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adenei · 5 years ago

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Auror 99 - Chapter 12

Ao3 || FFN

Takedown

“Fifteen minutes til his visiting window,” Ron said as he walked over to Harry and Hermione. “You have the cuffs?”

Harry nodded. “I’ll be under the cloak, waiting in the G’s section.”

“And I’ll be over on the other side of the archives, near the immigration records,” Ron clarified. “I just finished speaking with the Auror team sent to aid us if necessary. They’ll take their positions at the other stairwell once we notify them that he’s entered the area with the DA coins. Hermione, it was brilliant of you to think to use them, again. Jake, Amy and Charles are keeping watch outside.

“Rosa,” Ron paused as Rosa took off Harry’s invisibility cloak and handed it back to Harry, “You and Hermione will take the back staircase. Remember, if you have to shoot, nothing lethal. Let Hermione attempt a stunning spell first, but remember he’s quick. Any questions?” Everyone shook their heads.

“We should get into position,” Harry said.

Ron walked with Rosa and Hermione and stopped at the door to the stairwell. “You’re sure you’re okay with this?” He asked Hermione as Rosa gave them a private moment.

“Yes. I know it’s been years, but I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’ve forgotten.”

“I know, I wasn’t saying that. Just making sure you’re okay.”

“I will be. I’m more worried about you.”

“Why?”

“Just make sure you’re well hidden in the stacks, alright? You don’t know if today will be the day he decides to check a different area. Don’t assume he’ll just head to Harry,” Hermione warned him.

She made a good point. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” He kissed her briefly, and she squeezed his hand before slipping through the door.

Ron walked over to the immigration archives and hid in the next aisle over from where they made their breakthrough yesterday. He positioned himself in the center of the aisle, just in case he needed to move one way or the other. And now we wait.

It didn’t take long for Gerteso’s arrival. He was a creature of habit. Ron heard the far door open and close, the scratch of the quill on parchment was faint, but there, and then the heavy footsteps of work boots that indicated he was on the move. He waited for them to stop in the G section as they had the day before, but they kept clunking, and they were getting louder.

Fuck. Ron moved swiftly to the far end of the aisle, and took cover on the edge of the shelves. He wasn’t sure how Hermione knew he’d change his search today, but she did. He quickly took out his coin and sent the message that was already pending for MACUSA, and waited. He hoped to Godric that Harry followed him, so he’d have ample back up. The last fight wasn’t easy, but hopefully this time he had the element of surprise.

Sure enough, he heard Gerteso stop walking a few aisles over, most likely search the G’s again. Ron felt the coin heat up indicating MACUSA was in place. A few moments later, he felt it heat up again. It only had two letters “IG”. He knew that was Harry, telling him where Gerteso was. ‘Immigration - G’s.’

Ron checked each aisle stealthily as he made his way closer to where Gerteso was. He didn’t need to send Harry a reply asking if he was ready. They’d worked together long enough to know Harry was there and had his back. Ron positioned himself and could see Gerteso in the middle of the row, pulling boxes. He waited for him to put the box back before he made his move.

As soon Gerteso’s hand left the box, Ron waved his wand, casting a silent stunning spell. A flash of red hit him square in the chest, and another spell was cast immediately after. Ron covered his body in case Gerteso got a spell out, as he was bloody quick the last time, but he saw Gerteso’s wand flying toward Harry, who must have cast Expelliarmus. Ron cast Incarcerous next and watched as ropes flew out of the end of his wand and wrapped tightly around Gerteso.

Harry had taken off the invisibility cloak in the meantime, and stuffed it in his cloak. He was now headed toward Gerteso to cuff him. They weren’t taking any chances. As British Aurors, they weren’t as well versed in the magic of vampires, so they didn’t want to risk his potential for wandless magic. Ron met Harry at the bound man, and held him up while Harry attached the cuffs. He said the spell and they lit up purple, indicating they were working.

Ron cast the counterspells to any disillusionment and glamour charms. It partially did the trick, but it didn’t fully reveal Gerteso’s true identity. Harry and Ron looked at each other, communicating silently. It had to be Polyjuice potion. That would make sense with his time limit, and why he only spent forty five minutes on any given day. They searched Gerteso for any signs of a flask, but had no luck.

