Scripture Readings: Colossians 1:3-14 & Luke 10:25–37
In Colossians 1:3-14, Paul begins with thanksgiving for the Colossians’ faith in Christ and their love for all God’s people. The church was not founded by Paul himself, but by Epaphras, who had heard the gospel during Paul’s third missionary journey. It is a beautiful testimony to the power of the gospel and the fruit of the gospel. The gospel reshaped the Colossians community, transforming it into a church known for its deep faith and genuine love – a congregation worthy of praise.
The gospel is not static; it is living and active. It continues to grow and bear fruit throughout the world. This vibrant gospel became the focus of Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving, as he gave thanks for their faith in Christ, their love for all people, and their hope laid up in heaven.
Beloved in Christ, in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we find a prayer filled in gratitude – a deep, Spirit-filled thankfulness for a community grounded in faith, overflowing in love, and unwavering in hope. Faith anchors us when the storms come, reminding us that Christ holds us fast. Love connects us, even when the world tries to divide us, binding us together as one body. And hope lifts our eyes from present pain to the promise of a future that is already secure in Christ.
In Today’s text, Paul is praying for strength not in our own power, but in the glorious might of God – so that we may endure, be patient, and even rejoice in our weariness (v.11). There are times when our faith feels weak, when love runs dry, and when hope seems distant. However, God provides strength we need through His glorious power helping us endure trials with patience and joy.
Let us take notice of Paul’s words: “Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.” This phrase reveals a heart that prays continually and earnestly. Paul’s prayer is that they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through spiritual wisdom. Such knowledge leads to a life pleasing to God, bearing fruit in good works, and growing in the knowledge of God. May we become a more prayerful and discerning community of faith, living lives that bear the fruit of good works in accordance with God’s will.
God has qualified us to share in the inheritance of His holy people. He has delivered and redeemed us. We are rescued from darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son. Through Christ, we receive redemption and forgiveness of sins. This is the heart of the gospel and our call to live as a people of faith, love, and hope – not only believing, but acting, bearing fruit, and shining as light in a world that desperately needs Christ
So, when we feel weary in faith, tired in love, or wavering in hope, let us remember this: the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. You are deeply loved, eternally held, and gloriously called into the light of Christ.
Here Paul calls believers to give joyful thanks for redemption. In Luke 10, Jesus calls His followers and us to express that gratitude of salvation in how they treat others – especially the wounded and marginalized. In a world where many people turn a blind eye to suffering, injustice, and need, Jesus calls us to stop, to see, and to act. The parable of the Good Samaritan can be described as a spiritual mirror reflecting our own hearts.
As we hear Jesus’ conversation with a religious expert and witness the compassion of the Samaritan through Luke 10, we are invited into a redefinition of what it means to love and neighbour. It is a call not just to feel compassion but to live it out to move from sympathy to solidarity, from passing by to stepping in.
The story begins with a question from the legal expert: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus turns the question back to him: “What is written in the Law?” The expert answers rightly: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and your neighbour as yourself.” But then, the man seeks to justify himself by asking, “Who is my neighbour?” It’s a question that exposes a desire to define love narrowly to limit responsibility.
The Jews of the time had clearly defined the boundaries of neighbourly love. To them, Gentiles were not considered neighbours, and Samaritans were regarded as unrighteous. But Jesus redirects attention – not merely to tradition, custom, or religious belief – but to the truth found in God’s Word. He breaks through the boundaries of race and religion, revealing the inclusive reach of God’s mercy. In doing so, Jesus redefines righteousness – not as religious knowledge, but as compassion lived out in action. May we have a fruitful faith and a compassionate heart.
Many people still look for ways to justify walking by suffering because it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. Jesus answers with a parable. The story that shifts the focus from identifying who qualifies as our neighbour, to showing what it means to be a neighbour.
As Jesus unfolds the parable, we meet three travelers: a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. The first two are religious leaders – people we might expect to act with mercy. Yet they passed by on the other side. Perhaps they were busy, afraid, or unwilling to be inconvenienced for religious or traditional reasons.
However, the Samaritan, a cultural outsider, had compassion and stopped. He bound wounds, spent time, and gave resources. He crossed boundaries to restore dignity and life. In Christ, we are not called to ask, “What will happen to me if I stop?” but “What will happen to them if I don’t?” True neighbour-love is inconvenient, but it is also transformative.
Jesus ends the parable with another question: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The legal expert responds, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus replies, “Go and do likewise.” It’s not just an encouragement – it’s a commission.
Jesus invites us into a way of life that actively seeks out the hurting, even when the world turns away. He calls us not to pass by those who are different, struggling, or forgotten but to meet them where they are, in Jesus’ name.
To act in Christ is to bind wounds with our hands, to listen with our hearts, and to offer our lives in love. Who in our world is lying by the roadside today – wounded by injustice, isolation, or despair? Jesus says, “Don’t just pass by. Go and do the same.”
In today’s text, Jesus reminds us that those who pass by the needy, the ones lying on the side of the road, the hurting and vulnerable, those who have lost everything and seem hopeless, are not truly our neighbours. Though they may have every excuse or reason to walk away, in Jesus’ eyes, they have failed to be neighbours to those in need.
Leighmoor family in Christ! We have received Jesus’ invitation to be the neighbour. Not tomorrow. Not when it’s convenient. But now, in this world, in our church and communities, in Christ. We are His hands, His heart, His presence in a broken world. Let us not pass by as the world cries out for mercy. Let us stop and give. In Christ, we are empowered to act with compassion, to live with purpose, and to love without limits. So let us go, not in fear or guilt, but in the strength of Christ, who first had mercy on us. May we go and do the same in Christ!
Thanks be to God! Amen.
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)