Hello Neighbor: Luke 10:25–37        Feb 23, 2025

This morning, we will be hearing a selection of scripture that appears only in the Gospel as recorded by Luke. The text centers around one of Jesus’ many parables, which are his way of teaching a point through a story to make it understood easily by those around him.

Luke was not only the author of this Gospel but was also the author of the book of Acts as well. Luke being a doctor by trade, was no stranger to detail so it’s no surprise that a third of the parables told by Jesus appear in his Gospel.

So, to kind of set the stage for our message this morning, I’d like to ask you this question. What kind of neighbor would you say you are? Are you the kind of neighbor always helping someone out with your time or experience? Or are you the neighbor that is always borrowing things and never giving them back?

Maybe you’re the neighbor who keeps to themselves. Or maybe you are the overly friendly type of neighbor who some might label as “Suspiciously Happy”. Here in New York, the bar for that is often set to be anyone who waves at you. For a lot of us, we think like that State Farm jingle, “Like a good neighbor, stay over there”.

When I was in my early 20’s, I lived in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn next door to the night club that I worked at as a bartender. My apartment had this door that opened into the courtyard of that club which made it a very convenient home for a person such as myself who had an issue with alcohol and other substances.

 Being so close to the club, I made a habit of inviting people over to my place once the club closed so we could keep the party going.

Across the hall in my building was this neighbor I had who I really didn’t care for all that much because he liked to say annoying things like, “Hey, It’s 3 in the morning, can you please keep it down?” and “Could you please not set phone books on fire in front of the building, it’s really dangerous.”

One night, I decided it was a good idea to invite 30 of my closest friends that I had never met before that night back to my studio apartment like so many other nights. On this night however, a huge fight broke out in my apartment and somehow, I managed to get myself locked outside, as I was trying to break up this fight, without my wallet, phone or keys. Around this time, the police showed up to find me attempting to break down my door to get in.

As the cops were putting me in handcuffs because they thought I was breaking in, I saw my neighbor staring out his window and I yelled to him, “Hey Neighbor! (I didn’t even know his name) Tell them I live here!” to which he replied, “Officer, I’ve never seen this guy in my life.” It occurred to me then that at any moment while I was trying to get in, he could have just buzzed me in, but why would he? I wasn’t a very good neighbor.

This morning, the topic of who our neighbors are and how we treat them is the topic of our scripture this morning.  Please follow along with me in Luke 10:25-37.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

[25] And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” [27] And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” [28] And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

[29] But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [30] Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. [32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. [34] He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. [35] And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

 [36] Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” [37] He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

You might be asking yourself, “Why is Jesus being questioned by a lawyer about eternal life?”. In the bible, a “Lawyer” is a label used interchangeably with “scribe”, someone who interprets “Mosaic Law”, or the law of Moses. This would be a man who was very well educated and had a firm grip on Judaic laws and traditions.

And he asks Jesus a question in such a way that reveals a lot. He asks what it is that “he can do” to receive eternal life, implying that there is some act or task that can grant him salvation. He is not alone in this thinking.

 Even today there might be someone here who whether they realize it or not, believe that salvation will be a reward for doing something in this life that “earns” their way into heaven. The truth is, there is nothing “we” are capable of doing to achieve this. It is by Gods’ grace that our faith in his son Jesus Christ alone will save us.

So, this lawyer asks this loaded question of our savior, one that he thinks he already knows the answer to. And Jesus gives him an answer in short, but he expands on it in his preferred method of teaching… the parable.

In seminary or bible colleges, there are classes focused solely on interpreting our saviors many stories that are meant to illustrate relatable scenarios or settings to its listeners in order to convey His message.

Now, after reading or hearing this story many times over the years, it is easy to not get the full scope of this parable. Loving your neighbor is a clear point that we get right off the rip of this scripture. Love your God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. Obvious, right? This thought is a valuable one but let’s dig a little deeper.

Going back to this parable, we have the Levite who passes on by the injured man and does not stop to help. And then we have the priest who does the same. I’m sure we can all relate to being like them.

 Each Sunday when we ask for forgiveness before coming to the table of communion, we admit to God that we have looked the other way when action was needed. These are not empty words that we recite. Human beings look the other way quite a bit if we are willing to admit it.

Then there is the Samaritan, who unlike the priest and the Levite, actually stops and helps this poor beaten man in the ditch. Historically speaking, Samaritans and Jews did not like each other. That could be another sermon all on it’s own. Suffices to say that stopping to help someone of the other heritage would normally never happen.

 Jesus tells us this to stress that this Samaritan is really going out of his way to help this man, as also shown by the amount of help the man receives as a result. He not only helped the man out of the ditch, he bound and cleaned his wounds. He brought him to an inn and stayed and cared for him. And when he had to leave, he paid two day wages for the innkeeper to look after him promising to pay any further charges if needed.

