Last Sunday Night at BSM

August 19, 2015

This Sunday, Rev. Robert Arrington, our Seminary Field Education Student, preached  from Luke 10:25-37 on the Good Samaritan. The story of the Good Samaritan is a reordering of social expectations. Here, Jesus identifies true devotion as who you are and what you do, not your social status or family heritage. It’s not about how much Bible or theology you know or what you inherited from your ancestors; it’s about your attitude toward the outsider. Themes from the Golden Rule can be found in almost every faith tradition, which speaks to it as something foundational to humanity. However, what can get us most discouraged when trying to practice reciprocity is that there are so many people in need that it can be overwhelming. Because we can always do more, we have trouble doing anything at all. We have trouble feeling like what we do can make a difference at all. Still, Jesus’ parable points out that the Good Samaritan was not overly seeking ways to love his neighbor, but when the opportunity arose, he acted while others resisted. We all don’t have to quit our jobs and work for nothing at a nonprofit, but we all do have to reorder our priorities so that we are accessible to our neighbors.

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But…the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Martin Luther King, Jr.

You can listen to the sermon here.

Tony and the Motley Crew led us in worship singing Lord You Are Good by Israel Houghton, What a Friend We have in Jesus, Reach Out I’ll Be There by The Four Tops, Hezekiah Walker’s I Need You to Survive, Lean on Me, and Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher.

Our community offered the following prayers to God as our Psalms of the Street.

 

Pray for my family and for my blessings.

 

“A continual place of Strength”

 

My 85 year-old dad, *****, is struggling with getting old, wanting to die, not wanting to suffer and linger. I pray we as a family can honor him in ways that lift him up. Thanks for praying!

*****

 

For: Sisters of Mercy –mercy

My Children—character, courage, softness

Self—energy, discipline

My husband—love

 

Lord,

I pray to you for comfort and peace of mind for those who will be inconvenienced and frustrated by the city’s congestion in the next month, as a result of the Pope’s visit. Help us all to remember “golden rules” throughout that stress and irritation.

Amen.

 

Please pray for my continued discernment of next steps in my life path.

 

Giving thanks for your prayers for me for healing

Thanks for the possibility of returning to work next week

 

THANK you for being there for me!!

 

Prayers of gratitude for each of my students this summer. May you guide them to fully express their gifts. Prayers for my friend ***** and that she may know healing and would you show my your love through my doubts.

 

I’m having real hard time with my former bank. There was a disagreement the bank cut my social security savings off. I need my S.S.I so I can live. Pray to God so my S.S.I payments can continue.

Your brother

*****

 

God, set a limit to my anxiety. Let me enjoy all the amazing blessings of my life right now. Thank you for *****. Thank you for who I get to be because I am with him. Bless us in the move. Thank you for this place, and what comes next. I’m pumped.

 

Prayers for *****and *****and their journies. Prayers for my mothers depression.

 

God,

Thank you for your presence in my life. Continue to guide me and sustain me to your disciple.

Amen.

 

May my words build up rather than tear down. Bless my business. Bless my baby.

 

I’m sad to leave this wonderful place, but I’m eager for this upcoming semester.

 

God—I am having trouble w/ *****’s diagnosis of a brain tumor. Please be with her, and save her life. I know that is a lot to ask but she is in the prime of her life and has so much to give. How can I be there for her and her parents?

 

For BSM

For ***** and *****

For *****on his week away. Be safe!

For *****—that he finds work

For *****—thanks!

For Philadelphia

For Peace and Kindness

Broad Street Ministry is a broad-minded faith community committed to extending radical hospitality and creating a spiritual home for all, especially those who feel like they don’t belong anywhere else. For more information click here.