Thought for Today
Psalm 119:54 Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home.
Leviticus 19:18 . . . you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."
Luke 10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
I have written previously about the delightful (unique?) tradition I inherited when I was called to serve First Parish Church of Newbury. Each summer our congregation and a neighboring congregation worship together during July and August. During July, we worship at their church. During August, they worship at our church.
Yesterday, our congregation returned ‘home.’ Several of us remarked about how good it felt to be back in our church home. Our neighbors had done a wonderful job of making us feel at home in their church home . . . and we did feel at home; but, it was not ‘our home.’ Yesterday, we were back at home doing our best to make them feel at home in our sanctuary.
Our culture has adages about home, i.e., “Home is where the heart is, ”Home is where our story begins,” or “Home is the starting placed of love, hope and dreams.” One of my favorites is “Home is not a place, it’s a feeling” attributed to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Hopefully, you have some favorite adage expressing your own feelings about home and hearth. I am very fond of the idea expressed by the psalmist of home being the place where God’s statutes are sung.
Any mention of or discussion about home also implies some consideration of neighbors. When we read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, we encounter a lot of stories and parables about hospitality and neighborliness. Many cultures have complex and extensive traditions involving hospitality. The nomadic shepherding cultures which are the basis for the Torah and much of our Old Testament have binding, obligatory responsibilities for both the host and the guest. One of the words we often encounter as we read there is ‘sojourner.’
“In Hebrew, the word towshab is most often translated as sojourner. It refers to someone living in a country where he is not a native citizen or naturalized, a resident foreigner, a lodger, an emigrant, or a stranger. The other Hebrew word, ger, is only sometimes translated as sojourner, more often being rendered as stranger or alien. However, ger means a guest, implying a foreigner. It refers to someone living outside his own country. The Greek word paroikeo is translated as sojourner and means to dwell near or by or to live in a place without citizenship. Finally, the Greek word xenos, referring to a foreigner, stranger, alien, or guest, can also be translated as sojourner.” (compellingtruth.org)
It’s probably a stretch to refer to our summer tradition as involving either congregation’s being sojourners. But even thinking about it does remind us of the focus in scripture of neighborliness. In both testaments, the idea of loving one’s neighbor is presented as part of what it means to love our Creator God. God’s children are called to love one another.
I’ve always found it instructive that Jesus answered that question in Luke 10 by relating what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan. At the heart of that parable is the idea that sometimes the best neighbors are found in the most unexpected places. The Jews and Samaritans were bitter enemies. Yet, they were related ethnically and spiritually. Interaction of any sort, social, commercial or any other way was anathema. Yet, in that parable, the good neighbor was not the priest, not the Levite but the Samaritan.
Greta and I live some distance from Newbury and the surrounding towns. Generally, when we think of our neighbors, we would think about those who live in our own general area. As a Christian, I am constantly reminded, however, that all of God’s children are my neighbors. Each Sunday, I am reminded that our congregations are our neighbors. Each summer, I am reminded that all of those faithful folks on the North Shore are our neighbors.
Our Creator God has provided us many examples of who are true neighbors are. Who is your neighbor?
Stay safe, love your neighbor as yourself, trust God,
Pastor Ray