The Good Samaritan

I'm preaching on the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) this coming Sunday. Yesterday in Bible Study we talked about what it means to be a Good Samaritan in a world where people park their cars on the side of the road and wait for 'Good Samaritans' to stop so they can be attacked. We struggled with how to follow the commands of Jesus when our world seems to have taken such a violent and aggressive turn. Love certainly entails risk, and we can't stop loving simply because it isn't safe, but how do we act responsibly while still reaching out to those whom life has attacked and left, half-dead, in the ditch?

I'm not sure I have the answer to that question, but I do think child sponsorship should be an option to those who are searching for ways to be a good samaritan. World Vision, Compassion International, and other organizations offer us the opportunity to do something radical--to make a difference in the life of a child whom it would be much easier to pass by and pay no attention to. Most of these kids, on their own, will never elicit a news story, never be noticed here in America, never do anything to make us stop and pay attention to them. But we know they are out there--we have heard their plight, and we must be willing to cross the road and offer our assistance. Not everyone can afford to sponsor a child, but everyone can take a moment and consider whether Christ is calling them to give this gift to a child in need.