Healing Rays of Righteousness

I did not understand nor appreciate the church calendar with its season of Lent until my Seminary studies and exposure to other religious thoughts and rituals. For me, the time of spiritual and relational self-examination happened twice a year prior to Communion Service.

Following my seminary experience, and after arriving at my new pastorate location, I would join in the activities of the local ministerium. Those experiences made me more aware of the value of church rituals, but also how quickly good rituals for deepening relationship with God and others, can quickly become emptied of spiritual growth and strengthening.

This is why the conversation, recorded in Luke 10:25-37, between Jesus and “an expert in the law” regarding “who is my neighbor, awakens me to my own biased attitudes and behaviors. Yes, I have biases, both good and bad. And yes, at times I have tried to justify my attitudes and behaviors by defining “neighbor” according to my own “preferred” (biased) comfort level.

But I hear Jesus’ “Samaritan story” response to the “religious expert’s” question as vividly declaring such questioning to be out of order. The correct questioning is not “Who is my neighbor” but “How can I be neighbor?”  Yes, “neighbor” to every person I encounter, with all biases removed. Yes, even the neighbor who is frequently at my door wanting something.

Okay, but what does it mean to be a Jesus-like neighbor? I hear Jesus telling us that it is more about what we do to others then what we say to others. His story of the “Samaritan who did good,” is only one example. On another occasion he told a wealthy “wanna-be” disciple to “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21).

And in Matthew 25:31-46 we hear Jesus describing the end-time judgment and its separation criteria. “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and , and did not help you?’  He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”  (vss.44-45).

In his devotional book, “A Daily Walk Through Romans” Myron Augsburger writes, “There is a cost in love, for when you love someone, their experience is shared with you, their problems become your problems. Love is far deeper than tolerance; it calls for repentance while tolerance doesn’t require change. Love does not select. Love shares totally with the person. When we love we identify honestly, openly, fully. Paul states his admonition simply but profoundly: “Let love be genuine.”

 Many times, I have experienced Jesus’ command to be a neighbor of love and compassion to all others, to be difficult, costly, and sometimes dangerous. But what if we considered these difficult experiences as opportunities to deepen our relationship with God and have our trust in him strengthened. We can do so being reassured that God will always keep his promise, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). Truly, I have found it to be so!

A prayer hymn that I love to sing, because it expresses the deep desire of my heart and I hope of your heart as well, is “Lord, I Am Fondly, Earnestly Longing.” It was written by Elisha A. Hoffman and published in 1902. I suggest it be our prayer for this Lenten journey with Jesus.

“Lord, I am fondly, earnestly longing  into thy holy likeness to grow,

thirsting for more and deeper communion,  yearning thy love more fully to know.”

(Chorus) –  “Open the wells of grace and salvation,  pour the rich streams deep into my heart. Cleanse and refine my thought and affection,  seal me and make me pure as thou art.”

“Dead to the world would I be, O Savior,  dead unto sin, alive unto thee.

Crucify all the earthly within me,  emptied of sin and self may I be.”

“I would be thine and serve thee forever,  filled with thy Spirit, lost in thy love.

Come to my heart, Lord,  come with anointing, showers of grace send down from above.

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 3/12/25