Taking generosity beyond the church walls
Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise
– Luke 10:36-37
This reading is the ending to one of the most famous parables in the Bible, the Good Samaritan. A man sets off down a dangerous road, is attacked by robbers and left for dead. Two members of the man’s own religious group, a priest and a Levite, pass by, but fearing for their own safety they do not assist. Then a Samaritan passes by and shows incredible generosity by risking his life to stop, tend the wounds of the injured man, and take him to safety.
The Samaritans and Jews despised each other with each group committing atrocities against the other over hundreds of years before the time of Jesus. The fact that Jesus chooses in this parable to have a Samaritan rescue a Jew teaches us that generosity is not just for those groups of people that we like or feel comfortable around, like our own church congregations. There is in fact no limit to the generosity we should show; this includes showing generosity to those that are not like us, or who we do not like or who do not like us. We live the commandment to ‘go and do likewise’ when we take generosity beyond our church walls.
Hannah Silcock, Regional Giving Advisor (Midlands & East)
Keep one helpful thing on your person at all time, something small, such as a trolley coin, pack of tissues, a snack and be ready to give it away to whoever might need it.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 
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