On Sunday evening, April 6, 2025, presented a powerful sermon, “Who Is My Neighbor?”, In the sermon, Cole challenges us to go beyond surface-level religion and see people the way Jesus does. Drawing from the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, Cole walks us through possible views of our “neighbor”: a box to check, a means to an end, an observation to note—or, as Jesus teaches, a soul to love. Instead of asking “Who is worthy of my love?” Jesus flips the script and asks, “What kind of neighbor are you?” Mercy, not proximity or similarity, defines neighborliness. Being a neighbor isn’t about who they are—it’s about who you choose to be.
Talking Points:
- Why did the priest and Levite pass by—and how are we sometimes like them?
- What does it mean to see someone and feel compassion, like the Samaritan?
- How do we try to “justify ourselves” like the lawyer?
- Loving your neighbor means loving without limits, not asking “Do they deserve it?”
- Mercy in action: What does it look like for us today to go and do the same?