"Choosing to be a Neighbor" **sermon for 13 July 2025, Proper 10C**
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood A beautiful day for a neighbor Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Many, if not most of us here, grew up with these words. Perhaps we watched the show as youngsters. Maybe we saw it with children or grandchildren. Or at least we are familiar enough to know where they come from. Each episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood began with Fred Rogers singing this song as he entered his home. A lawyer comes to Jesus asking how he can be sure of eternal life. The lawyer wants to be sure that he has earned a place in God’s heavenly kingdom. And, on the surface, the lawyer has succeeded. He has done everything right. He can even recite the two great commandments: love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus’ response to the lawyer’s question of “who is my neighbor?” is to tell the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan is one of Jesus’ ...