Our
Neighbors
by
Jim Uttley
As
we approach the year-end holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah,
and New Year's, we're continually reminded through commercials,
Christmas carols, and commentators, that this is the time
to share love and kindness with those less fortunate.
We're admonished to reach out to our neighbors.
Creator
teaches us that the most important thing in life is to
love Him with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and to
love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 19:19).
Jesus
was asked the question, "Who is my neighbor?"
He replied by telling the story of the good Samaritan
(Luke 10:27-30).
At
the end of 2007, perhaps this question should be asked
again. Who is my neighbor?
In
the literal sense, it's the people who live next door
to us—across the hall or down the street.
My
wife and I live in a great neighborhood made up of senior
citizens, singles, middle-aged couples, and young couples
with little children. Some have lived here for over half
a century while others are newcomers.
One
thing we've learned is that our neighbors share. The older
neighbors have the most beautiful gardens, which they
share with those next door. We share our water with our
gardening neighbors and, in exchange, we get all the tomatoes
we can use.
Our
elderly neighbor keeps the most well-groomed yard and
he shares his lawn mowing with his neighbors. This fall,
he let us use his mulcher to mulch our leaves and we were
able to mulch our neighbor's leaves as he had mowed our
front yard all summer.
God
has put a love in us for our neighbors in this place He's
planted us.
Now
before you think our neighborhood is perfect, let me remind
you that there are always one or two neighbors who show
their raw, uncut nature. Some have had their run-ins with
the law. But after all the dust has settled, often one
comes over and is a bit friendlier, as if to say, "This
is the real me and I can be lovable. Do you still like
me as a human being?"
While
neighbor most often means those who live around us, it
also means anyone who comes across our path. It can also
mean those we only hear about through TV, the newspaper,
or Internet.
Three
news stories seemed to "leap off the page" recently
which illustrate how far we've come away from the idea
of "loving your neighbor." The first has to
do with the immigration crisis in the United States. A
very heated topic for many Americans, it appears this
will be a major issue in next year's presidential election.
There are those who take the position that anyone who
enters the U.S. without proper documentation is a criminal
and therefore must be deported. On the other side, are
those who insist that undocumented immigrants deserve
a second chance.
At
a recent conference for Minority Journalists of Faith
I attended, I learned some very important facts about
our undocumented population. First, the word 'illegal'
is an adjective and not a noun. Therefore it's wrong to
refer to undocumented immigrants as 'illegals'.
When
you think of the word alien, what do you think of? Can
you name four aliens? Here are a few: ET, Alf, Yoda, and
Mr. Spock. An alien is a creature from outer space, not
an undocumented immigrant.
No
matter what your position on the issue of immigration,
have you considered immigrants and especially undocumented
immigrants as your neighbors?
Another
story is about the $10.9 million verdict handed down by
a jury in Baltimore, against a church in Topeka, Kansas,
because of its ugly protests at the March 2006 funeral
of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, who died in Iraq. The
pastor and his church followers keep making headlines
because of their protests at military funerals, featuring
signs with shocking slogans condemning homosexuals to
hell and thanking God that American soldiers are dying
in Iraq. This church believes that God is punishing America
because of this culture's acceptance of homosexuality.
Without
getting into specifics of this debate, it's important
to set the record straight. Whatever you may believe about
homosexuality or the actions of this church or even the
war in Iraq, there's more than ample evidence that this
church seems to have failed to heed the greatest commandment
of all. In other words, to see these individuals as neighbors.
While
we understand what the church is trying to do, their message
is wrong. God loves everyone (John 3:16) and the only
thing He hates is sin. So this church needs to speak the
truth in love, not hate.
The
third news story concerns the recent distribution of checks
to thousands of Native Canadians as compensation for the
suffering they endured as former students in Canada's
residential schools. It has been disturbing to hear how
some people have reacted to Native people receiving more
federal money.
A
friend recently shared how her cousin was receiving a
very large sum of money in compensation. As a young boy,
he had offered himself up to increased abuse at the hands
of school authorities—people he should have been
able to trust and respect—so that his younger brothers
would not be sexually abused. This boy's sacrifice has
caused him a life of extreme woundedness and pain that
he has tried to numb with drugs and alcohol.
We
know money can't heal their wounds, but this extraordinary
gesture speaks volumes and acknowledges that he was sinned
against. This is a positive step toward the healing process
in our Native communities.
Are
these former residential school students not also our
neighbors? We could go on but I think you get the idea.
As
we celebrate the birth of the One who came as an immigrant
and taught us how to love our neighbor, let's take time
to reach out to those who come across our paths this holiday
season. Let's learn to love others—even those with
whom we disagree—so that the world may know that
we love, because God loved us first and gave His Son.
Thank
you for being our neighbors.
Have
a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!
Return
to Top of Page
