Tag Archives: Loving our Neighbors

Loving our Neighbor

Kingdom Building

October 13, 2019

Scripture Reading:
Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

There is a lot going on in this story. For one thing, Jesus healing undesirables. In this story he healed lepers and even worse a Samaritan. Leprosy was greatly feared and believed to be contagious. Samaritans were hated.

One could wonder if the other nine lepers did not end up being healed because they did not return and thank Jesus. I do not see anything in the scriptures that indicates Jesus was a quid pro quo kind of guy. Humans certainly have the capacity to want something in return for anything they do for another. I believe that Jesus was fully human and thus fully capable of all kinds of human behavior. His way of being was just as much his choice as our ways of being are our choice. He appreciated being thanked, I am sure, but I doubt he expected or demanded it.

Jesus instructed all his disciples including me, to love are neighbors as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:31) There is nothing in this direction that even suggests you should receive anything in return from the neighbor. I was stunned when I kept seeing the fallout from Ellen Degeneres and George W. Bush visiting with each other at a baseball game. I assumed they both like baseball, silly me. They both identify as Christians and each seems to practice their faith as God guides them. I know Ellen is very generous in helping others and sharing concerns on her show as an advocate for others. Former President Bush has a well-known history of service to the people of Africa. Some wondered why George W. Bush would even talk to Ellen, I guess because she is a progressive and a homosexual; others thought the only reason Ellen would talk to former President Bush was because she might be able to get him on her show as a quid pro quo; and Ellen’s supporters thought she should not talk to the former President because he authorized the war in Iraq. Ellen said she talks to a lot of people with whom she does not totally agree; part of being president is working together with people who do not share the same ideologies. I doubt seriously if there are any two people who totally agree on anything.

Our world is caught up in a very dangerous philosophy of doing exactly the opposite of loving our neighbor and it will be our downfall if we do not correct it because there is a power greater than humans who is Love and established the world to run on love’s energy.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we become so cynical, we cannot appreciate the joy of making friends and building consensus, sharing goals and discovering common ground, and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

General Welfare

Kingdom Building

October 8, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Even in exile the best thing for our group and every other group is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Think about that. God’s wisdom of loving our neighbors, even if they are aliens to us or we are aliens to them in the long run is better for all. Living as normal a life as possible even in oppression is the right thing to do.

People of color know this reality. Young black men taught to open doors for ladies often end up watching white ladies clasp their purses tighter, perhaps move them to the opposite side of their bodies and tuck them closely under their arms when they enter that door being held for them.

I am not suggesting God is saying be docile, go along to get along. God is always the God of justice. What I am saying is we must never let the negative actions of others change who we are. Perhaps, our positive actions can change through sharing the love of God those who oppress. God is a God of community. Working for the rights of all protects our rights and provides for a much better world.

Prayer: God enable us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves all the time. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/democracy

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Loving Others in the Bad Times

Kingdom Building

October 7, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Even in exile the best thing for our group and every other group is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Think about that. God’s wisdom of loving our neighbors, even if they are aliens to us or we are aliens to them in the long run is better for all. Living as normal a life as possible even in oppression is the right thing to do.

People of color know this reality. Young black men taught to open doors for ladies often end up watching white ladies clasp their purses tighter, perhaps move them to the opposite side of their bodies and tuck them closely under their arms when they enter that door being held for them.

I am not suggesting God is saying be docile, go along to get along. God is always the God of justice. What I am saying is we must never let the negative actions of others change who we are and perhaps our positive actions can change those who oppress through sharing the love of God. God is a God of community. Working for the rights of all protects our rights and provides for a much better world.

Prayer: God enable us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves all the times. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Who is our Neighbor?

Kingdom Building

July 14, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ –Luke 10:29-37

The lawyer seems to see his faith as a business deal. Rather than treat everyone as his neighbor, he wants to know the minimum requirement. “Tell me exactly who I must love as I love myself so I can have eternal life.” Jesus essentially answers the question with a story that asks, “Who is not your neighbor?”

