Liturgy
How kind the good Samaritan
To him who fell among the thieves!
Thus Jesus pities fallen man,
And heals the wounds the soul receives.
O! I remember well the day,
When sorely wounded, nearly slain;
Like that poor man I bleeding lay,
And groaned for help, but groaned in vain.
Men saw me in this helpless case,
And passed without compassion by;
Each neighbor turned away their face,
Unmoved by my mournful cry.
But he whose name had been my scorn,
As Jews Samaritans despise
Came, when he saw me thus forlorn,
With love and pity in his eyes.
Gently he raised me from the ground,
Pressed me to lean upon his arm;
And into every gaping wound
He poured his own all-healing balm.
Unto his church my steps he led,
The house prepared for sinners lost;
Gave charge I should be clothed and fed;
And took upon him all the cost.
Thus saved from death, from want secured,
I wait till he again shall come,
When I shall be completely cured
And take me to his heav’nly home.
There through eternal boundless days,
When nature’s wheel no longer rolls,
How shall I love, adore, and praise,
This good Samaritan to souls!
Community Confession
Our Lord God, in the story of the good Samaritan,
We confess that we are the priest and the Levite.
Not only did we walk past, we walked away.
We were too busy, too frightened, our hearts were
too cold. In our own abundance, we were too poor
in spirit to bear the cost. In our own comfort, we
were too complacent to suffer any inconvenience.
Yet, it was the Samaritan, a man despised
and without pride of position or parentage,
who was faithful and loving and who gave
of himself sacrificially.
Father God, in your mercy, say that it is not
too late for us. Another may have borne the
burden, but we can go to the inn and sit with
the afflicted while they heal.
We can bathe their wounds and feed them
and lighten their spirit until the Good One
returns. Grant us the grace to do that little
service with a grateful heart; and stand with
us so that we will not walk away and shun
the greater service the next time.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on us sinners.
We pray in the name of the Father,
of the Risen Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 5.03.15 – What’s It All About?
How do our practices in life reflect what love is and what love is not?
What are some risks that we need to take in order to demonstrate God’s love?
How do we create diversity in our beliefs to allow for safety in our community?
Benediction
Dear friends, remember, that
wherever we go, we never walk alone:
for our Lord Jesus Christ is walking in front of us to lead us,
our Lord Jesus Christ is walking behind us to encourage us,
our Lord Jesus Christ is above us to guide us,
and beneath us to support us.
Remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is
beside of us to hold, support and befriend us.
And it is our Savior, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ
who lives within our hearts to give us his peace,
joy, mercy and love this day and forever more.
So leave here and take comfort in our Lord,
serving all this week
in the name of the Father,
of the Risen Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.