Order of Worship
11th of October 2026 | 10:30 (Espoo)
Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.
For information about giving online, please visit ucclife.fi/give or follow the QR code on the screen. You can also speak to our pastors or leaders for more information about giving and generosity. You can also ask the welcome team or any of our staff team members for more info on giving online.
A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’re new to our community please take a moment to fill out our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!
If you have children, they are welcome to join our Sunday school classes!
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
We ask how close we have to get. Jesus came close enough to touch.
I. Limiting, vv 25-29
II. Looking, vv 30-35
III. Loving, vv 36-37
Intro
1. Think of a time when someone went out of their way to help you or made you feel genuinely seen. What made that experience memorable?
2. We encounter people in need almost every day, sometimes without realizing it. What makes it difficult for us to slow down and pay attention to others?
Into the Text
3. Verses 25-29. The lawyer knows the Scriptures and gives Jesus the right answer, yet Luke tells us that he wants to justify himself. What is he trying to accomplish by asking who his neighbor is? In what ways are we tempted to do something similar?
4. Verses 30-35. The priest and Levite both see the wounded man but pass by, while the Samaritan stops to help. What does his example teach us about the nature and cost of genuine mercy?
5. Verses 36-37. Jesus turns the lawyer’s question around. Rather than defining who qualifies as a neighbour, he asks which man acted as one. Why is this distinction important, and how does it challenge the way we think about loving others?
6. In the sermon, we heard that this story does more than teach us to be better neighbors. It also exposes our own need for mercy. How does understanding the mercy we have received through Christ change the way we respond to his call to love others? (See Titus 3:5.)
Apply
7. Who are the people you find easiest to overlook, avoid or keep at a distance? What might it look like to become a neighbor to someone like that in your everyday life?
8. In the sermon, we heard about the seminary students who were too hurried to stop and help someone in need. How does busyness affect your ability to love others? What might need to change in your schedule or priorities to make more room for people?
9. Jesus calls us to show mercy because we have first received mercy from him. What would it look like for our Life Group, and for UCC more broadly, to become a community where people are genuinely seen and cared for? What is one practical step we could take together?
Order of Worship
11th of October 2026 | 16:00 (Helsinki)
Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.
For information about giving online, please visit ucclife.fi/give or follow the QR code on the screen. You can also speak to our pastors or leaders for more information about giving and generosity. You can also ask the welcome team or any of our staff team members for more info on giving online.
A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’re new to our community please take a moment to fill out our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!
If you have children, they are welcome to join our Sunday school classes!
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
We ask how close we have to get. Jesus came close enough to touch.
I. Limiting, vv 25-29
II. Looking, vv 30-35
III. Loving, vv 36-37
Intro
1. Think of a time when someone went out of their way to help you or made you feel genuinely seen. What made that experience memorable?
2. We encounter people in need almost every day, sometimes without realizing it. What makes it difficult for us to slow down and pay attention to others?
Into the Text
3. Verses 25-29. The lawyer knows the Scriptures and gives Jesus the right answer, yet Luke tells us that he wants to justify himself. What is he trying to accomplish by asking who his neighbor is? In what ways are we tempted to do something similar?
4. Verses 30-35. The priest and Levite both see the wounded man but pass by, while the Samaritan stops to help. What does his example teach us about the nature and cost of genuine mercy?
5. Verses 36-37. Jesus turns the lawyer’s question around. Rather than defining who qualifies as a neighbour, he asks which man acted as one. Why is this distinction important, and how does it challenge the way we think about loving others?
6. In the sermon, we heard that this story does more than teach us to be better neighbors. It also exposes our own need for mercy. How does understanding the mercy we have received through Christ change the way we respond to his call to love others? (See Titus 3:5.)
Apply
7. Who are the people you find easiest to overlook, avoid or keep at a distance? What might it look like to become a neighbor to someone like that in your everyday life?
8. In the sermon, we heard about the seminary students who were too hurried to stop and help someone in need. How does busyness affect your ability to love others? What might need to change in your schedule or priorities to make more room for people?
9. Jesus calls us to show mercy because we have first received mercy from him. What would it look like for our Life Group, and for UCC more broadly, to become a community where people are genuinely seen and cared for? What is one practical step we could take together?