The sick git simply smiled eerily at them. “Can’t apprehend me if you can’t prove who I am.”

“Nice try,” Harry said as he tapped the cuffs that turned a bright shade of blue. “New technology,” he said to Ron, who nodded in understanding. Kingsley was really pulling out all the stops for them.

“State your name,” Harry said gruffly.

They watched as Gerteso opened his mouth in an attempt to use whatever alias he’d chosen that day, and then his eyes grew wide.

“Go on, tell us,” Ron said.

“Leonardo-” he looked pained, “Guarnieri.” It was clear he hadn’t spoken his real name in years by the way it seemed so foreign against his lips.

“Do you also go by the alias Howard Gerteso?” Ron asked.

“Y-yes,” the man had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Well, then, Howard Gerteso, you’re under arrest,” Ron said.

Harry went to retrieve Hermione and Rosa, tossing the cloak to the latter. Rosa took out her phone to let Jake, Amy and Charles know to standby. Hermione left with Rosa to go meet the rest of the group and to notify Kingsley that Gerteso was in custody. Harry began guiding Gerteso towards the stairwell, where the MACUSA Aurors were waiting, while Ron doubled back to pull Martini’s wand record for questioning.

~o~

A short time later, Kingsley joined Harry and Ron, who were waiting outside the questioning room. The polyjuice potion had finally worn off, and Gerteso was in his true form. Harry and Ron still kept up the disguises they’d started with for anonymity purposes. They were joined by the MACUSA Auror Director, a Mr. Stanley.

“I’ll leave you to it, then. Let me know if you need anything,” he said to Kingsley.

He left them and headed back to his office. “I’ll be right out here watching and listening. I trust you two.” Kingsley gestured towards the room.

“Thank you, sir,” Harry and Ron said.

Harry and Ron walked in and were met with a scowl on Gerteso’s face. “Well, , he doesn’t look too pleased to see us, does he Jason,” Ron said to Harry.

“Not at all, Nolan. So he must know he’s going to have to do the time for all the money laundering he did in Gringotts,” Harry responded.

Gerteso grunted, but didn’t deny his responsibility.

“So, Howard, or should we call you Leo? What brings you to New York?” Ron asked him.

“Vacation,” he said snarkily.

“Yeah? A vacation that required you to use polyjuice potion to sneak into the wand records office of MACUSA for the past week or so?” Harry countered.

“Last I checked it was open for anyone to check,” he spat back.

“So why the secrecy?” Ron continued.

“I don’t have to tell you two anything.”

“You don’t have to, but it might make it easier for you. Of course, it’d take the fun away from us, since we knew you were after this,” Ron pulled Martini’s file out of his cloak and set it on the table. “What’s your brother got that you’re after, Leo?”

“Everything,” he growled.

Well, if this wasn’t the classic case of jealousy and revenge, Ron didn’t know what was.

“How long have you gone by Gerteso, then?” Harry asked.

“Long enough.”

“We’re going to need a more specific answer than that. Only since your time at Gringotts? Or maybe, since this photo?” Ron pulled out the photo they’d printed from the newspaper clipping all those years ago.

“How’d you find that? That’s from a muggle newspaper.” Gerteso leaned forward to get a better look.

“We’re the ones asking the questions,” Harry said firmly. “How do you know that shopkeeper.”

“Fine.” It looked like Gerteso was finally going to give up some information. “He took me in after the attack. I was in the kitchens before the death eaters invaded the orphanage. I was able to sneak out the back door and hide behind a dumpster. That’s how I saw Benedict escape with my brother. I was about to call out to them, but then the explosion happened and it knocked me out. When I woke up they were gone. That shopkeeper found me and took me in. Thought it best to change my name, and then he raised me muggle.”

“No one from Hogwarts came for you?” Harry asked even though he knew the answer.

“Why would they? Everyone assumed we were good as dead, even though they never recovered our bodies. Course, all the records were destroyed, so they didn’t actually know how many of us perished, did they?”

