The lessons for each Sunday in the church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s texts are lessons for the Christ-inspired and Christ-like life of God’s people. The comments here will help you find hunger-related threads –sermon starters – among the themes of this day’s texts. (We're presuming you have already done your exegetical work on the texts.) God bless your proclamation (and teaching) of what is most certainly true!

These words highlight God’s favor and desire to bless the faithful. Though there is some contingency in the verses before and after this passage (if you obey…God will bless), the focus here is on God’s delight in bringing prosperity (30:9) and making the teaching and guidance accessible and clear to the people (“the word is very near you”). The language of prosperity places trust God’s abundant kindness, intended to be realized for generations. The idea is that a type of sustainability would take root where land, livestock and progeny would be blessed and the people would remain faithful to God. Seeking sustainability in work often takes thorough planning, a deep commitment, frequent evaluation and reflection. As Deuteronomy reminds us, it is to be so much a part of who we are, that “it is in your mouth and in your heart.”

If the words from the reading in Deuteronomy tell us that the instruction God is giving is not “too hard” for us (30:11), this petition for God’s guidance and teaching reminds us that even the things that are not too hard are not always easy. The psalmist witnesses to a God who provides guidance and help—one who is responsive and faithful.

The parable of the Good Samaritan answers the question of what it means to be a neighbor. Instead of settling for the expected criteria of geographical proximity and friendship to identify the neighbor, Jesus tells a story that flips that conception on its head and adds an element of duty. The lawyer who prompted the story gives the summary of what makes a neighbor- “the one who showed him mercy.”

Learning to be a neighbor is part of the journey of discipleship. We are challenged to look beyond neighborhoods and locales to find our neighbors and are encouraged to be aware of the needs and situations of others. Knowing the neighbor is not just knowledge to hold on to, but a call to action.