Can we relate to being like this man? Have we had times in our lives when we have taken care of our neighbors, our communities, or strangers? Did we go home and get a jacket and food for the homeless man on the street instead of giving him whatever loose change we had in our pockets?

Or did we pretend like we didn’t see him? Did we ever care for those who maybe didn’t deserve it?

Those of us that have had someone we love brought to their knees by drug addiction or alcohol addiction or whatever addiction, are no stranger to caring for those that don’t “deserve” our help.

We deal with anger, jealousy, theft, lies and so many other issues that it’s almost too much to take. But how many times have you still loved and cared for that person regardless of what they did to you or your family?

That is the kind of “Loving your neighbor” that’s what is being expressed here.

Being the source of a lot of damage in my family from being an addict, I have been the person who received love and care undeservingly. I stole from friends and family, lied over and over.

I Didn’t show up for big days or birthdays because I was too busy chasing a feeling that a drug would never really give me. My life was a dumpster fire, and I was beaten down so badly that I was sure I could no longer live.

Looking through that lens of feeling close to death, it’s not hard see that the person that we truly are in this parable of the Good Samaritan, isn’t the priest or Levite. It isn’t even the good Samaritan.

 We are the beaten, doomed man in that ditch. We are helpless, alone and scared. We are the one in need of saving. We are in desperate need of Jesus, the real good Samaritan to pick us up care for us even though we don’t deserve his help.

Now, you may not be robbed and beaten. You may not be half dead from drugs or alcohol. But without salvation from Christ, we are all dead in our sins. Human aid is not enough for us.

For myself, I can say honestly that it was nothing I did that got me out of that ditch. I was beyond human aid. Only God could be the Good Samaritan. Think of times in your life when you were at your worst. When you needed help out of that ditch, did you pray for help?

The Good News for us today is that our savior comes to us where we are. He comes to us when we are at our worst. And He alone rescues us. We only need to receive him.

As willful human beings, we have a hard time understanding that we are not capable of controlling things in our lives. Often, we try so hard to manage things that are out of our control, that we end up making things much worse than they were already. 

Which brings us back to the start of the story, Jesus taught this lawyer, this religious scholar, that there was nothing that he alone could do to receive eternal life.

He showed that this intelligent, educated man who was so sure that there was something he could do for eternal life, was truly helpless on his own when it came to being saved. Jesus is the sole way to salvation.

In Acts 4:12, Luke says this:

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

We need Jesus, and when he enters our lives and rescues us, he calls us to be compassionate. He calls us to serve others around us. We are all neighbors, and Gods church is a community. We honor God when we love each other. That is why fellowship is so important. If we don’t see our neighbors, talk to our neighbors, how can we truly love each other like God wants us to?

 At the end of our scripture, Jesus tells the lawyer, “You go, and do likewise”. This is a command, not a suggestion, for us all. And yes, we will still fail at doing this all the time. But even if we end up back in that ditch where we started, Jesus Christ is righteous and merciful and will carry us back to salvation.

This is the word of the Lord for you this morning.

This is the grace of God for you today. Amen.

This morning before we read our scripture that has been selected for us by our Lectionary, I would like you to consider a question. What effect has someone’s words had on your life? Words have the innate ability to both lift people up and put people down. They can be used to create or used to destroy. If you think about it for a minute, I’m sure you could think of a few different times in your life that something someone said to you or about you that has stuck with you to this very day.

For example:

Shortly after my parents divorced, I was forced to leave my life with the friends I had grown up with and I had moved to a new school district where I knew absolutely no one. Over the course of the first month or so I made a total of one friend. Just one. His name was Mike and even he had more friends than I did, two friends. I seemed to be exiled by everyone else because they either dressed cooler than me or I didn’t fit in with their crowd...

So, my one and only friend Mike and I had heard there was going to be a school dance in a few weeks and proceeded to make outrageous claims to each other about what amazing dancers we were, and that this would be our “In” to become popular kids. Now I knew that Mike didn’t have anything resembling sweet dance moves, and he knew that too. However, Mike must have really believed me because he spent the next few weeks being my own personal hype-man for this school dance without me knowing.

He hyped me up so much that the moment I got to the dance, there were these kids saying, “He’s here! He’s Here! Let’s see you dance!”. Now I’d love to tell you that I turned into Usher suddenly and impressed everyone, making friends for life. But that’s not what happened. Instead, I gyrated like I was having a stroke for about 5 seconds until my belt popped open and my pants fell to the floor.