“So how’d you get a wand? And learn magic?” Ron asked.

“Why’s it matter?” Gerteso had a knack for answering questions with questions.

“Why? Well, the fact that you’re practicing magic and worked at Gringotts is the ‘matter.’ So please, enlighten us,” Ron pressed.

“Stole one. Then taught myself.”

“Did you steal the books, too?” Harry asked. Gerteso simply shrugged. Just another crime to add to the list.

“Alright, so you’re clearly going to Azkaban for a long time. Money laundering, from the goblins no less, stealing, impersonating others, evading the law... so how about you tell us what you want with your brother.” Ron was getting ready for the cincher.

“I want what’s mine.”

“Which is…?” Harry was starting to get impatient.

“His title.”

Ron nodded. “Thanks, Leo.” He nodded to Harry, and they left the room to discuss with Kingsley.

“Good work, you two,” Kingsley said. “What are you thinking for your next steps?”

“I’d like to leave him in the dark until tomorrow. We should bring him to the 99 so they can question him for his identity theft. It’ll only make our case stronger,” Harry said and Ron nodded as he took over.

“Hermione is working with Rosa and Amy to contact Martini and ask him to stop by the precinct for a publicity stunt. They’ll give him a tour, and we’ll bring him in the room and Disarm him when he sees his brother.”

“We’ll make sure we have time to get Gerteso to comply with helping the MACUSA team take his brother down. He’s got a lot of jealousy and vengeance flowing through him, so it shouldn’t be too hard,” Harry finished.

“Very good. I will have Gerteso transferred to holding, and will personally see to it that he’s transferred to the 99 tomorrow morning. We should be able to wrap this up tomorrow if all goes well.”

“Thanks,” Harry and Ron said.

“You two may go. Make sure your plan is well thought out with the team. Once Gerteso is settled in his cell, I’ll visit Holt and give him the rundown. We will plan for nine tomorrow morning. Now, get back to your team,” Kingsley said.

Harry and Ron said their goodbyes and made their way to join the rest of the team.

~o~

The team spent the last couple of hours planning out every detail, question and potential move Martini could make tomorrow. Holt was able to contact Martini, who confirmed he would visit the precinct. Now that they’d secured his visit, the team was also certain that Gerteso would be willing to help them take down his brother. It’d be a brief, but shocking reunion for sure. Satisfied things were in good shape for tomorrow, the team retired early again for more movies.

“I think we can get through two more movies tonight!” said Amy. “And then the other two tomorrow, if you’re allowed to stay one extra night.”

“I’m sure Kingsley won’t have a problem with it,” Hermione said kindly. She knew they all wanted to get home, but she needed to see this through, and hoped that the boys were invested, too.

“Honestly, if we can wrap this up in the morning, we could finish the reports, watch the movies and then we could take a late portkey. We have to come back to pack up anyways. Plus, Kingsley should at least have the decency to give us a few days off after this case,” Ron suggested. “So we can rest when we’re home.”

“That’s true,” Harry said.

“I can go help speed the process along by starting the paperwork tonight,” Rosa suggested. Well, it wasn’t really a suggestion, more of a statement, as she’d already grabbed her jacket and was headed out the door. “I’ll meet you guys at the precinct in the morning.”

Ron looked worriedly at the rest of the detectives. “Don’t mind Rosa, she likes her private life. She already brought her stuff back to her place before you got back from questioning. You don’t have to worry about her loyalty. Actually, you should be thankful, she never offers to do extra paperwork,” Jake explained. “She’s also clearly not an HP fanatic like Amy and Charles are.”

“And you,” Amy said with a smirk.

“Okay, fine, I’ve joined the dark side,” Jake finally relented.

“Well, it’s good to know not everyone is obsessed with my story,” Harry said sarcastically.

“Shall we, then?” Amy asked.

The group settled in to watch Order of the Phoenix. As the scenes progressed, Ron muttered to Harry, “At least our hair’s a more accurate length for this go around.”

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “That was pretty awful. And why is mine much more tame? What are they trying to accomplish?” Harry and Ron shrugged as Amy remained awfully quiet.

