Revd Sara's Reflections - w/c 13th July 2025

We welcome Revd Sara back from her sabbatical!

Revd Sara Reflection Sunday 13^th July 2025

Bible Reading: Luke 10:25-37

The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is one of Jesus’ most famous teachings. It’s a story that cuts through religious obligation, social boundaries, and moral loopholes, bringing us face-to-face with the heart of discipleship: love in action.

It all begins with a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” When Jesus responds with the commandments to love God and love neighbour, the questioner, like many of us, wants clarity. Wants limits. “And who is my neighbour?” he asks – hoping perhaps for a manageable answer.

But Jesus does not give him a list. Instead, he tells a story that turns expectations upside down.

A man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead. Two religious figures, people who might have been expected to help, pass by. Whether out of fear, busyness, or a desire to avoid ritual impurity, we do not know, but they keep walking. Then comes a Samaritan: an outsider, someone considered unclean and suspect by Jewish society. It’s the Samaritan who stops, tends, carries, and cares.

The power of this story lies in its disruption of boundaries. Jesus refuses to define“ neighbour” by proximity, religion, or social acceptability. Instead, he reframes the question entirely—not “Who is my neighbour?” but “What does it mean to be a neighbour?”

This story challenges us to expand the circle of our compassion. It is not enough to love those who are like us, or those we find easy to care for. Jesus calls us to recognise the humanity and the dignity of those we might otherwise pass by or overlook.

Discipleship, in this story, means crossing the road. It means choosing compassion over convenience, risk over respectability, love over law.

It is a powerful reminder that grace doesn’t stay in the safe places. It moves toward the wounded. It takes time, spends resources, and gets its hands dirty. It asks us to do the same.

So today, let this story sit with you. Ask:

- Who have I been walking past lately?

- Where might I be called to cross the road in love?

- How can I live out a faith that makes being a neighbour more important than simply knowing the right answers?

Jesus ends with a simple command: “Go and do likewise.”

May we have the courage to follow, not just in word, but in compassionate, grace-filled action.

Thank you for all your kind welcome back words, I have missed you

love and prayers Revd Sara