July 13th, Sermon & Ministry Resources

"THE NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR" (Luke 10:25-37)

Lectionary Readings — Fifth Sunday after Pentecost — July 13, 2025

Amos 7:7-17; Psalm 82; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37

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Call to Worship (based on Luke 10:25-37)

Leader: We gather as people who have heard the ancient question: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

People: We come seeking to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Leader: Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but we ask: "Who is my neighbor?"

People: We discover that our neighbor is anyone in need, anyone we encounter, anyone who suffers.

Leader: Too often we pass by on the other side, busy with our own concerns, blinded by our prejudices.

People: But God calls us to stop, to see, to show mercy without condition.

Leader: Like the Samaritan, we are invited to bind up wounds, to care for strangers, to act with compassion.

People: Help us, O God, to be neighbors to all we meet.

Leader: Jesus says to us: "Go and do likewise." Let us worship the God who teaches us to love.

People: Let our worship move us to mercy, our songs inspire us to service, our prayers lead us to practice what we believe.

All: Come, let us worship the God of boundless love, who makes neighbors of strangers and family of all creation.

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Opening Prayer (based on Amos 7:7-17)

Let us pray:

Gracious God, as we gather in your presence this day, we come aware that you are the God who holds the plumb line of truth and justice. Like the prophet Amos, we stand before you knowing that your standards are not our standards, and your ways are higher than our ways.

We confess that too often we have built our lives, our relationships, and our communities out of alignment with your righteous purposes. We have measured ourselves by the world's crooked standards rather than by your true and steady line.

Yet we are grateful that you do not leave us to our own devices. Just as you called Amos from tending flocks to speak your word, you continue to call each of us—not because we are qualified or professional in our faith, but because you have chosen us to be your people.

Give us courage, O God, to hear your word of truth even when it challenges us. Help us to speak and live with integrity, standing firm in your calling even when the world tells us to be silent or to conform.

As we worship together, align our hearts with your heart. Let your plumb line of justice, mercy, and love be the measure by which we build our lives. Make us a people who reflect your righteousness not in judgment of others, but in humble service to your kingdom.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our cornerstone and our peace. Amen.

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Sermon Outline: [NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon].

[Note: All Scripture is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.]

Sermon Outline: "THE NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR"

Based on Luke 10:25-37

INTRODUCTION:

• The lawyer's test question reveals our universal longing for meaningful life

• Jesus transforms a theological debate into a life-changing encounter

• This parable challenges our assumptions about who deserves our love

I. SEE the Need Around You (vv. 25-29, 31-32)

A. The Question Behind the Question

• Lawyer seeks loopholes, not love

• "Who is my neighbor?" = "Who can I exclude?"

• We naturally want to limit our obligations

B. The Problem of Selective Vision

• Priest and Levite represent religious blindness

• They saw but chose not to see

• Busy schedules vs. broken humanity

• Ritual purity vs. human priority

C. What Prevents Us from Seeing?

• Prejudice and assumptions

• Self-protection and fear

• Spiritual pride and superiority

• The tyranny of our agenda

II. STOP Your Agenda for Others (v. 33)

A. The Interruption of Compassion

• Samaritan was traveling too, but stopped

• Mercy requires sacrifice of time and convenience

• Love is always inconvenient

B. The Power of Presence

• "When he saw him, he had compassion"

• Compassion = "to suffer with"

• Physical proximity leads to emotional connection

C. Breaking Down Barriers

• Samaritans and Jews were enemies

• The wounded man couldn't reciprocate

• Grace given without guarantee of return

III. SERVE Without Strings Attached (vv. 34-35)

A. Comprehensive Care

• Immediate first aid (oil and wine)

• Personal sacrifice (his own animal)

• Ongoing provision (innkeeper arrangement)

• Future commitment (return promise)

B. Costly Compassion

• Love that empties the wallet

• Service that risks reputation

• Mercy that goes the extra mile

C. No Strings, No Spotlight

• Anonymous giving

• No expectation of thanks

• No religious institution involved

IV. SUSTAIN Your Heart for the Long Haul (vv. 36-37)

A. Jesus Flips the Question

• Not "Who is my neighbor?" but "Who proved to be a neighbor?"

• Focus shifts from limiting to liberating

• From excluding to including

B. The Command to Continue

• "Go and do likewise"

• This is not a one-time act but a lifestyle

• Neighboring is an ongoing calling

C. The Source of Sustained Love

• We love because God first loved us

• The Good Samaritan points to the Ultimate Good Samaritan

• Christ's love for us empowers our love for others

Conclusion: The Neighbor in the Mirror

The Real Question

• Not "Who is my neighbor?" but "Am I being a neighbor?"

• Every person we encounter is a potential recipient of God's love through us

The Challenge

• Who are the "Samaritans" in your world you'd rather avoid?

• What would it look like to see, stop, serve, and sustain this week?

The Promise

• When we love our neighbor, we discover what it means to truly live

• In serving others, we encounter Christ himself

Full Manuscript Sermon Below for Paid Subscribers