This morning at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) we kicked off the Lenten Challenges series.
Sermon
My message, “Loving God and Loving Neighbor” is based on the narrative lectionary passage: Luke 10:25-42.
You can watch below or read the manuscript.
Excerpt
I remember a time when a lot of people were talking about a church sign.
I’m not referencing the fact that Advent’s church sign went dark earlier this week and is now awaiting a repair. Although now, you’ll likely notice that and begin talking about it.
Instead, I’m thinking about a church sign that proclaimed a concise and controversial message: “The Good Hamas Member.”
Members of that congregation were talking about it. And, since the church was located on a busy road, many people beyond the church noticed the message. It sparked considerable conversation in the wider community.
That week’s four-word message perhaps drew more attention than the next forty updates. Ask me how I know . . . I was the interim pastor who wrote the copy and instructed a staff member to post it.
Why would I do such a thing? That Sunday, I was preaching on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Just a few months earlier one of the most respected New Testament scholars of our time, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, had published a new book titled Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. She ended the chapter on the Parable of the Good Samaritan with her own modern version titled, “The Parable of the Good Hamas Member.”[1]
Dr. Levine replaced each of the three main characters with twenty-first century characters. Instead of ending with a Samaritan she opts for a Palestinian Muslim whose sympathies lie with Hamas.[2]
Even now, a decade later, her version of the parable is hard to hear. And that is important.
But first, let me address the entirety of this morning’s Gospel reading. If you have been in church most of your life, then you’ve likely heard many sermons on the Good Samaritan and more than a few sermons on Martha and Mary.
However, it’s likely you have never heard a sermon featuring both stories. We are attempting this today not because your preacher enjoys challenges, but rather because the Narrative Lectionary – the new lectionary we have been using – puts them together.
The Rev. Dr. Peter Choi is a pastor and professor who serves as the convener of the Preaching Justice Fellowship.[3] He explains:
What are these stories doing together? The story of the good Samaritan and the story of Martha and Mary make for an unlikely pairing. And yet there they are in Luke’s gospel, one after the other . . . In these stories, Jesus shows us a way of love that defies conventions and transgresses boundaries.[4]
Rather than invite you into a scholarly inquiry, I’m suggesting that together these stories should frame our Lenten journey. Today’s challenge is the greatest one of all.
It all begins with a lawyer doing what lawyer’s do best: asking hard questions. . . .
[1] Amy-Jill Levine. Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. (HarperOne, 2015)
[2] Ibid., p.105.
[3] I’m currently a Preaching Justice Fellow. See Preaching Justice: A Community & A Lifeline, February 12, 2025 – https://sowhatfaith.com/2025/02/12/preaching-justice-a-lifeline/
[4] Peter Choi. Luke 10:25-42: A Transgressing Love, a Conversation Starter posted in the Faith & Justice Online Community – https://community.faithjustice.net/ – on March 7, 2025.