1 of 5

Warsaw International Church Sunday News: July 17, 2016 THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Tel. 22 513 16 76; +48 601 331 032 (M) Worship every Sunday at ul. Miodowa 21(near Old Town) at 11:00AM Email: [email protected]; Website: http://www.wic.org.pl

41The Lord answered her, Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, 42but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 36-37 (GNB) Image copyright © www.sermon4kids.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES Project Coordinator needed. The Salvation Army in Poland is looking for a coordinator for a project on Human trafficking. More information can be found at: http://www.armiazbawienia.pl/wiadomosci-artykul/praca-armia-zbawienia-poszukuje-koordynatora-projektuprzeciwdzialania-handlowi-ludzmi.html

Language Fellowship meetings or gatherings after worship. If you would like to contribute in language and fellowship over a cup of coffee please contact Marilyn Dypczynski. MEMBERSHIP at WIC. We hereby extend an invitation to membership at WIC. You can be a member at WIC while retaining the membership of your home church. Membership also does not involve any financial obligations, but would help us in God's ministry in Warsaw. Please talk to Young for more details. Helping to make this Sunday a fine one for our worship: Worship Leader: Young Osawaru Music: Wayne Dawson Preaching: Ron Nawrocki Readings for July 17 (The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost): Deuteronomy 30: 9 – 14; Colossians 1: 1 – 14; Psalm 25: 1 - 10 and Luke 10: 25 – 37. Jesus is challenged to explain what is involved in obeying the greatest commandment. Jesus tells a parable rich in surprises: those expected to show pity display hard hearts while the lowly give and receive unexpected and lavish mercy. The Target Prayer group meets on the last Sunday of every month. Our next meeting is on Sunday July 31. BIBLE STUDY. The Bible Study group meets on Fridays at the premises of the Polish Ecumenical Council (Willowa 1) at 7:00 PM. Please contact Young (601 331 032) for more information.

2 of 5

BIBLE STUDY. The Bible Study group meets on Fridays at the premises of the Polish Ecumenical Council (Willowa 1) at 7:00 PM. Please contact Young (601 331 032) for more information. https://www.google.pl/maps/place/Willowa+1,+Warszawa/@52.2074313,21.0229112,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1! 1s0x471ecd20ab901ae7:0xb633149b266bcfbd

OUTREACH CORNER WIC reaches out to a number of Children’s Homes in Poland aiding in English teaching, financially and in fellowship. We also collect clothes to donate to families in difficult financial situations and to different social services in the region for further distribution. If you would like donate clothes, household equipment or contribute your time in helping please contact Young Osawaru. Last week’s scripture readings: Deuteronomy 30: 9 – 14; Colossians 1: 1 – 14; Psalm 25: 1 - 10 and Luke 10: 25 – 37 [below]. THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN 25 A teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?” 26 Jesus answered him, “What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?” 27 The man answered, “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'” 28 “You are right,” Jesus replied; “do this and you will live.” 29 But the teacher of the Law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus answered, “There was once a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him, stripped him, and beat him up, leaving him half dead. 31 It so happened that a priest was going down that road; but when the priest saw the man, he walked on by, on the other side. 32 In the same way a Levite also came along, went over and looked at the man, and then walked on by, on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan who was travelling that way came upon the man, and when he saw him, his heart was filled with pity. 34 He went over to him, poured oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them; then he put the man on his own animal and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Take care of him,' he told the innkeeper, 'and when I come back this way, I will pay you whatever else you spend on him.'” 36 And Jesus concluded, “In your opinion, which one of these three acted like a neighbor towards the man attacked by the robbers?” 37 The teacher of the Law answered, “The one that was kind to him.” Jesus replied, “You go, then, and do the same.”