Needless to say, I didn’t make any friends that night. Or for a lot of days after that. My friends’ false claims about my dancing talents led to one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. As a result, I never danced again. Not even on my wedding day.

I have no doubt in my mind that in each of us lies a moment where words have made a lasting impression.

 Our text this morning centers around the presentation of our newborn Lord and savior at the temple in Jerusalem. It’s a Jewish tradition that is performed by the temple priests of the 1st century, who use traditional words to welcome children into their religion and present them to God. But what we find in this text is that it’s bold words of proclamation from two unexpecting prophets that steal the spotlight.

Please follow along in a pew bible or yours that you brought from home.

[22] And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [23] (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) [24] and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” [25] Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. [27] And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, [28] he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

[29] “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

                     according to your word;

          [30] for my eyes have seen your salvation

          [31] that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

          [32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

                     and for glory to your people Israel.”

          [33] And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. [34] And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed [35] (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

[36] And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, [37] and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. [38] And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

[39] And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. [40] And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

In the story of Jesus, this is the first of the only two stories we have about Jesus’ childhood after the Nativity Story that we hear at Christmas. After these two stories, we won’t hear about his life again until we come to John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, baptizing in the river Jordan.

Our scripture tells us of the day that Jesus is presented at the temple as commanded in the law that the Jewish people followed. As per Leviticus, the child must be brought to the temple to be presented to the Lord. This tradition of presenting the firstborn son at the temple has two purposes that you may not know.

 First, it serves as a tribute to God for freeing the Israelites from Egyptian captivity, in part by sending the plague that took the firstborn sons of Egypt on the first Passover.

Secondly, a transaction takes place through sacrificial payment. This acts as a reminder for the Jewish people that their children belonged to God before being “returned” to the parents. Mary and Joseph, being of lesser status, would have sacrificed two pigeons. If they had been of greater means, they would have sacrificed a sheep.

Our savior comes to the temple in the humblest of ways, born to parents who are not rich in terms of money, but are rich in faithfulness to the laws of their God. They bring Jesus to the temple and in doing so, they are returning the true presence of God to the temple. This is the first time since the Babylonian siege in 586 B.C. as described in Ezekiel 10.

As Gods presence returns, we meet Simeon. He is an older man who recognizes Jesus as the savior the Jewish people had been waiting for. We hear how God had told him that he would not die until he sees the Messiah, and he rejoices because God has kept his promises. He kept the promise to Simeon, and the promise made in the Garden of Eden. The promise that one day God would send a savior to crush the head of the enemy forever.

Simeons’ revelation also proclaims that this salvation has not just come for tribes of Israel, but for gentiles as well. Gods’ mercy will be for all those who embrace His Son. He also makes a prophetic claim about Christs’ crucifixion piercing Mary’s heart just as her child’s side will be pierced.

Simeons song tells us that living a patient, faithful life is rewarded with the presence of our savior. Rewarded with the comfort that he came to free us from the chains of sin.

In verse 36, we are told of Anna. She is a widow who is advanced in years and like Simeon, her faithfulness through age and hardship is heightened at the sight of the baby Jesus. As she sees that the Messiah has come, she tells all what she has witnessed.

 In the bible there are only a handful of women who are named a “prophetess”. We only have 3 verses telling us about her, but I believe the reason is for us to focus on one clear point.

When Jesus enters our lives, our immediate reaction should be to evangelize that our savior, the redemption of Gods people, is here.

These prophets show us how we should react when we encounter Christ. How we should proclaim the good news.

 But we are human. We will fall short, time after time. Even after coming to Christ, we can use our words to hurt instead of to heal.

Who here has been the victim of gossip or flat out lies? Like my experience at the school dance, it doesn’t end well. It ends with people hurt and an everlasting resentment for the person or people responsible.

And yet, if I go back to my story, I wasn’t the blameless victim that I thought I was for so long. I perpetuated that lie which led to my friends’ false claims, which then led to the embarrassing climax of my dancing career. These words lead to resentment.

 Words that spread lies, gossip, and false claims are dirty business. They poison everything they touch.

 In church, it is no different. False prophets and perverters of scripture trick people with their words into false beliefs to advance their own agendas. Their twisting of the word of God can leave people scarred for years to come and often push people further from salvation than when they started. These words push people away.

Gossip in and out of friendship circles and churches can do the same damage. Our Bibles strongly condemn gossip in both the Old Testament and New Testament as well. In the book of Proverbs 16:28 we are told, “A perverse man stirs up dissention, and a gossip separates close friends”. While in Paul’s letter to the Romans he says in 1:29, “Gossip is condemned as the result of a depraved mind, unfitting for Christians”. These are words that destroy.

