TABLE TALKS | Who’s My Neighbor? — Week 1

We all believe in loving people. We just have exceptions. Maybe it’s someone whose politics frustrate you, whose beliefs challenge yours, or whose choices you struggle to understand. We say, “I love them, but…” Who comes after your “but”? We want credit for loving people we’ve given ourselves permission to ignore. What does love require of us?

In Week 1 of Table Talks, Pastor Ryan explores what it means to love our neighbor—and how easily we make exceptions. He shares a defining experience from his first ministry, where students ate at his table, found a home at church, followed Jesus, and were baptized. Then he was fired for continuing to bring “those kids.” Daniel, Houston’s Parking Team Leader, joins him to share his experience of coming to faith around age 60, receiving grace, and now welcoming others who may wonder whether there’s a place for them.

In Luke 10, an expert in religious law asks Jesus about eternal life. He knows the commands to love God and love his neighbor. But wanting to justify himself, he asks, “And who is my neighbor?” He knows he is supposed to love. He wants to know who he can leave out. We can know the right answer and still look for a reason it doesn’t apply to the person in front of us.

Then Jesus tells the story of a man attacked and left beside the road. A priest and a Levite see him and pass by. A Samaritan stops, treats his wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care. They see the same suffering. They don’t make the same decision. Jesus makes the person his audience would have despised the example they are called to follow. Then he turns the question around: Who acted as a neighbor? The conversation moves from deciding who qualifies for love to becoming someone who shows mercy.

That brings the question into the relationships we keep explaining away. A person we’ve reduced to their politics. A family member whose decisions have become all we see. Someone we’ve already decided would never be interested in Jesus. Who is your One? Learn their story. Share a meal. Follow up on a need. Extend an invitation without deciding their answer for them. Love becomes less about me and more about who He calls me to be. HOPE FOR EVERYONE gets personal when “everyone” has a name.

Who have you given yourself permission to ignore?

📖 Scripture: Luke 10:25–37

🔥 Start Table Talks with us as we explore what love requires—and what it means to pray, “Jesus, show me the exceptions I’ve made. Help me see the person I’ve overlooked. Make me a neighbor who puts your love into action.”

📍 Houston Church | Perry / Warner Robins, GA

🌐 myhouston.church

#HoustonChurch #TableTalks #WhosMyNeighbor #Luke10 #LoveYourNeighbor #Grace #HopeFOREveryone #hope