Upper Room Sunday Liturgy Sunday, July 13, 2025, The Challenge of the Good Samaritan - Presiders: Kim and Donna Panaro

 

Please join us between 9:30 and 9:55 am via Zoom

Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155 

phone-in for (audio only).Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155

Welcome and Theme 

Good morning and welcome. Today our community celebrates a story only found in the gospel of Luke. It is a familiar story about the gospel imperative to do good. It is a Sunday school favorite. At a deeper level, it is an invitation to challenge tribal beliefs and definitions of who one considers to be a neighbor . At the deepest level , Luke challenges us to look at whether and how we allow ourselves to be healed and transformed. Our faith is one that relies on relationships as a way to embody and reflect the divine, the Love that surpasses all understanding. Let us spend some time appreciating the depth of the challenge and the opportunity Luke presents.

 

Opening Prayer : Namaste by Annie Garrison video by MT Streck

https://youtu.be/ZiWwuz_NdyI  

 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

  

First Reading: Afflicting the Comfortable by Debie Thomas

 

Is there anything we can do in our 21st century lives to recover the scandal at the heart of this parable?  Because its heart is a scandal.  Think about it this way: Who is the last person on earth you'd ever want to deem "the good guy?"  The last person you'd ever want to ask for a favor — much less owe your life?  Whom do you secretly hope to convert, fix, impress, control, or save — but never, ever need?

May I throw out some possibilities?  A progressive Democrat is robbed, and a far-right Republican saves her life.  A racist white cop is robbed, and an African-American teenager saves his life.  A transgender woman is robbed, and an anti-LGBTQ activist saves her life. An outspoken atheist is robbed, and a Bible-thumping fundamentalist saves his life.  A border patrol agent is robbed, and an undocumented immigrant saves his life.       

I don't mean for a moment to trivialize the real and consequential differences that divide us politically, religiously, racially, or ideologically.  I dare not do that — not when those differences are even today costing people their lives.  But the enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans in Jesus's day was not theoretical; it was embodied and real.  The differences between them were not easily negotiated; each was fully convinced that the other was wrong. 

So what Jesus did when he deemed the Samaritan "good" was radical and risky; it stunned his Jewish listeners. He was asking them to dream of a different kind of kingdom.  He was inviting them to consider the possibility that a person might add up to more than the sum of her political, racial, cultural, and economic identities.  He was calling them to put aside the history they knew, and the prejudices they nursed.  He was asking them to leave room for divine and world-altering surprises. 

These are the inspired words of Debie Thomas and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.

Second Reading: Psalms 69

Come to my aid, O Beloved!

For my fears threaten to drown me.

I sink in the mire of confusion,

where there is no foothold;

I have entered deep waters,

and the flood sweeps over me.

I am exhausted from weeping;

I thirst as in a desert.

I no longer see the path while

waiting for your return.

 

More in number than the hairs

of my head

are the fears that I carry;

So mighty are they, the walls that

I built

can no longer withstand them.

What must I do, O Merciful One,

to be at peace once again?

O, Life of my Life, You know my pretenses,

the wrongs I have done are not

hidden from You.

 

Let me live simply, sharing what I have

with those in need,

that the abundance of your creation

might be reflected!

Let me speak out of the Silence,

that through the words given,

others will learn of You!

 

Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU

 

Gospel: A reading from the gospel writer known as Luke (Lk 10:25-37)

 

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise.”

These are the inspired words of the gospel writer known as Luke. The community affirms them by saying “amen”

Shared Homily

 

The story of the Good Samaritan is one that probably feels very familiar to most of us. As children we were taught that it was a story about helping people who are vulnerable. We should not pass by those in need. As a younger adult I learned, as most of us may have, that there is another dimension to this story. The Samaritan was “other” to first century Jews living in Palestine. For centuries, there had been growing tensions because the Samaritans had “strayed” by intermarrying with immigrants and others.  The schism was deep and full of hate and contempt. Therefore it was considered a big deal that the “enemy” would care enough to stop and help the man lying half dead in the road.

There is another level of meaning that we should not miss. In our psalm today there is such agony and fear being expressed. I think in these troubling times, many of us can relate to the pain for so many different reasons. In our progressive theology however, we do not implore God to just change things from on high. No, we understand that it takes our own hands, feet, heart and eyes as one mystic put it. So, let’s imagine that we are the person robbed and broken on the road. Life has a way of making us feel that way sometimes. I have felt it many times and I suspect you may have also. The Jews in first century Palestine were culturally and religiously required to reject the help of the unclean Samaritans. They were not supposed to accept the healing oil and water and wine, the physical carrying, the money…nothing. In order to be healed however, this person accepted unexpected grace and Love. It saved him and it saves us. It was earthshaking in its scope for this parable to be placed on Jesus’ lips. The message of the story is that we are transformed by accepting Love and kindness from whatever source. As one author put it, when we reject any good from any source, we turn away from God’s grace.

I wonder how I would be changed if my life was in the hands of someone I consider to be my enemy. I admit I have such people in mind when I say that. Change my heart, change my mind, change my understanding so that I can accept transformation as the Spirit of Wisdom invites and not my limited mindset and ego dictate. This is my prayer, and I admit I have a long way to go.

 

Please feel free to share your own thoughts on this topic and readings.

Statement of Faith 

 

We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery 
beyond all definition and rational understanding, 
the heart of all that has ever existed, 
that exists now, or that ever will exist. 
 
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, 
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, 
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's 
prophets, mystics, and saints. 
 
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus 
as a vehicle of divine love, 
a source of wisdom and truth, 
and an instrument of peace in the world. 
 
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, 
the life that is our innermost life, 
the breath moving in our being, 
the depth living in each of us. 
 
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, 
stretched out all around us for those 
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, 
and hands to make it happen. 

 

Prayers of the Community 

Presider:  As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”  

Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.  

 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

 

Presider 1: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:  

 

All: O Holy One, you have birthed us in goodness, gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth. 
 

In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer, invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment, that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with all who sing the ancient hymn of praise: 

 

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=ty1cpzQp9N6TrhAd

 

ALL: Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power.  We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our midst. 
 
Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life. 
 

Presider 2: Please extend your hands in blessing.  

 
All: We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world. 

 

On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends.  He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.

All lift their plate and pray the following:

When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread, and offered it to them saying:

Take and eat; this is my very self.

All lift their cup and pray the following:

He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:

Take and drink.

Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.

What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives, as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.

(consume bread and wine)

Communion Song: Love Can Build a Bridge written by John Jarvis, Naomi Judd and Paul Overstreet

https://youtu.be/laI791ZTrWE 

 

Prayer after Communion:

And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation. 
 

Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways. 

Amen.  

 

Presider 1: Let us pray the prayer Jesus: 

 

O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,

We celebrate your many names.

Your Wisdom come.

Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,

Each day you give us all we need;

You remind us of our limits, and we let go.

You support us in our power, and we act with courage.

For you are the dwelling place within us,

the empowerment around us,

and the celebration among us, now and forever.  Amen 

(Miriam Therese Winter)  

 

 

BLESSING

Presider: Let us pray together our blessing:

May we open ourselves up to the mystery of God. May we seek to be both Healer and the Healed. May we draw courage from the Love the we seek to reflect and embody in our hurting world. It is through this faithful commitment that we join our lives to those who came before us, those who walk with us now and with those that will come after us. May our life and our name be a blessing in our time. Amen, Namaste.

Closing Song: Lean on Me by Playing for Change

https://youtu.be/LiouJsnYytI