Yes, words can do so much harm if used in a sinful way. But they can do better if spoken to lift one another up. King Solomon, the wise son of David, and author of Ecclesiastes wrote this in 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have great reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up”.

Choosing to lift one another up is an act of love. As we move closer to Christ, he changes us from the inside out. We try to love as he loved and care as he cared. We may falter along the way, but our God is a forgiving God.

When we receive communion each Sunday, we hear the words of 1 John 1:9 that say, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. When we lie, we repent. When we gossip, we repent. When we sin, we repent. And we ask for forgiveness.

As we move into the new year, let us remember that words, have a weight to them. Let us be mindful that our words have consequences both good and bad. Let us take a lesson from Simeon and Anna whose words proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah are the greatest that we could ever share. Let’s choose our words wisely, because Jesus (the word become flesh), is the Word that matters most.

This is the Word of the Lord for you this morning.

This is the Grace of God for you today. Amen.

If someone was to tell you that today would be the end of not just your life, but the end of the world… would you be ready for it? Would you be ready for everything that you know to be over in a flash?

At some point or another, we have all seen that person trying to warn us. His clothes are tattered, his hair is a mess, and his beard is overgrown. He might stand on soapbox or a milk crate clutching a weathered piece of cardboard that reads, “The End Is Near”.

 And most of us have probably thought, “This poor man is insane or drunk ”. But is he really? Is he just a drunk obsessing over a false reality? Or Is it possible he is a prophet?

The end-times have fascinated the secular and non-secular, or religious and non-religious world for years. There have been countless movies about the destruction of the Earth as we know it. Movies like, “2012”, “The Day after Tomorrow”, “Seeking a friend for the end of the world”, just to name a few.

It seems that year in and year out, there is always some mention of the end times in various types of media.

So where did this fascination begin? When did humanity start concerning themselves with the end of the world? Our text this morning comes from Mark 13:1-13.

This selection of scripture captures a discourse between Jesus and his disciples concerning this topic of the end of days, amongst other important things. Please follow along with me.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

3And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9  “But  be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten  in synagogues, and you will stand before  governors and  kings for my sake,  to bear witness before them. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 

12And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Solomons Temple was truly a wonder of architecture. It was magnificently built with huge stones, some bigger than pickup trucks, some of which were trimmed with gold that made it seem like a place worthy for God to live in.

Tradition and ceremony gave it an awe-inspiring reverence to the Jewish people who would travel there at least three times a year to celebrate holidays.

As Jesus and his disciples leave the temple for the day, in what would be his last time at the temple, they are heading to the Mount of Olives by way of the Golden Gate of the city. They would leave through this gate, descend down into the Kidron Valley and ascend up the side of the Mount of Olives.

Just as a reminder of where we are at in Jesus’ story, It is Tuesday of passion week. On Sunday he arrived triumphantly, on Monday he chased the vendors and flipped the money-changers tables in the temple. On Wednesday Judas will be bribed to betray Jesus and by Friday afternoon he will be on the cross.

Now geographically, as you come up out of the Kidron Valley, you would be able to see the Temple shining in the late day sun reflecting off the gold and highlighting the limestone that made up its walls.

The disciples were no doubt in awe, and comment to Jesus on its beauty. Jesus is unimpressed and tells them that this place that they revere so much, will not last.

He tells a prophecy that will prove true in just 40 years from the time of this scripture. Jesus essentially tells them this marvelous building is just that…a building. Something that can and will fall.

 We may understand a bit better now, but for the Jewish people of Jesus’ time…. this was the place that God actually lived in on Earth.

 The Temple was a sign of stability, something permanent in a world that was constantly changing. This must have been a shocking statement. Imagine someone you trust told you that in 40 years, the ocean would just POOF be gone. Youd have questions, right?

Understandably, they ask when all this is going to happen. How could they not? They want to know what to look for so that they can tell that the time has come for the end. So, Jesus proceeds to give them instructions and warnings that are important for us here today as well.

He says there will be those who come that will claim to be God. And over the centuries, there have been many that claimed to be Jesus returned from heaven.

 Most of us here would probably dismiss them immediately, consider them crazy. But there have been some who have been fooled into following theses people into bad situations, some ending in death.

More commonly and sometimes harder to spot are the false prophets and misguided church leaders. They may not be claiming to be our Messiah but they are doing ungodly and immoral things in his name.

They may tell you that you things like, “You don’t need to worry what the bible says, the 12 disciples didn’t even have a bible!”, which couldn’t be further from the truth. They had the Old Testament.

God’s word is so vital because in fact, it’s God’s living word that will prepare you to spot these fools in the first place.

You might be surprised to find out that a prominent TV preacher just made this exact claim just a few months ago. And what’s even scarier is there are still many others that lead Christians astray that don’t appear on tv.