It was a longer movie, but it was more accurate in their minds than the fourth. “Umbridge really was awful,” Hermione commented. “And that actress gave a chilling performance. It felt like I was there all over again.”

Harry glanced at his hand, which still had his own handwriting on the back of his hand. “Well, they got the disaster of my relationship with Cho on point, but where were your Department of Mysteries injuries?” Harry asked Ron and Hermione. He looked at Amy. “Are they in the books at least? It was bad. They were in the hospital for over a week. Hermione didn’t even wake up for several days.”

“It’s in the books, yes,” Amy confirmed, “but I think the movies wanted to focus more on your loss than the other’s injuries.” She was referring to Sirius.

Ron could tell Harry was tense so he changed the conversation. “Well, I for one, am insulted that they completely disregarded Firenze, and they left out the swamp. What a shame.”

Hermione nodded. “Should we start the sixth?”

Amy got up to change the discs as Harry gave Ron and Hermione a look. “Well, this should be fun.”

Hermione and Ron both grimaced. Hermione looked at Ron. “Can I just take a moment to apologize ahead of time again for the canaries? If they’re even there…”

“Oh, they’re there!” Charles chimed in.

“I’m sorry, too, for...well, you know,” Ron said.

They’d been together long enough that the whole year had been discussed at length, except for one tiny detail that Hermione seemed to have forgotten about.

The movie started rolling with the Underground scene. “Er, what is this? This never happened.” Harry looked incredibly confused. “They really didn’t use the Dursleys in this at all?” He looked surprised as Amy and Charles shook their heads.

The trio was on edge for several of the scenes they knew were coming, but it wasn’t until the Quidditch trials scene started that Hermione let out a shriek. “Oh, no. Shit! No!” She looked at Harry as Ron asked her what was wrong. It was completely out of character for her to swear.

“N-nothing. Could we- Amy can we skip this scene?” she asked nervously.

Amy seemed to realize what Hermione was alluding to, but Ron spoke up first. “No, keep playing it.” He watched as Movie Hermione cast a confundus charm on McLaggen and looked at her.

“Tell me you didn’t.”

“I- it wasn’t because I thought you couldn’t do it!”

“Hermione-”

“I was so mad at him and his smugness. He needed that cocky smile rubbed off his face. He would have been awful - he was awful! When he played in that second match. He was such a foul pain in the arse.”

Hermione’s face threatened tears as Ron looked to Harry. “Did you know?”

“I only guessed, and I told her it was wrong. I wouldn’t have let him make the team anyways, but apparently she didn’t trust my judgement either,” Harry rolled his eyes.

“And you didn’t tell me because…?”

“Because by the time I confirmed it you were in a right foul mood because of Ginny, and then you spent months snogging Lavender. By that point, the season was almost over, and McLaggen’s true colors came out anyways.”

Jake, Charles, and Amy were watching even more intently than they had the movie, which Amy had since paused. Everyone waited to see how Ron would react, and they were all surprised when he simply smirked and put his arm around his wife.

“You know, looking back on it, it’s kind of sweet that you wanted to help me and make McLaggen suffer.”

Hermione gaped at him. “You’re not mad?” Even Harry looked surprised.

“If it was fifteen years ago? Yeah, I probably would have been, but I’d like to think I’ve matured enough to not let something that happened when we were sixteen bother me now. Can we keep going?”

Hermione relaxed a bit and sunk into his side as they continued. Everyone was trying to keep their comments to a minimum as they had the previous evening so they wouldn’t miss anything, but when the scene with the Burrow catching fire appeared, the trio all lost their minds.

Even Amy and Charles agreed that it was a very odd addition that wasn’t necessary in the slightest. Jake thought the effect was cool, but sort of out of place. After the outburst, they were able to make it to the end, and the trio looked shell shocked. Up until that point, things weren’t terrible, but what the writers and directors had done to Ginny and Ron’s characters was completely inexcusable.

“Ginny may well kill someone if she ever sees that,” Harry commented. “And what was up with Ron being so far in the back of that last scene? That’s not how it went at all.”

