joining us, and we pray that you will be blessed.

Ain’t it the truth?

God says, “Go to the place I will show you.”

How many times in life have I started out thinking I had a clear sense of direction only to find the place I arrived was not at all the place I had envisioned.

Can you relate?

Often the journey has been long and hard, filled with unexpected twists and obstacles. Often I have found myself asking whether I could possibly be on the right path, and I have been tempted to give up or turn back.

But more times than not, the place God showed me, while different than I imagined, filled me with awe and gratitude. Mostly, I have been surprised by how the real beauty and blessing was in the journey itself. Such is life in faith.

Usually, when God calls us, the only things that are certain are the things we leave behind. The destination is a mystery, revealed only when we have arrived, and we can finally say, “Oh, now I see. This is where You were leading me all along.”

It strikes me that God’s promise to Abram was not in the land so much as in the showing. “I will show you,” God says. “I will.” It is God’s faithfulness to Abram and not Abram’s faithfulness to God that results in fulfillment of the promise.

God’s faithfulness still results in fulfillment of God’s promises. Even now God is calling us with these same words, “Go. To the place I will show you.”

Faithful God, increase our faith in you, that we would not hesitate to go, knowing you will show is the way. Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mentioned in this episode:

This month on Grace for All, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. If you are enjoying these devotions and would like to have them in written form, our first six months of content is now available in print. You can find it by searching Grace for All, a book of daily devotions, by Jim Stovall on Amazon. As always, thank you for joining us, and we pray that you will be blessed.