For a few years a major dispute has been continuing in a neighboring city about converting a golf course into a place for more needed housing. Now I understand that avid golfers might want to live close to a club and would miss it when it is gone. I even understand that living next to a good golf course might increase the value of property. That said, are the people in need of housing our neighbors and are we responsible for assuring that they have affordable, accessible housing available? Probably the more important question is “Do I want to live across the street from housing that is classified as equal opportunity?”

What we do not recognize is the fact that if we loved our neighbors as we loved ourselves the value of our property would not be impacted by whoever moves in next door.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand that our values are constructs of our making and that it is our values and not yours that we are applying when we esteem our worth greater than any other persons worth. Forgive us and show us the way to place your values first in our lives. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved. Most of us would have no problem being kind to our neighbors because we choose to live in neighborhoods made up of people who look and live a lot like we do.

The Bigger Picture

Living in the Spirit
October 15, 2018

Scripture Reading: Job 38:1-7, (34-41)

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
   I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
   and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? –Job 38:1-7

We humans thought the world was flat until we discovered it was not. The world is an amazing reality. Although we have come a long way in understanding it, I think we have just scratched the surface. Even the things we do know about our world do not seem to matter much to us in our role of having dominion over the earth. We take the world for granted until the world spews forth its displeasure with our behavior in fulfilling our role of being responsible caretakers rather than pillagers of its resources.

The writer of Job has God asking Job the breadth of Job’s understanding of his world and how it functions. How do he and each of us fit into the workings of the world about us. God is calling Job to look at the bigger picture. I hear that happening in interviews with people who have lost all their material possessions following a recent hurricane. “We survived, that is all that matters, the rest is just material that can be replaced.” Each speaker clearly understands how much toil and tears await them in the recovery and it is that bigger picture that provides them the strength to continue.

Of course, in the story of Job, his family was lost. The final count of lives lost is yet to be determined in the hurricane as rescue and recovery search through the debris left behind. Some may have lost their families like Job. Like Job, though they are finding themselves in the broader family of God as people they did not know before, love them enough to care for them as they start the hard road back from severe loss.

Just as God charged us to care for the earth, he calls us to care for all that is within it including all God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, make us mindful of our role as caretakers of the earth and its peoples. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Our Children’s Futures

Living in the Spirit
October 7, 2018

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:2-16

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. –Mark 10:13-16

Everything we do today shapes the future for our children. Our history does not project a bright future for them. The rich are getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and the poor are getting poorer. Our economy is driven by greed not based on productivity but in money transactions. War of some kind is a constant reality. Climate change is reshaping our coastlines, impacting weather trends, and threatening the very air we breathe. Violence of all types surrounds us. People are angry but cannot put their finger on why. We blame politicians some of whom feed the chaos.

As followers of Christ, we are called to pave the way toward a world ruled by love where all have enough, live in peace, live in a world with clean air and safe water, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves as interdependent children of a loving God. I do not know a time when our answering that call has been more important.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to live your love and share it from our front doors to the end of the world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Blameless and Upright

Living in the Spirit
October 1, 2018

Scripture Reading: Job 1:1, 2:1-10

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.’ –Job 1:1, 2:1-6

Satan, the name of the superhuman adversary of God*, is a leading character in the book of Job. Satan smugly claims that all humans have their price and even though Job has been blameless and upright so far, he surely has his limits. God allows Satan to put Job to the test. The scene is set, and the action begins.

From the beginning, humans have had the right to choose between good and evil. We have most likely always wondered if bad things happening to us are the results of bad things we have done. It is an age old question if God is love and God is thus good why do bad things happen to good people? In some instances, we know we are suffering very real consequences from our own actions. What of the Jobs of the world who are blameless and upright, why do bad things happen to them?

We readily quote Jesus as saying it rains on the just and the unjust but that does not help much. We need to look a little closer at the context. Here is the full scripture:

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:44-45)

All people are God’s children and he loves them equally. He is instructing that all people are our neighbors and we are to love them as he does. I think he may also be saying that we need to work as one to prevent bad things from happening to anyone if it is at all possible.  I doubt the poor in Puerta Rico or the Carolina’s purposely live in homes more likely to be destroyed by hurricanes.