“I’m actually pretty disgusted,” Hermione agreed.

“As much as you kissing Ginny after that match shocked me, mate, I think they did a disservice by totally changing that here. Whatever that was supposed to be in the Room of Requirement was just awkward..” Ron said.

“I was really upset when I saw they’d messed that up,” Charles agreed, ever the romantic.

“Amy,” Hermione said, not paying attention to the rest of the conversation.

“Yeah?”

“Please tell me that the screenwriters were not trying to attempt to create a nonexistent relationship seem plausible.”

Amy gave Hermione a worried and apologetic look. “I wish I could..”

“Oh my god,” Hermione’s face was red and she looked livid.

“What?” Harry and Ron were looking at her.

“They were trying to imply that Harry and I would have been a better couple! I’m so angry I could scream.”

“Hermione, you wanted to watch these,” Jake tried to tell her.

“And I don’t regret it, but there’s no wonder there’s all this speculation still surrounding the three of us.”

“ ‘Mione, stop, it doesn’t matter. We’re happy, Harry’s happy with Ginny. We’ll tell the rest of them to bugger off, it’s fine,” Ron tried to reassure her.

“It’s not fine! They completely destroyed your character, and elevated mine to make me seem too desirable! How are you not more upset by this?”

“Because it’s fiction based on presumed fiction. Muggles don’t know we’re real, so this is all just a story to them. It’s no use getting your knickers in a twist over. Our real fans know what’s true and what the movies fucked up, yeah? We can’t let it affect us.”

Hermione let out a loud sigh. “I really hate when you’re the voice of reason.”

Ron grinned at her as Jake and Harry suggested they should all probably get some sleep. “We’ll finish this saga tomorrow, and then Amy and Charles, you owe me some Die Hard marathons!” Jake said excitedly.

“To one more day and an almost closed case,” Charles said as they all stood to go to their separate rooms.

“Cheers!” chorused the rest of the group. It was hard to believe this crazy case was going to come to an end tomorrow.

#hp trio #hp au #hp b99 crossover #b99 au #ROMIONE

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johnhardinsawyer · 6 years ago

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Like a Good Neighbor

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

7 / 14 / 19

Luke 10:25-37

Colossians 1:1-14

“Like a Good Neighbor”

(With-ness as Witness)

If you were to walk outside, and flag down the first car that passes by, and ask the driver what they think it means to be a “Good Samaritan,” I am willing to guess that most folks – after they got over the initial shock of seeing a person standing in the middle of the road asking questions – would say something along the lines of “Well, a Good Samaritan helps people.”

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a story that finds itself among the “Greatest Hits” of the Bible. It is a story that just about everyone can understand about what it means to care for other people – to help them, even if they are different and not part of “our” group, our family, our race, our culture. And, for those of us who follow Jesus Christ, being a Good Samaritan is one of the ways that we can love our neighbor – no matter who they are – and, in loving our neighbor, we can live out our love for God. For those who do not follow Jesus Christ as Lord, I earnestly believe that the Holy Spirit is part of every helpful and good and loving act – no matter who does it. The Spirit can be lovingly subversive in this way.

Today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossians mentions a Good Samaritan of sorts – and, no, I’m not talking about Paul or Jesus (though we’ll get to those guys in a minute). We only catch a glimpse of this Good Samaritan that is part of today’s second reading – blink and you’ll miss him. Paul is in the middle of telling the Colossians about how he is so thankful for them because they have heard the good news of Jesus Christ and this good news – or gospel – is “bearing fruit from the day [they first] heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.” (Colossians 1:6) Paul then goes on to say that the Colossians learned about the grace of God from someone named “Epaphras, our beloved and fellow servant.” (1:7)

Did you hear that name – Epaphras – when it was read? Chances are, if you heard the name, you might have filed it away under “Minor Bible Characters with Strange Names” as it went in one ear and out the other. I have been very guilty of doing this from time to time, too. There are a whole lot of names and places in the Bible. Some of them are quite memorable – Jehoshaphat, anyone? Some of them are unpronounceable – Mephibosheth, anyone? Some of them would be very good Scrabble words if only Scrabble allowed proper names.