NOTES FROM LAST WEEK’S SERMON TITLED "WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?" BY YOUNG OSAWARU. Please join me in prayer. May the words of my mouth and the fellowship of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight O Lord. Amen. “Who is my neighbor?” the teacher had asked. The Longman dictionary has two definitions for the word "neighbor." The first is "someone who lives next to you or near you," and the second "someone who is sitting or standing next to you." These two definitions do not mention how to behave towards a neighbor as we have just read in the gospel lesson. The teacher himself had quoted the Law of Moses requiring the children of God to love their neighbors as they love themselves. But just wanted this "wise guy" standing before him to define who "neighbor" in this particular law meant. In reply Jesus had gone at length to describe the story of how three people behaved towards the man that had been attacked, robbed, stripped and left lying by the roadside half dead. The priest and Levite had been on their way to work. They didn't have much time to take care of the man lying half dead by the roadside. Moreover touching him would make them unclean, so they would have had to first of all purify themselves before continuing their duties. This would surely complicate their schedule, so there was no time to waste. The Samaritan however is differentiated from the earlier two, most importantly

3 of 5

roadside. Moreover touching him would make them unclean, so they would have had to first of all purify themselves before continuing their duties. This would surely complicate their schedule, so there was no time to waste. The Samaritan however is differentiated from the earlier two, most importantly for what happened in his heart before he even started to help. His heart is said to have been filled with pity. We are also called to take action by virtue of our faith in Christ. We are called to have the faith that makes us spontaneous in reaching out to others in need of help. The Samaritan is said to have given the man first aid on the spot and taken him to an inn where he continued to take care of him. The unknown stranger stayed in the same inn taking advantage of the same amenities as the man who had found him half dead on the roadside and rescued him. The next day he paid for further care of the man and promised to come back to pay any extra expenditure. When asked who of the three was the man's neighbor, the teacher of the Law, being Jewish, would not mention the Samaritan, but called him "the one." On confirming that the Samaritan was the neighbor towards the man, our Lord told him to go and do the same in order to, in response to his original question, receive eternal life. The teacher had come first of all to ask what he must do to have eternal life and rightly repeated the two most important commandments; to love God and to love neighbor, but could not figure out who this neighbor was supposed to be. We seem to evaluate others in relation to ourselves. Our neighbors, friends, guests, hosts etc. We seldom ask the question, "What type of neighbor, friend, guest or host are we?" Most of the time we just suppose, just as the teacher, that we are good or that we have done our best. But let us take a look at Paul's letter to the Colossians in the New Testament reading: "And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the Kingdom of Light. 13 He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 by whom we are set free, that is our sins are forgiven." Does this remind us of what the Good Samaritan did? God made us fit in order to share of what he has reserved for his people, he rescued from darkness and brought us safe to the Kingdom of his Son, by whom we are set free in the forgiveness of sin. Spiritual fitness is linked with sharing. Our God shares with us in everything so we can receive life eternal. God the Father, his Son and the Holy Spirit are neighbors towards us. Before being told to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we have first and foremost been loved as neighbors by the Triune God. We have always been, and remain treated as their neighbors. Knowing this we should treat our neighbors as we have been treated by our own God. God loves us as his neighbors and we should love our God because he has rescued us from the power darkness and brought us safe into the Kingdom of his dear Son. The teacher of the Law did not question the first commandment, but the second in the issue regarding who his neighbor was. Little did he know that God had always been a loving neighbor to him and wanted him to do likewise. He also did not know that he cannot be put right (or in some translations justified) with God if his relation to man is not put right. He cannot be put right if he did not know how to share. The priest and the Levite were in a hurry and had left a man half dead in order to serve God. I don't think they found their God wherever they had been hurrying to because God had come to the roadside to save the man. We often say a lot about ourselves, but it is how we are seen by God that knows us from the inside that really matters. He loves us unconditionally and would like us to see his own image in every neighbor. So is it possible to love God and not love neighbor, or is it possible to love neighbor and not love God? We are neighbors to God just as man is neighbor to us. We can only come to our neighbor with the fruits of the faith we have in God through Christ our Savior. "When the Samaritan man saw him, his heart was filled with pity," our Lord had said. What then was in the heart of the first two servants of God? The three may not have known that their behavior was recorded to be written in the Bible as one of the most popular parables. Of the three only one is described as good. The one that knew how to share his blessings without reservation. The reading teaches us to stop to help someone in need while in a hurry. For the needy person on our way may be connected to the place we are hurrying to. In his letter to the Colossians that we read today Paul says, "We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, and with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him." A heart with the knowledge of God's will, will do what is pleases God in his relation with neighbor. The treasures of our relationship with our neighbor, or the love for neighbor is kept in heaven where thieves cannot steal

