Who Is My Neighbour?
Jesus turns the question from “Who qualifies as my neighbour?” into “Will I be a neighbour to the person in front of me?” In the Good Samaritan, a man is attacked and left half dead. A priest and a Levite see him but pass by. A Samaritan—someone from a group normally avoided by Jews—stops, shows compassion, treats his wounds, provides transport and pays for his ongoing care.
Jesus asks, “Which of these three acted like a neighbour?” The answer was: the one who showed mercy. Jesus then says, “Go and do the same.”
Bible references: Luke 10:25–37 • Matthew 22:37–39
What Does God Require of Us?
Micah 6:8 gives a simple picture of faithful living: do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Do what is right. Choose integrity over convenience—even when nobody notices. Stand up for others, defend truth, treat every person with dignity, and put our words into action by treating people fairly.
Love mercy. Show compassion, grace, forgiveness and kindness—even when someone may not seem to deserve it. Prioritise grace so that grace is felt before truth is heard. Mercy becomes personal through everyday acts of forgiveness and care.
Walk humbly with God. Rely on God daily rather than depending only on our own strength. Serve others, lift people up rather than seeking status, and look to Jesus as our model of honesty, love and humility.
Bible reference: Micah 6:8
We Don’t Come Because We’re Perfect
Jesus already knows our stories and our past, yet still invites us to come to Him. We do not come because we are perfect; we come because we need the grace of God to mend our broken lives. Loving our neighbour is not simply about being “good Christians”—it is about receiving God’s grace and allowing that grace to shape how we treat others.
Bible references: Proverbs 3:5–6 • Ephesians 2:8–9
A Life Verse for the Journey
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 3:5–6
Reflection
Where might God be asking me to stop, notice someone, and act with compassion rather than simply walking past?
Loving Your Neighbour: Putting Faith into Practice
We never know whom the Holy Spirit may place across our path. The challenge is to be ready to act. Neighbouring is not merely a programme or an occasional act of service—it is a way of living that treats people with dignity, mercy and care.
A real-life example in the sermon described a vulnerable young woman found on a freezing Melbourne morning. While others stopped to take photographs, the preacher’s son stopped to help, covered her with his jacket, called an ambulance and, after she was medically cleared, took her somewhere warm and safe. His wife then cared for her until a friend could collect her. The story became an example of what it means to see a person in need and respond with conscience, compassion and practical action.
Bible references: Luke 10:33–35 • James 2:14–17
Leading by Example
The sermon connects loving our neighbours with the way we influence the next generation. Parents cannot fix every problem, remove every pain or prevent every disappointment. But children can know that home is a place they can always return to—with their questions, struggles, failures, fears and disappointments.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
The prayer closes by asking God to help us create homes filled with truth, grace, forgiveness and love, and to lead not by perfection but by example—pointing others towards Jesus.
Bible reference: Psalm 65:1–13
QUESTIONS
1. Who is your neighbour? How does the Good Samaritan challenge the boundaries we naturally put around the word “neighbour”?
2. Which person in the Good Samaritan story do you most identify with—the victim, religious person, Samaritan, robber or innkeeper? Why?
3. Micah 6:8 calls us to do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Which of these is most challenging for you right now, and why?
4. What could it look like in your everyday relationships to make sure “grace is felt before truth is heard”?
5. What can stop us from noticing or helping people who are in need? What practical changes could help us become more ready to act?
6. Who might the Holy Spirit be placing across your path at the moment? What is one specific act of neighbouring you could take this week?