The second set of people are represented by the priest and the Levite who see the victim and pass by on the other side of the road. They are religious people. They are church people. They are leaders in their congregations. They are teachers and academics and journalists, people of influence in society. Can we say that they are like us? They do not want to stop and help this victim for fear of getting involved. They would rather avert their eyes from the sight of this wreck of humanity. They prefer denial and indifference. They echo Cain, who complained, "Am I my brother's keeper?" They have busy lives. They are on their way somewhere else and don't want to be delayed. They have a meeting to attend, a schedule to keep, golf or tennis or bridge times to fulfill. They have reputations to protect. They don't want to become known as holy-rollers or religious fanatics or Christian people who want to share their faith with every stranger. They want to remain anonymous Christians, to fly under the radar, to fit in with their neighbors, to go along to get along, to be acceptable in society, to get invited to parties with the right people, to be seen in good company, to belong to the popular groups, to be able to make polite conversation. They want to keep their distance in relationships. They want to avoid intimacy. They want to maintain superficiality. They adopt an attitude of condescension according to their measure of a person's status or importance or wealth or lack of it. Because they are so wrapped up in themselves they seem to be incapable of genuine caring for others in need. Their vocabulary is limited to the general and the material: the issues of the day, world crises, sports, the stock market and politics. They would choke rather than introduce into conversation issues of faith, or their experience of Christ, or what they sincerely believe. For them talk is cheap. It doesn't cost them anything. They don't want to get too invested in finding solutions to the problems of the world. As Vaclav Havel wrote, "The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less."

The third person we encounter in the parable is the Samaritan. He was regarded as a hated foreigner, a half-breed, someone who was outside the acceptable social circle of the church. Yet it is he who took pity on the victim. He saw him and went to him and bandaged his wounds and took care of him. He took him to the inn and paid the innkeeper to look after him. Here we see the true Christian and the true church in action. Here is the follower of Jesus who responded to St. Paul's call to "do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share"(1 Timothy 6:18). The one, whom Jesus called neighbor to the man who fell among robbers, went out of his way to respond to the needs of the victim. Jesus tells us to have mercy on those around us who have been mugged by the culture. He tells us to go and do likewise -- to reach out to the lost and the lonely, the depressed and the abandoned, the anxious and the confused, the sick and the dying, the spiritually as well as the physically hungry, the spiritually poor, the spiritually orphaned, those who have lost their faith or who never had one, those who have never heard that God loves them, that Christ died for them, that the Spirit is available to empower them to overcome all that would drag them down, that the Scripture is given to us to instruct us and guide us in the path of life, and that the church is there to care for them and encourage them.

We are called to go and do -- to take action -- to witness to Christ, to love our neighbors, to be committed to our church, to give generously to ministry, to see what we do as the noblest and highest vocation in the world. Our neighbors are crying out for us to see them for what they really are, to go to them, to take pity on them, to understand them, to bandage their wounds, to give them hope in Christ, to break through the superficial and to be agents of healing in their lives. This applies also to those who hide behind a façade of self-sufficiency, who appear to have it all together, who live very private lives and yet are desperately trying to keep up appearances. All they have is their pride, their cynicism, their hardness of heart and their misery. Their wounds are deep. It takes a great deal of patience to get to know them and to earn their trust and confidence. But they need the love of God as much as anyone. They have been mugged and stripped of their clothes a long time ago and they have spent a lifetime trying to cover up their spiritually nakedness. They need the Gospel. They need the love of God in Christ. They need the assurance of forgiveness. They need the gift of the Spirit.

As we begin a new year we have to decide who we are: the victim, or the indifferent, or the neighbor. Who do we want to be? Being a Christian is not for cowards. Being a member of the church is not a casual association. Being a follower of Jesus is not a light thing. We are not playing games. There is a lot at stake. There are people who need our ministry. We are here for a purpose. We cannot remain indifferent or in denial or play at being sincere in our faith. We are called to make a difference. We are stewards of the Gospel. We are accountable for our stewardship. As we have received the grace of God so we must minister the grace of God to others. How are you showing mercy to others through your giving, your witness, your involvement in the lives of others in need? Jesus said, "Go and do likewise."

Let your heart be broken for a world in need.
Feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed.
Give the cup of water and the loaf of bread.
Be the hands of Jesus, serving in his stead.

Add to your believing, deeds that prove it true.
Knowing Christ as Savior, make him Master too:
Follow in his footsteps, go where he has trod,
In the world's great trouble, risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear.
See mankind as God sees, serve him far and near;
Let your heart be broken by a brother's pain,
Share your rich resources, give and give again.
Bryan Jeffery Leech

Check out Ted's latest blog VACLEV HAVEL: MAN OF FAITH? At www.tedschroder.com, and his books on www.amazon.com .