Prayer: Lord, make us good neighbors to all your children. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7854.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Practicing Patience

Advent
December 7, 2017

Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-15a

 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. –2 Peter 3:8-10

Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 depending on which translation you use: patience (NRSV), forbearance (NIV), longsuffering (KJV). I must confess I rather identify with the King James’ longsuffering because my patience does not come naturally but is most often forced on me by things out of my control. Over the years, I learned, however, that patience is a good thing to have.

An older friend born in Germany shared that for the longest time as he learned English he translated the English words spoken to him into German in his head to understand them, making his response time somewhat slow. Even after being in the USA for 40 years, he still occasionally did that. Patience is rather like that, at first when it is intentional. We must practice patience to make it meaningful when it does not come naturally to us until it does.

C. S. Lewis in his book Four Loves describes a pesky neighbor who drove him crazy with some of her idiosyncrasies. His first reaction was to avoid her if at all possible. In so doing he was struck wondering how his behavior fit with God’s command to love his neighbor as he loved himself. Since he could not make himself love her, he decided the next best thing was to treat her as if he did and so he began treated her as he did other neighbors he loved. One day after an encounter with her, he realized that he had truly learned to love her as God calls us to love one another. Intentionally practicing patience works.

Prayer:  Lord, shower those of us for whom patience is a quest with your spirit enabling our ability to grow in patience. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

How to Love God

Living in the Spirit
October 28, 2017

Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ –Matthew 22:34-39

What does it mean to love God? Strong’s Concordance* describes the Greek word, agapaó, used here for loving God as meaning to prefer God. It derives from the Greek word for God’s love, Agape. Loving God also speaks of wishing God well which I believe refers to supporting God’s purposes. Other descriptors of this type love include taking pleasure in God, longing for God, and holding God in esteem. It also denotes the love of reason as loving God.

The same word is used to describe how we are to love our neighbors. Here is where the rubber meets the road. We can extol God in word and song, but the way we love our neighbors demonstrates how we serve God’s purpose.

I liked the idea of loving God meaning preferring God over all others. The other ideas made sense to me. I was, however, surprised with the love of reason describing loving God. It makes sense. God created us in God’s image and gave us brains with which to reason. I wonder if the greatest sin in our world today is forgoing reason for selfish ends?

Prayer: Lord, help us discipline ourselves to using our power to reason to effect a world that reflects your purposes. Amen.

* http://biblehub.com/greek/25.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

We Go High

Living in the Spirit
September 6, 2017

Scripture Reading: Psalm 149

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
   his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
   let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
   making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
   he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
   let them sing for joy on their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
   and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
   and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters
   and their nobles with chains of iron,
to execute on them the judgment decreed.
   This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people. We are a source of God’s happiness. If you are a parent or aunt in my case, it is easy to imagine. I take pleasure in seeing my nieces and nephews thrive and success using their God given talents. I apparently inherited that trait from God. So did you. God loves each human and thus wants the very best for each of us. We need to share in and support each other’s growth and development.

We all recently watched people rescuing people in the recovery efforts related to Hurricane Harvey’s hitting the gulf coast. A horrible disaster, yet the love that poured through that area surely gave God pleasure. Long-termed restorative care is now needed. An extension of letting our love pour through our everyday lives seems appropriate too. Disasters tend to remind us of what is important.

Ultimately, we are responsible for our behavior, and it is important that we take that responsibility seriously. As we live in community,  we meld our ways of being with others for good or for bad. Our goal is to maximize the good and minimize the bad, which means we must find common ground on which to build our society that requires the patience to understand one another and not take for granted what is reality for me is another’s reality. Finding common ground is hard work requiring us at times to leave our comfort zones and move to higher ground.

Prayer:
Lord lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s table land;
A higher plane than I have found
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.* Amen.

*Chorus to hymn Higher Ground words by Johnson Outman Jr. See at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.