Sorry for the miss yesterday - duh. Today it is back at the good Samaritan story from "Who will be saved?" by William Willimon.
The loathed Samaritan risks all, extravagantly responds to the need of the man in the ditch. So this is not a story about a person who stops and give the man in the ditch the use of his cell phone in order to call the highway patrol - we would have done that. It's a story about the odd, threatening, humiliating, and extravagant form by which God draws near to us for our rescue. And, in noting our reaction to the story, it's a story about our shock at the peculiar One who risked all for us.
The Good News is shocking. When God will stay away from no one that is peculiar. When God will take on the shape of everything we would reject that is quite peculiar. We usually say it is a scandal. The Church not only is called to take on such an odd shape, we are also invited to see in others who are odd and rejected - the way God comes close to us...humanity in all its predicaments. Our God does not back away from us - any of us. Even if we would prefer that God does not come close except in the way we want God to come close, God still attempts to walk across the road and touch us with a healing presence, lift us up to comfort us, and take us along the way to wholeness - salvation.
Connection: When we are down, do we let ourselves be aware of how God come to be with us?
Healing Lord, your willingness to be for us in and through all things is the power for new life that we are meant to breathe so that as we go off within this day we may be for others just as you have been for us. Grant us courage to welcome you and courage to respond to those in need. Amen.
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