for Sunday, July 11 (Proper 10)

A Good Guy
Luke 10: 25–37

One of the most difficult balances to strike as a parent today is the one between neighborliness and fearfulness. The best guide I know of was known in my family as “the uh-oh feeling”: One of the things kids get more clearly than we often give them credit for is when they can safely offer neighborly caring and when they should get help (including for themselves) from an adult who’s better equipped to provide it. If your group is old enough and you want to discuss the fine points of the parable — the significance of the passers-by being identified with an expectation of righteousness, and who the Samaritans were — trusting your instincts but doing what you are able to do may be a way to approach it.

A prayer practice triggered by the sound of a siren or other emergency signal (see the children's sermon) can be rehearsed in any number of ways. You can talk about how drivers yield to emergency vehicles and invite participants to share their own experiences with emergencies and first responders. You can adapt classic games like Statue tag. Or you can extend the practice to a more ordinary cue like saying “Gesundheit” or “Bless you” when someone sneezes, whether or not the sneezer is aware of the wish.

If you have emergency personnel in your church, or health workers, this is a great opportunity to honor them and ask them to share (as appropriate to the ages of participants) their experiences and feelings.

Musical ideas: “Jesu, Jesu” (PH 367) has a wonderful, swingy Ghanaian tune that even the very young should be able to pick up on the refrain. And, while the verse isn’t specifically about this parable, it will lead well into any discussion of what makes a neighbor.