In verse 7 Jesus says that there will be wars and rumors of wars, and natural disasters. Today, we have all these things happening seemingly more and more.

Guaranteed, you can go home today and go on YouTube, and you could find dozens of documentaries telling you that our current weather and political climates mean that the end of days is near. I have seen way to many of these myself.

In the news cycle regularly lately, there are wars and whispers of other ones starting or being threatened. Listening to these outlets can make you think that WW3 will break out any second. But this isn’t the end either. God himself told us so.

The remainder of the Olivet Discourse, as this selection of scripture has come to be known as, speaks to the persecution that Christians will face for following Jesus. It does not say that we will be saved from persecution, but to be faithful through it all because God is with us, and we will be saved through our faith in him.

Our hardships will come from the most unexpected of places. Our friends, our families, employers, our governments. Living faithfully means choosing to trust in Jesus’ promises even when life is chaotic and unpredictable. Even when we are afraid.

 This doesn’t mean that we deny or even ignore our fears, but we place them in God’s hands and move towards him in confidence.

It’s very easy as Christians to get wrapped up in Eschatology, the study of the end days. There are so many different interpretations of scripture out there. So many schools of thought. Premillennialism, Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Pre-tribulation, Post tribulation, this tribulation, that tribulation…...it all gets so confusing.

There are thousands of books that have fascinating narratives and insights into the bible. There are confusing math equations and codes that people claim accurately show exactly when the end is due.

Whether they are right or wrong, it really doesn’t matter. We are not meant to know. We are not meant to waste our lives trying to figure it out. The excitement of God’s plan unfolding in our lifetime can be a distraction from what is truly important.

So what is important? If we aren’t meant to waste our time trying to figure it all out…,what are we supposed to do?

What we are meant to do is be ready for when the time comes. And our best way to readiness is our faith. A little further in Marks Gospel, Jesus says this:

32 “But concerning that day or that hour,  no one knows, not even the angels in heaven,  nor the Son,  but only the Father. 33Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

If Jesus doesn’t know, there’s no reason for us to know. There’s no reason for weird math or theories. No reason for dissention amongst Christians. What we are ultimately commanded to do is be prepared and not be fearful, because our Lord and savior will fulfil His Fathers plan. And when he does, we will be welcomed into Heaven to live in Gods’ glory for eternity.

On September 1, 1987, the alternative rock band REM released an album containing 2 of their biggest hits of all time. The runaway hit of that year was the apocalyptic-esque song, “It’s the end of the world as we know it”. The songs’ 4-minute playtime touted fast paced wordplay to the tune of some 1100 words. To put that in perspective, this sermon today is just a little past that many words.

The chorus or hook of the song was simple but catchy, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, It’s the end of the world as we know it, It’s the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine.”

But it was Michael Stypes’ relentless word attack in the verses that created all the buzz around the song. So much so that in 1993, a DJ from a radio station in Georgia held a contest where the winner would receive a meet and greet with the band.

 The contest was simple, to win the contest you had to be able to sing the song word-for-word from memory.

 Person after person tried and failed and the closest anyone came was around 1000 words correctly uttered.

A few days after the contest, the band was interviewed by the station and when they were told how no one could match Michael Stypes’ lyrics he said, “Of course they couldn’t, half of it is non-sense…. I don’t even know it from memory. When I wrote the song, I wrote chorus first. The verses were just a means to get to that catchy hook.”

He went on to invite all the contestants to the show that night anyway saying, “If they got the words to the chorus right, that’s enough for me.”

Is it possible that the theory that one of us has about the end of days is correct? Absolutely. But we can also be wrong. Either way, just like the REM song, it’s the chorus that really matters.

 If it’s time for all things on this earth to end, we should feel fine. We are children of God whose sin in this world has been redeemed. That redemption has been given to us by the blood of Christ.

He sacrificed himself for us, suffered for us, to usher us through the end of days and into eternity.

In the days and weeks ahead, if you find yourself fearful of things to come or distracted by them, remember what he did for you. If you find yourself anxious for the end, remember this promise found in 1 John 2:15

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Continue doing the will of God. Love Him. Love each other. And have faith that through his grace, no matter what the outcome of this finite world…Jesus has prepared a place for you in his father’s house.

This is the word of the Lord for you this morning. This is the grace of God for you today and every day. Amen.

Throughout time, man has searched for many things. Some things as fleeting as lasting youth or power. Some things as grand as knowledge or trying to find the meaning of life. As individuals on a more personal and emotional level, we also search for things like security, love and we absolutely seek comfort. Comfort comes in a variety of forms for a variety of reasons.

I’d like to ask you this morning, what kind of comfort do you seek in life?