4 of 5

knowledge of God's will, will do what is pleases God in his relation with neighbor. The treasures of our relationship with our neighbor, or the love for neighbor is kept in heaven where thieves cannot steal and moth cannot destroy. Isolation does not help in building a relationship with God. Last week we heard that 'Man shall not eat bread alone.' Man is also needed in order to show that we love God are in union with him. When asked who was the neighbor towards the man attacked by the robbers the teacher of the Law had answered "The one who was kind to him." He couldn't bring himself to say "The Samaritan." Jews and Samaritans had a long-standing feud, so he had grouped the whole Samaritan nation as one. But the Samaritan in the story had behaved in a way better than the Levite and the priest in doing what is pleasing to God. We do hear of opinions of countries or whole nations as if everyone there behaved in the same manner. Nothing can be more misleading. Our God the Father, his Son our Savior, and the Holy Spirit do not put a whole nation together and have an opinion of them. By faith we are citizens of heaven called to work for the Kingdom of God. Let us not let anyone tell us whom to like and whom not to. God loves and is merciful to all. We can further summarize the two most important commandments to God, man, and me. Our faithful God is always present to save when we have been attacked, stripped, beaten up, robbed or left half dead. And Jesus Christ tells us to do the same in order to please him. So in repeating the question of the teacher of the Law, "what must I do to receive eternal life?" The answer may be found just next door. So let us pray, just as Paul did, that God fill us with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, to be able to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Amen.

Christian Calendar [Courtesy of Sundays and Seasons (Augsburg Fortress)] Sunday, July 17 Bartholmé de Las Casas Missionary to the Indies (died 1566) Bartholmé de Las Casas was a Spanish priest and a missionary in the Western Hemisphere. He first came to the West while serving in the military, and he was granted a large estate that included a number of indigenous slaves. When he was ordained in 1513, he granted freedom to his servants. This act characterized much of the rest of Las Casas’ ministry. Throughout the Caribbean and Central America, he worked to stop the enslavement of native people, to halt the brutal treatment of women by military forces, and to promote laws that humanized the process of colonization. Friday, July 22 Mary Magdalene, Apostle The gospels report Mary Magdalene was one of the women of Galilee who followed Jesus. She was present at Jesus’ crucifixion and his burial. When she went to the tomb on the first day of the week to anoint Jesus’ body, she was the first person to whom the risen Lord appeared. She returned to the disciples with the news and has been called “the apostle to the apostles” for her proclamation of the resurrection. Because John’s gospel describes Mary as weeping at the tomb, she is often portrayed in art with red eyes. Icons depict her standing by the tomb and holding a bright red egg, symbol of the resurrection. Saturday, July 23 Birgitta of Sweden, renewer of the church (c. 1303 – 1373) Birgitta was married at age thirteen and had four daughters with her husband. She was a woman of some standing who, in her early thirties, served as chief lady-in-waiting to the queen of Sweden. She was widowed at the age of thirty-eight, shortly after she and her husband had made a religious pilgrimage. Following the death of her husband the religious dreams and visions that had begun in her youth occurred more regularly. Her devotional commitments led her to give to the poor and needy all that she owned, and she began to live a more ascetic life. She founded an order of monks and nuns,

5 of 5

youth occurred more regularly. Her devotional commitments led her to give to the poor and needy all that she owned, and she began to live a more ascetic life. She founded an order of monks and nuns, the Order of the Holy Savior (Brigittines), whose superior was a woman. Today the Society of St. Birgitta is a layperson’s society that continues her work of prayer and charity.