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Tomorrow, we study the covenant made at Sinai between God and the people of Israel.  Something happened in that wilderness more than four thousand years ago that echoes down through the ages and touches us with mystery even today.  God tells the people of Abraham, through whom the nations will be blessed, here is the way to covenant relationship with me – here is the path to healing and forgiveness and reconciliation.  He tells the people if they will be faithful, he will keep his end of the bargain and will grant them salvation.  And the covenant announced in the theophany is simple, it can be summed up in two basic tenets:

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36 ”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matt 22:34-40 (NIV)

So simple: Love God, love your neighbor.  But of course we could never keep it so simple, there have to be questions and qualifications, don’t there?

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”
27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)

“Who is my neighbor?!?!”  What must God think of us?

• Is Osama bin Laden our neighbor?  Think on this . . .
• Is Ted Bundy our neighbor? “Surely, you can’t mean . . .”
• Is the large, intimidating man of another race who approaches you asking for gas money in the neighborhood where you’re lost in a strange city your neighbor?  “Well, under ordinary circumstances . . .”

Read the words of the Greatest Commandment again – does Jesus use any qualifiers?

Wesley and the first people who came to be called Methodists believed in works of piety and works of mercy as part of the means of grace.  Among the works of mercy were regular visits to people in prison.  When was the last time any of us regularly visited those who find themselves in jail?

What must God think of us?

Enough that he died for us, but not before rewording the law as a new commandment.

Awesome.  Amazing.  Amen.