Welcome to 2022, another 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, and 31,536,000 seconds stretching out over the horizon of life. Of course, we have no idea if we will make it all the way to that last second and glimpse 2023’s horizon, but I am sure hoping we both will.
In order to reach the 2022 horizon we had to spend all those 2021 months, weeks, days, minutes, and seconds, every last one of them. We have to do the same journeying to the 2023 horizon; the only question will be how we will spend 2022’s days and seconds.
A lot can change in a few minutes, even a split second. In Luke 10:25-37, you find Jesus and a lawyer having a conversation, and maybe Jesus’ most famous parable as the answer to the lawyer’s self-justifying question, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?“
And the lawyer said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” Luke 10:30-37 (NASB)
The lawyer wanted to know when and from whom he could exempt himself regarding the command to love your neighbor. He wanted to know under what circumstances he didn’t have to care.
Jesus left him no wiggle room, race, inconvenience, danger, busyness, religious excuses, not knowing the person, all went out the window. The priest, Levite, and Samaritan saw the same scene, were confronted with the same dilemma (or was it an opportunity), they all felt something, all three had to make a quick decision. The reason the Samaritan made a very different decision was that he “saw and felt compassion,” which caused him to care and act with mercy.
2022 follows 2021 and 2020 (sometimes you learn very profound truths in a pastor’s note), years hamstrung by COVID and its variants, escalating political strife, deep ideological divisions, relentless violence, economic hardships, disasters, misinformation, lies, and fears. I am sensing a fatigue, a weariness, a deep tiredness setting in. It makes it tougher to care. It makes it easier to ask the lawyer’s question, looking for the minimum level of caring, which puts us in danger of not caring at all. But care we should, care we must, it is synonymous with professing Christ.
Our 2022 Theme: CARE – Luke 10:25-37, all the way to the 2023 horizon and beyond. It is awesome and right to be known for being a Good Samaritan, for being someone who cares.
To God be all glory throughout 2022. Love you, Pastor Hans