On this Sunday, Messiah celebrates and reaffirms its status as a Reconciling in Christ congregation. We hear the famous parable of the "Good Samaritan." Pastor Trent points out how Jesus is using the story of a religious outsider to teach a religious scholar about what it means to be love God and your neighbor. In a similar way, the Church is challenged to pay attention to the example and stories of LGBTQ folk and all those the Church has historically excluded. The Samaritan and groups marginalized by the Church have much to teach us about what it means to be disciples of Jesus who are commited to the hard (and sometimes dangerous, but always grace-filled) work of justice and reconciliation.
