This Sunday we begin a sermon series titled "Who's My Neighbor: Lessons on life and faith with Mr. Rogers."  Fred Rogers was ordained by the Presbyterian church to a special ministry--teaching children on television.  For 30 years, he ignored the cultural trends and TV norms and managed to inspire generations of children to follow a path of loving kindness. We begin this week with a reflection on what it means to be a neighbor, inspired by Mr. Roger’s ministry and drawn from the text of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan.

First Reading: Romans 12:9-17
Second Reading: Luke 10:25-37

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said: “Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.”

Let’s listen as we explore the cost of following Jesus and what it means for how we prioritize our lives.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Second Reading: Luke 14:25-33

Labor Day was established in honor of the workers and tradespeople of our nation as a day of celebration and a day of rest. Our faith has much to say about the value of carving out a day of rest each week. In fact, setting aside a day of rest (the sabbath) is one of the ten commandments. Why is rest so central to our faith? What does it mean to "sabbath" in our times? Let's listen as we explore our scripture's wisdom on ways to honor the sabbath and discover the freedom it offers.

First Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14

Second Reading: Luke 13:10-17