Over the course of a few generations, we have gone from hardwood to padded floors, from having only windows in our homes to having central air, from sleeping on floors to sleeping on pillow-top mattresses. The list of material comforts could go on and on.

Last week, my family said goodbye to my dear Uncle who had been suffering through cancer for the past 2 years. As the end was approaching, I couldn’t help but pray for him to just be comfortable. Not just physically, but spiritually comforted.

This morning, we will be reading through Psalm 91, often referred to as “The Protection Psalm”. However, this Psalm has given a kind of comfort to so many for centuries and will always remain a favorite of mine as well. I encourage you to follow along in your bible or in one of the pew bibles in front of you. Psalm 91 says this:

My Refuge and My Fortress

91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say[a] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge[b]—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

In reading through the book of Psalms, I have found that learning who the writer was and what was going on in their life really helps us to get a deeper understanding of the Psalms’ meaning. Psalm 91 in its original Hebrew is not credited to any author in particular. However, the Jewish tradition is that Moses was its author and King David added it to the book of Psalms while compiling them.

Moses, the man who as a baby almost lost his life because of a decree by the Egyptian Pharoah to kill all newborn Jewish babies, was no stranger to God sheltering and protecting him throughout his life. It’s not hard to conceptualize his headspace when penning this psalm.

Moses was also lucky enough to speak to God while on Mt. Sinai when God appeared as the Burning Bush. God told Moses that he must free his people from Egyptian captivity. A task that would be impossible as well as extremely dangerous without the power of God. But Moses trusted in Gods’ power and witnessed Gods’ strength against Earthly rulers.

So now we know our author and have a good sense of what God had done for him so let’s look at what it says:

Our introduction to Psalm 91 gives us instructions on how we come to be under the care of God. We must first put our faith in him and trust him to care for us. This introduction also draws a picture of the Lord God as the one true almighty or El Shaddai as in the Hebrew text, meaning being all powerful and all knowing.

God is described as unbreakable; he is our refuge (a safe place for shelter) and our fortress (a strong castle or structure that is difficult for enemies to enter).  

Verses 3 through 8 tell us what happens when He protects us. How he protects us. How he shields us from attack. We are told that he will deliver us from the pestilence, as he did the Israelites when the plagues were unleashed onto the Egyptians. These verses remind us that in this life we will face dangers, sometimes unforeseen. But God assures us that he is with us.

4 He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge

This imagery compares Gods’ protection to that of a mother bird, protecting her young from danger …Shrouding them with her wings. It expresses tenderness and closeness to us, showing us that God is not too far or indifferent to our hardships. He is actively involved in shielding us from harm.

Now don’t be confused, this does not mean that we will never face trials or hardships or pain. What it means is that even while these things happen, God is with us, and his protection is sufficient. His faithfulness to caring for us is our shield. His promises to us are our comfort.

Verses 9-13 stress the importance of our trust in God.

 9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge[b]—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.

Now this doesn’t mean we should live life recklessly. It is a call to faith and trust in God and our Lord Jesus Christ. When we put our trust in God and his Son, we put ourselves in the safest hands ever possible. Allstate wishes their hands were so good.

Again, trusting God does not mean that we won’t have problems. It means that we won’t have to face them alone. God promises us that his angels will guard us, and we will tread on lions and serpents, symbols of danger and evil respectively. With Gods help, we can get past anything that life puts before us.

The last verses of our Psalm, switch to God speaking directly to us.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him.

He tells us very clearly, that because we love him and trust him, he will be with us. Unwaveringly. He will protect us, answer us, and honor us when we call upon his holy name.

You might ask yourself as I did, why would the most Holy being do this for us? The answer is that verses 14-16 find their fulfillment in Jesus. He is the only one worthy enough for those words. Because of Jesus’ faithfulness, God honors him and ultimately us because we are united with him in faith.

Through that faith, we are able to apply this Psalm to our lives.

As some of you know or may have heard in previous sermons, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Israel and see the lands described in the books of the Bible. Cristie and I stayed in the Old City of Jerusalem, in an air-BNB apartment which was approximately a 5-minute walk to The Western Wall where the Jewish Temple once stood.

We were also fortunate enough to go to the Galilee where most of Jesus’ ministry took place. We were able to see where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan. And we also got to see where Jesus was believed to have been crucified, on top of a hill with what looks like the face of a skull on it.

It was an amazing trip to say the least. So as most of you know, Israel has been in a war and at the time that we went, that war was about 6 months in.

 Our last night there about 6 hours before we had to be at the airport, we woke to find out that there were hundreds of missiles headed our way and only moments later the explosions began. We heard them exploding in the sky and felt everything shaking. And we knew that we did not have enough time to get to the bomb shelter located at the Western Wall.