But, does anyone know anything about this Epaphras person? Chances are, you did not hear about him in Sunday School, or youth group, or sermons. Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, Epaphras was not from Ephesus. I’m telling you, these Bible names and places can trip you up. Epaphras was from Colossae, he was a Colossian. And, for today, I think it would be good for us to take a closer look at him, and see what we can learn about him and see if we can learn anything from him.

In today’s reading, Paul writes that Epaphras is a “beloved fellow servant.” (1:7) In the original language, the word “fellow-slave”[1]is used instead of servant. Also, it is said that Epaphras is a “faithful minister [servant, deacon][2]of Christ on. . . behalf” of the Colossians and that he has told Paul about the Christ-like love that the Colossians share – love that they have learned from Epaphras and his example. So, Epaphras is a teacher, a minister, a deacon – someone who serves God and serves people. He is also a big fan of his church, too, and is willing to tell people about his church. “My church? Over in Colossae? Those are some great people who love Jesus and it shows in how they live, and serve, and treat one another.” I think we all could learn a few things from Epaphras.

The next spot where Epaphras shows up is later in the letter to the Colossians – Chapter 4, Verse 12. Paul is closing the letter and listing everyone who is sending their greetings to the church. It would appear that Epaphras, minister and deacon to the church at Colossae, is not at home. Instead, he is hanging out with Paul, and since Paul is writing a letter to the folks back home, Epaphras wants to send a “hello” to them. “Tell them I said ‘Hi!’ and that I love them.” And so, Paul writes:

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in [several other churches]. (4:12-13)

Epaphras is hanging out with Paul but he is “wrestling in his prayers” for the church back home. He is praying in such a way that he is fighting the good fight, spiritually, laboring and striving in prayer.[3] In other words, he is reallypraying for his people. Even if he can’t be right there with them, he is with them in spirit. There is real power in this kind of prayer.

Just as an aside, when I was in seminary, one of my preaching professors – Robert Jacks was his name – would ask someone in the class to serve as an “Epaphras,” someone who would pray for the classmate – or “preachifying victim”[4]– who would be standing at a lectern up front, trembling as they preached what might have been their very first sermon ever. The “Epaphras” would pray during the sermon, and then, when it was time for everyone else in the class to critique the sermon, the Epaphras would pray for the person being critiqued.[5] As a first-time preacher, it was good to know that I was not alone up there – that someone was holding me in prayer, wrestling on my behalf. Back in those days, all of us who were trying to learn how to preach sure needed some prayer. We still do.

You might be wondering, “Say John, if Epaphras isn’t with his own people, where, exactly, is he?” The answer comes in the third and final place where the name Epaphras shows up. It happens in everyone’s favorite book of the Bible (because it’s the shortest): Philemon. The letter to Philemon was written to someone – you guessed it – named Philemon (but we’ll call him “Phil”) who was a member of the church in Colossae. Phil knew Epaphras. He was a member of Epaphras’ church. And, at the very end of this letter to Phil, Paul writes, “Epaphras, my fellow prisonerin Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you. . .” (Philemon 23)

Now, I am sure that some folks might be able to say that Epaphras was a fellow “prisoner” in a metaphorical sense, as in, his heart had been captured by Christ Jesus. But, since Paul spent a lot of his ministry as an actual prisoner in literal jails, and prisons, and house arrest, I would venture a guess that Epaphras was also in a literal prison because of his ministry, or his association with Paul, or for something having to do with Jesus. Epaphras was suffering, alongside Paul for the sake of the gospel. I don’t know if you’ve ever had a friend like that, or have been a friend like that, but that’s some kind of friend to have or to be – the kind of friend who will walk with you through the darkest valley, sit with you through the hardest illness, be a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on after the worst breakup or job loss or failure, even, like Epaphras, give up their freedom for you. Again, you and I can learn some things – the churchcan learn some things – from Epaphras: how to share good news, how to pray for one’s people – whoever they are – how to be a good neighbor.

