Year of the Good Samaritan

‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ (Luke 10:30-37 NRSV)


As my family talked about the Ringing in the New Year post from the end of 2012 and what our priority might be for 2013, Allison suggested that we make it the year of the Good Samaritan.  We all agreed that this was a fantastic suggestion.  

This year, we will be looking at a couple of questions together as a family.  
First, who are my neighbors in need?  
Second, how might we be the neighbor who shows mercy?

This is going to be a HUGE challenge.  We are going to have to be intentional in our thinking about our neighbors and how we might be focused on responding and behaving neighborly.  In the midst of our busy-ness, we are going to have to carve out time to talk about the Good Samaritan, our neighbors, and possible responses to the needs of those neighbors.  Then...we have to take action.  I think this is going to be a lot of fun but also will be a significant challenge to our feelings of comfort and possibly our habits as a family.  But I am confident that it will be more than worth it.

Have you had an opportunity to think through something that your family might make a priority in 2013?  I would love to hear your stories, and how you think your commitments might impact your family in 2013.

If you haven't had the chance to read "Ringing in the New Year" and would like to do so, here is the link - Ringing in the New Year.  Feel free to leave your comments.

Hope your 2013 has already been a year of wonder and grace.

Peace.