We went to the center of the apartment to a set of stairs with a large archway and Cristie and the lady we were staying with sat on the steps. Our host was Ms. Ruth and she was reading from her Hebrew bible out loud in Hebrew in the grips of fear.

In my mind I was frantic. I had been studying Israel and its defense systems for months and I knew that the Iron Dome would only stop 8 out of 10 missiles. There were hundreds coming towards us according to our phones. And in that moment, I knew we weren’t going to make it back home again. To make things worse, Ruth was praying so frantically to someone she called Hashem.

Now in that moment, I considered that Hashem might be a demon’s name which freaked me out even more. Our feelings must have been written on our faces, because she realized we didn’t understand Hebrew. Hashem, we found out, is a Hebrew name for God. It literally means “The Name”.

As she started reading in English, something happened. The franticness in my head started to calm. She had been reading Psalm 91. And when she read, “7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”, I felt calmer. I knew at that moment that whatever happened, I wasn’t alone in that danger.

 Jesus Christ my lord and savior, died for my sins on the cross. He did this so that his pure life was all God saw when he saw me. And because of this, if it was my time to perish from this Earth, I would be received into the Holiest place of all.

My faith in that terrifying hour, guided by the words of Psalm 91, gave me a new bravery that I couldn’t have mustered up by myself. Fear is a reaction, but bravery… is a decision. A decision that is bolstered by faith in he who has taken away the eternal punishment that a sinful life deserves.

God smiled on us that night. He kept us close, and we later found out that an unprecedented alliance of countries had come together and intercepted virtually every missile. Yes, there was shrapnel places but not one single explosion on the ground. Quite a miracle.

In the months since that night, I have a new appreciation for the Psalms. My Uncle was not a believer, but the last time I was with him a few days before he passed, I read this psalm at his bedside while he slept. And I prayed that he would be saved before the end.

I left feeling comforted that when life becomes too much, when people pass away, I can cling to these words to remind me that no matter what happens God is with me.

With God, we do not need to feel alone. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” When you are scared or hurt and feel like the world is against you, flip to Psalm 91 and know that Jesus is our refuge from all things. Faith in his loving grace is all the comfort we will ever need.

This is the word of the Lord for you this morning, this is the Grace of God for you today. Amen.

Good morning, Church. This morning, we are going to return into Marks biography of Jesus Christ. We will be reading from Mark 6:30-44. If you’d like to follow along in a pew bible or in one that you have brought that’s great or you can read the scripture on the screen behind me when the time comes.

To get us in the mindset for our scripture this morning, Id like to ask you a few things.

Have you ever felt like you aren’t important? Like you are comparatively less than? Do you also feel a lack of happiness, or peace? What about love? Do you feel like love is lacking in your life? Have you ever felt like you have nothing to offer in life?

 Our text this morning highlights one of the most notable of Jesus’ miracles during his ministry on Earth and it is also the only miracle excluding the resurrection that is recorded in all 4 Gospels. The feeding of the 5000.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 

33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.

 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

To give a little context as to where we are in the timeline of Jesus’ ministry, the disciples had just returned from their missions, going 2 by 2 spreading the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, preaching and healing in his name. Casting out demons from those afflicted. And so, they reunite with Jesus around the Sea of Galilee. Their missions were a big success, and they cannot wait to tell their teacher all they had done according to his will.

Really, how could they not be excited. The things they did in his name were amazing. I remember when I first found supermarkets had added those automatic doors that sensed motion and opened on their own. Not knowing why these doors opened at my presence, I thought it was something I did. By the end of that day, I told everyone I knew that I was a Jedi and willed the doors to open before me. I was devastated when I learned the truth. But I imagine the disciples’ excitement was even greater than mine that day.

The disciples were surely tired from their journeys, and we are told they didn’t even have a chance to eat. Jesus knowing this, tells them to get on a boat and they sail for an isolated area where they can have a much-needed break. Now if you don’t know much about the geography surrounding the Sea of Galilee, I have seen these places recently on a pilgrimage and the best description is that the Sea of Galilee is much like a lake here in the states.

There are sections around it that have high hills surrounding areas of plains along the coast. Traveling by boat would give you a good chance at getting to an area without many easily following as quickly. This was short-lived though as the people hoping to hear the amazing words and witness the healings of our Lord Jesus Christ, raced from all over to see this with their own eyes.

As Jesus and the disciples came to shore, they saw to their surprise a crowd had already gathered. Jesus could have had them steer the boat away and find somewhere else to go but instead he has compassion for these people. Mark tells us this is because they appear to be like sheep without a Shepherd. Our lord is the shepherd of all shepherds. In Latin, the word for shepherd is Pastor. This means Jesus is the pastor of all pastors. And so, as a pastor does, he teaches the people.