There is a book that some of your Elders and Deacons are reading – a book that we’ll be talking about a lot more in September – called Neighborhood Church. And in the book, there is a passage about the developing of leaders in the congregation – a process that a writer named E. Stanley Ott calls “withness.”[6] Just as God said “Do not fear, for I will be withyou” to Moses, Joshua, and David and so many others, and just as Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would be with them forever, God calls us to be withour neighbors – be they members of our church family or people that we see beyond these four walls, anywhere, at any time. This “withness” is a two-way relationship, one in which life lessons are shared with one another in a partnership marked by intimacy and vulnerability. Ott tells the story of a pastor named Bob who was counseling a man who was facing the toughest crisis of his life.

[And Bob told him:] “I do not know the answer to your problem, my friend, but what I do have is a heart to place alongside your heart.” This is what it means to be ‘with’ – the sense of sharing life at its deepest levels. We place our hearts alongside each other. Discipleship is friend with friend, heart with heart, loving Jesus Christ and loving one another.[7]

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” the lawyer asks Jesus, right before the parable of the Good Samaritan. “You’re a lawyer,” Jesus says, “what does the law say?” “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 [you shall love ] your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:26-27) “You have given the right answer,” Jesus says. “Do this and you will live.” Do this, and you will live as God intends.

So, how can we, as individuals, and we, as a church, put this into practice? Well, if we were to be Epaphras people and an Epaphras church, we would – in how we live and what we say and do – teach our neighbors what God’s love looks like. And if this love were to bear fruit right here in our neighborhood, I wonder what that might look like.

And, if we were to be Epaphras people and an Epaphras church, we would pray for and with our neighbors. Now, I know that our neighborhood, and town, and part of the world might have a reputation as a place where people want to be seen as hearty and self-sufficient, but no one’s spirit is entirely self-sufficient. And one of the things we have to offer, as Christians, is real and true spiritual support for our neighbors.

And, if we were to be an Epaphras people and an Epaphras church, we would be present – through thick and thin – meeting the basic human need of having someone place their heart alongside the heart of someone who needs it most. There are people in your life, and my life, and the life of this neighborhood, and town, and state, and nation, and world who need our hearts to be right there with their hearts – our whole bodies, and minds, and spirits, and gifts, and time, and energy to be right there with them – whether they work on Wall St. or drive on Church Rd., whether they live on the street or in prison, in houses or apartments, or out in the open, or tents, or detention facilities. When we practice “withness,” this is how we show our love for our neighbors. This is our Christian witness. This, in part, is how our love for God is seen and known in the world.

This is the kind of love shown by the Good Samaritan in the story that Jesus tells. But the story that Jesus tells, is just that: a storyto teach us a lesson. Just so you know, there wasn’t an actual person in the Bible named “Good Samaritan” who actually took care of a man on the side of the road. The Bible is filled, though, with instances of actual people, who lived and breathed, just like we do – Jehoshaphat and Mephibosheth, and Paul, and Jesus, Philemon, and Epaphras. They were real people, who lived and breathed, just like we do. They had the gifts of love, and service, and prayer, and presence of body, mind, and spirit to offer and share. Sometimes they did this well. And, sometimes, not well at all.

You have a name, too. And it is a name that some people might know well or a name that others might just hear in passing, or a name that most of the world won’t hear or know at all. But while you are living and breathing, no matter who you are or what your name may be, may you, in your full-bodied and full-hearted love for God and love for neighbor, make “withness” your witness to all people.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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[1]Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979) 785.

[2]Walter Bauer, 184.

[3]Walter Bauer, 15.

[4]Jonathan Halcomb provided this descriptive phrase for today’s sermon.

[5]With gratitude for Dr. Robert Jacks, as well as The Reverend Jay Blankespoor, The Reverend Jennifer Martin, The Reverend Sarah Tonje, The Reverend Glenn McCullough, and Jonathan Halcomb for helping me remember this practice correctly.

[6]This also is a term used by my good friend, The Reverend Dr. C. Jarred Hammet, Jr.

[7]Krin Van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller, Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation Into a Powerhouse for Mission(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2019) 110-111.

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