Every day at our church anyone can walk in the door and enjoy good conversation and an equally good cup of coffee. It is also not unusual for someone to enjoy a hot bowl of soup.

There is usually a gathering of people on any given day, so we call the conversations that happen “God conversations.” Many of these conversations do not start off with talking about God, but then, usually partway through, the conversation changes. Something about struggles in life or belief in God comes up, and the conversation goes deeper. Some people share that they aren’t sure if they believe in God, and others say they are trying to figure out what other people believe.

I think maybe Jesus inspired those same kinds of conversations in many of the places where he went. I love that he told stories to illustrate his points rather than just giving a quick answer. This challenges us to think through his stories too. The people asking Jesus for answers didn’t always understand, but Jesus always gave them something to think about.

Today’s story in particular teaches us how to care for others equally and to think carefully about who our neighbor is. Perhaps this is a good day to begin a “God conversation” with your neighbor and see where it goes.