Sharing faith, music and friendship...

Tomorrow my friend and colleague, the Reverend Bert Marshall, will be our guest preacher. I am still in town - my vacation time will come later in August with a trip to Halifax for the International Busker's Festival (can you imagine?) - but wanted the faith community to hear from Bert. He is the regional director of Church World Service,(www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer) one of the best and most faithful ecumenical ministries committed to caring for the broken of the world. He has just recently returned from South America with stories of hope and challenge. I can't wait.

Last fall, Bert joined our Thanksgiving Eve ensemble on guitar and vocals - and his loving spirit is infectious. He also shared some of his own tunes, too.

And in addition to his work with CWS, he has put together a ministry of sharing the power of Christ's love through a dramatic presentation of "The Gospel of Mark Alive." (Check it out at: www.gospelofmarkalive.com/reviews.html) It is always a treat to work and hang-out with this man for we share a common faith, a love of God's presence in music and a friendship. How providential is that the lectionary text set for tomorrow is the Good Samaritan?

Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?" Jesus answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?" He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself." "Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."

Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?" So Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.

"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'

"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

Join us for the feast if you are around...