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 - October 16, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - Friends To Family

This week we’re exploring this idea of “people of peace”. Jesus sent his followers to various towns, and asked them find people of peace and go deeply in relationship with them, and not to go from house to house. This was selective by design, and Jesus is okay with that. Jesus focused on his 12 disciples, and sometimes even smaller groups, through much of his ministry. Here he sends 72, not 72000. Jesus sends them to focus on one family in each town. Go deep into relationship with them. He even says, if things don’t work out, move on. But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:10-12) There can be all sorts of reasons why someone doesn’t want a close relationship with a follower of Jesus. The authors of “The Art of Neighbouring” suggest they may be: Too busy Wary of certain people Already relationally full At a different stage of life Afraid of exposure They may not be your person of peace. Not now, or ever. They may be someone else’s person of peace! But if they welcome you, are hospitable and friendly, invest in them, and they will invest in you. Sometimes it’s obvious, but if it is not obvious, pray, and just dive in, meet people, see who pops up as generous, caring, patient, and hospitable. Question: Who do you think might be a person of peace in your neighbourhood?

From Series: "Won't You Be My Neighbour?"

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