Yesterday I asked you to complete a neighbourhood grid.  How did it go?

This grid has been completed by people all over North America, and the creators report that about 10% of people can fill in every name on the grid.  About 3% can write down one fact about each neighbour, and less than 1% can write something of depth about every neighbour.

Yes, Jesus says love your enemies, and we should work towards this.  Unfortunately, we can’t start there very easily, since if we aim for everything, we usually hit nothing.  Trying to be neighbours with everybody all at once often means we’re neighbours with nobody.  We need to start somewhere.

In our culture, we often experience the opposite problem as  Jesus’ original hearers.  They  lived in a tightknit community with strong traditions and bonds.  Loving their similar neighbours came naturally, but loving enemies did not.  Their definition needed broadening.

In contract, our culture can make this story too metaphorical and remote.  We don’t regularly see wounded enemies laying on the road, and can tell ourselves, “if I do, I live in a country with universal health care so I can leave it to the profesionals.”  For us, our definition of loving neighbour can start out too broad, and needs narrowing so we can learn to truly love, and not just write people off.

There are two ways we will start off easy.  We’ll start with our actual neighbourhood or cubicle cluster.  Secondly, if love sounds mushy or weird, we can just start with learning names, and then we can figure it out from there.

mapthumbChallenge: For this week, work on learning all the names possible in your grid.  If you don’t know them all, just go knock on their door and ask.  You may find out they forgot your name, too!

Have you completed the neighbourhood grid yet?  If not, click here

Ryan Sim - December 25, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - The Night That Changed You

It’s Christmas Day, so we’re simply going to read the Christmas story straight from the Bible. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:1-21 ESV) Question: Have a Merry Christmas! Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community - so check out today's reading at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/readingplan Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/events/!

From Series: The Night that Changed Everything | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

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