Institutional A.M.E. Zion Church

First Sunday — Communion

The Samaritan, the Innkeeper, and Me — Part 2

What We Gonna Do?

Sunday, June 7, 2026 | Rev. Julius Walls Jr., Pastor

Luke 10:34–35 (NIV) “34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’”

Last week we asked what would you do when you see someone broken. This week the question shifts. The Samaritan doesn’t stay. He brings the wounded man to the inn and leaves. Jesus keeps the story going on purpose — to turn our eyes toward the inn. The church is not just a gathering of Good Samaritans. The church is the inn. And the question Jesus is asking us this morning is whether we are ready to receive whoever He brings through our doors.

Point 1Are We Present? — An Accessible ChurchIf there is no inn, the compassion has nowhere to land.
Point 2Are We Prepared? — A Capable ChurchPresence without preparation is a promise you cannot keep.
Point 3Are We Predictable? — A Faithful ChurchPeople bring people to a church they can count on.

2026 Theme — Community as Communion: The inn in this story is not a building. It is a community. A system. A people committed to receiving whoever the Good Samaritan brings. Community as Communion means the table is never just for us. It is always set for the one on their way.

“Go and do likewise.” — Luke 10:37 (NIV)

From This Week’s Message

The Question

What We Gonna Do?

The Samaritan doesn’t stay. He leaves. Jesus kept the story going to point at the inn — the system of care waiting to receive the broken.

Opening Illustration

There Has to Be a Place

If this were only about the Samaritan being a neighbor, the story would end with the rescue. But it doesn’t. Because life happens beyond one moment.

Point 1 — An Accessible Church

Are We Present?

When someone in Yonkers is in crisis, do they know how to get to us? Present means they know our address, our number, and that someone will return their call.

Point 2 — A Capable Church

Are We Prepared?

The door being open is not enough. What is behind the door is the question. Presence without preparation is a promise you cannot keep.

Point 3 — A Faithful Church

Are We Predictable?

The Samaritan built his return around the innkeeper’s faithfulness. You cannot manufacture a track record overnight. You build it one instance of showing up at a time.

Celebration

The Inn Never Closes

Jesus is not only the Good Samaritan. Jesus is also the innkeeper. When He poured out the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, that was the innkeeper stocking the inn. And because Jesus lives, the inn never closes.

Daily Devotions — June 8–13, 2026

Six short devotions drawn from Sunday’s message. One each day to keep the Word working in you all week long.

Monday

Does Yonkers Know We Are Here?

Luke 10:34 (NIV)

The inn in the parable was not a secret. The Samaritan knew exactly where it was. When he needed somewhere to bring a broken man, he did not have to search. He knew. He had been there before. He trusted it. That is the standard Jesus sets for the church. Not just that we are open on Sunday morning, but that the community around us knows our address, knows our number, and knows that someone will return their call. Present does not mean the lights are on seven days a week. Present means when someone in our city is in crisis, we are the first place that comes to mind. That is what we are building. That is what we are called to be.

Action: This week, tell one person outside your church family about Institutional. Not a flyer — a personal word. Tell them what this church has meant to you.

Tuesday

Love With a System Behind It

Luke 10:34 (NIV)

The innkeeper did not just open the door. He had what was needed when the door opened. Our community meals are not just a program — they are a declaration. We are saying: when you are hungry, we are ready. We have the food, the tables, the people, and the systems. Come. That is love with a system behind it. A good heart is not enough if the infrastructure does not exist to back it up. Compassion without preparation leaves people exactly where they are. The question is not just do we care — it is are we organized enough to act on the care we have.

Action: Think about one area where you have the desire to help but not yet the system. What would it take to put something in place? Bring that idea to someone at church this week.

Wednesday

The Gap Between Sunday and Monday

Luke 10:35 (NIV)

The Samaritan set up care for after he was gone. He thought about what would happen on Monday when the crisis of Sunday had passed. That is where so many people fall through — in the gap between Sunday and Monday. A prepared church catches people before they hit the ground in that gap. It means a referral for the person carrying a mental health crisis. It means a follow-up that does not lose someone between service and the rest of the week. It means Monday matters as much as Sunday. That is the inn Jesus is describing.

Action: Think of someone you know who showed up at church in a hard season and you have not heard from since. Reach out today. Be someone who closes the gap.

Thursday

They Need to Know We Are Real

Luke 10:33 (NIV)

There are people who have been watching our videos for months. Liking our posts. Sharing our content. They are spiritually searching. Some of them know it. Some do not know it yet. But they are on the road, watching to see if what they experience online is real in person. They do not need a program when they walk through the door. They need a person. Someone to look at them and say: I am glad you are here. Before any of them walk through the door, they need enough evidence to take the risk of showing up. Every sermon we post is building trust. Every prayer we share is saying we are still here.

Action: Go to the church’s Facebook or Instagram page today and share or comment on a post. Every interaction extends our reach to someone who has not yet walked through the door.

Friday

Put Your Money on the Track Record

Luke 10:35 (NIV)

The Samaritan told the innkeeper: when I return, I will reimburse you. Not if. When. He built his return around the innkeeper’s reliability. Predictable is not a flashy word. It does not get the credit that vision gets or the attention that boldness gets. But predictability is what keeps the doors open when the excitement fades. Communities are not built on the spectacular. They are built on the consistent. The Sunday that looked like every other Sunday. The prayer line that ran again tonight. The community meal that happened on schedule. That is the track record that earns the trust of a whole city.

Action: Think about one commitment to God, your church, or your community that has gotten inconsistent. Recommit to it today — not dramatically, just quietly and concretely.

Saturday

We Were in the Ditch Too

Luke 10:30 (NIV)

Before we can be the inn, we have to remember that we were once the beaten man. We were not always the ones with something to offer. There was a time we were stripped, wounded, and out of options. Religion passed by. Good intentions walked to the other side. But Jesus came where we were. He stopped when nobody else would. He got down in the ditch with us, bound our wounds, put us on His own body, and walked us to a place of care. We are not the heroes of this story. We are the ones who were found. And because we were found, we have a reason to keep the doors open.

Action: Come to worship tomorrow as someone who was once in the ditch and has been given a place of refuge. Come ready to be that refuge for someone else. Come with a name.