He teaches for so long that the day escapes them and just as night draws near, his disciples tell Jesus to send them away to the places nearby for food.

Nearby for them was certainly at best a few hours of one of the hungriest walks you could imagine. And when they finally get to one of these villages, it’s still going to be a while until they eat. There is no McDonalds there in the 1st century. By the grace of God there is still not one there today either. McDonalds is just awful. But I digress…

Jesus directly tells the disciples “You give them something to eat.” And they ask if they should spend the equivalent of 200 days wages of work on bread for them. I assume this is a bit of sarcasm. But he tells them to go and see what food they do have currently. They have 5 loaves and 2 fish. Obviously, this is not enough on its own to feed that many people.

The disciples, who had just returned from doing marvelous things in Jesus’ name, have already grown skeptical of their teachers process here. Jesus takes the loaves and fish and holds them up, saying a prayer to his father in heaven.

 He breaks the bread and gives and repeats this over, and over to his students who in turn do the same. He does the same with the fish until all are satisfied, and even ends up with 12 baskets extra while he is at it.

 Its also worth noting, that the number of 5,000 derives from a count of the men present only. In those times women and children were not counted. Some believe it could have been more like 10,000 people.

Jesus, God in the flesh, has fed the people not once, but twice today; he fed their bellies but only after he fed their souls. We too have the opportunity to be fed the bread of life by our savior. He knows that we don’t have much or even anything to offer like the people in this text this morning.  He calls us to have faith in him, and he gives us his grace and love and forgiveness bountifully.

My personal road to salvation was a very bumpy ride to say the least. In a time that seems like so long ago, I remember being in a rehabilitation center upstate. I was broke, broken, and so terribly lost. I was a sheep without a shepherd. After coming to terms with the fact that everything I did on my own just put me in an even worse situation than I was in before, I had a moment of clarity.

Now maybe it was the view of the horizon over a skyline of mountains, or it was the fresh mountain air that surrounded me. I looked up to the heavens and I asked God humbly and desperately to do with me what he willed. This was a first for me. I had never had a conversation with God before that didn’t involve me saying nasty things and denying his glory.

I had nothing left to offer my children, my family, or people I had loved. I thought I had nothing left to offer God either. But I offered myself to God completely that day. His work in my life since has been a miracle in itself. That mustard seed of hope and willingness has multiplied into a life I could never imagine.

While I was in this rehab center, the world stopped because of Covid 19. As I was nearing the end of my stay, sober houses were denying everyone entry due to the fear of transmission of the virus. Yet somehow…. I was granted a place in a house in Mastic. When they send you out of rehab, they tell you to find a meeting the day you get out. Get a sponsor. But the day that I arrived there I was told that because of quarantine, all meetings were closed till further notice. A real bummer.

Interestingly enough, a guy in that sober house attended a meeting regularly and informed me that they would do weekly meetings on zoom. His meeting was based out of this very church. A year or so into attending this meeting I befriended a man in that same meeting who I did not know was the Pastor of Bethel. Just a few years later I am where you see me now.

God weaved a miracle together in my life so intricately with the scraps that I gave him that even though I saw it first-hand…it still amazes me every day.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still some rough days. There are days I have felt like I was choking on that miracle. There are days when my faith has been rattled so thin, that I wonder if God wasted his time on me.

The truth is, God does not waste time, he creates it. God does not call the equipped, he equips the called.

Our savior is compassionate. And with the feeding of the 5,000, he shows us that anything is possible with God. Whether that be helping to better the lives of others around us, or getting us through the hardest times of our lives. Or even molding a selfish, Godless heroin addict into a preacher.

We must trust in God’s ability to provide for us what we need, whether we know what that is or not and be willing to have faith in his divinity, and that by his grace our imperfect human nature is forgiven.

As Christs’ followers we are called to serve his will and fulfil his mission. The apostle Paul instructs us how to do this when he writes in Colossians 3:12-13; “Put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, and forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven you.”

Spreading his gospel to those we encounter isn’t just done with words. Our actions in how we embrace this world personify the Gospel.  Jesus did not just give the loves and fish out to the people himself.

He commissioned his followers, the 12 disciples, to help in distributing it. We must do the same and give the world around us the only nourishment it really needs. The miraculous, bread of life from our Lord, Jesus Christ.

In the days ahead if you feel less than, or like you have nothing to offer, remember that Jesus can make miracles with scraps. As long as we faithfully trust in him, our Lord Jesus washes away the debt of our sins. And his work in our lives can help others to see just how miraculous he really is.

This is the word of the Lord for you this morning, This is the grace of God for you today. Amen.