You, of course, will have your own thoughts about your sermon, but you may
find
the following outline of points useful in developing it:
(a) a scriptural and theological grounding for Giving for Life;
(b) a statement of the need for giving blood and donating organs and tissues;
(c) a sketch of the available programs and an explanation of how to give;
(d) a conclusion relating the biblical and theological grounding of the
Giving for Life theme with the voluntary dimension of the
programs and the impact of giving.
COMMENTS ON TEXTS IN SCRIPTURE
The emphases of the Giving for Life program are so central to biblical religion
that a
wide variety of texts in Scripture could be used theologically to ground it.
(1) Many texts deal with the centrality of the love of God and neighbor.
Deut.
6:5 states the love of God theme. Lev. 19:18 states the love of neighbor theme.
The
two themes are linked in Matt. 23:37-40, Mark 12:27-31, and Luke 10:27. Romans
13:9
summarizes the second half of the Decalogue with the love-neighbor theme. See
also
Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8.
I John 4:7-5:12 claims a relation between God's love, human loving, and the
commandment to love. Both Philippians 2:4 and I Corinthians 10:24 restate the
theme of
neighbor love.
(2) The perception that humans are created in the image of God, e.g.,
Genesis
1:26-28, is properly used to refer to the human capacity to act responsibly.
(3) The image of the human body as a temple of the Holy Spirit in I
Corinthians
6:19 is properly cited to refer to the proper use and stewardship of the body.
(4) Many other texts could be cited, e.g., those concerning the obligation to
give.
(5) The parable of the Good Samaritan is distinctively suited to the Giving
for
Life theme. A brief analysis of this parable concludes these remarks.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN
The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:23-27) is an example of
compassionate love. It
enacts neighbor-love in a way that gives a double meaning to the word "neighbor."
The neighbor is
both the one who renders aid and the one who needs help. This twofold reference
is a way to
understand the mutuality of human interdependence.
The parable begins with the interchange between Jesus and the lawyer. It is
agreed that the sum
and substance of the Decalogue is to love God and the neighbor. When the lawyer
then asks, "Who is
my neighbor?", Jesus responds by telling the parable. The dramatic tension of the
story lies with the
unfortunate one who is beaten, robbed, and left at the side of the road to die.
Will he be helped? To
ask this question is to identify with the plight of the person in need.
Both the priest and the Levite see the unfortunate man, but pass by on the
other side. The
approach of the Samaritan is not promising. Samaritans, descendants of those who
remained in
northern Israel after it was conquered by Assyria in the eighth century B.C.,
retained their own
version of the Law and refused to acknowledge the temple in Jerusalem. Enmity
existed between them
and the Judaism centered in Jerusalem (cf. Luke 9:52-53).
The reversal of the parable, of course, is that the Samaritan unexpectedly
provides the needed
help. Who, then, is the neighbor? The lawyer must admit it is the Samaritan, the
one who showed
mercy. The neighbor is the one who renders aid.
Jesus' concluding admonition, "Go and do likewise," is an exhortation to
provide the same kind
of care to others, whoever they may be. The neighbor is the one who needs help. A
deliberately
unresolved tension in the parable is the response of the one helped. Will he
continue his journey? Will
he await the return of the Samaritan to thank him? What will be his attitude
toward the Samaritan?
What will be his attitude toward other persons in need? Like the lawyer to whom
the parable is
addressed, those who identify with the plight of the unfortunate person who
receives unexpected help
are exhorted to "Go and do likewise."
To "do likewise" is to re-enact neighbor-love by responding with compassion
and mercy to
those in need. It is to respond to persons in terms of their plight, not
according to their class, status, or
race. The parable posits the basic equality of all persons, yet recognizes that
generosity and self-
initiative are required to help those in need. The mutuality of voluntary,
compassionate love is
grounded in human interdependence and is expressed in the double meaning of the
word "neighbor."
The neighbor is both the one who renders aid and the one who needs help.
This material appears on TransWeb with permission from Christine Gallagher of Colorado Organ Recovery Systems, Inc.
Last modified:
11 May 2000