Neighbors...

Who is my neighbor? We all have a good idea of what a neighborhood is. Who our neighbors are. Normally, we think of the people who live on the same street as us. The Brown’s down the way. The parents of our children’s friends. Our grocery store clerks that we see weekly, the Starbucks Barista that gets my Americano ready every morning before 6am Morning Prayer….
Anyway, even the Greek used for the word “neighbor” means “close by”, “near”, and “fellow”. We are needy people. Most people don’t recluse into being a hermit. We typically live together, share with one another the common bond which we all need: love. I’m sure there are some of you who remember the old kiddy show Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood. You know, “Won’tcha be my neighbor”. Right? Okay maybe not. But ask corny as it is, we like our communities, some at arm and shoulder, and others at arms length. Either way, we love the warming welcome from Mr. Rodgers to be close by, and near.
My home town as many as you know and I accept your condolences, is Bakersfield California. The biggest little town you could ever be in. We’ve talked about “Six Degress of Separation” in our Global Reconciliation Classes. The theory states that due to modern globalization, everyone in the world is only sex people away from each other. Well in Bakersfield, that degree shrinks down to about 3. That reminds me of funny dating situation. But I’ll save that for another sermon. I can remember countless times where my 01’ Ford Ranger needed a jump, or I ran out of gas. And it was never the case that I couldn’t find someone to help me out. Complete strangers. And I can also recall doing the same for others. I remember seeing people getting out of their cars to help someone push their car to a gas station. I might still gripe about that town, but in a lot of ways it had a nice community spirit to it. We were all neighbors.

Now, once again Jesus has a lawyer who has to use his wits to put Jesus in his place and question who can get away with in not calling a neighbor and still have eternal life. He already got the answer to the question he originally asked. Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor as yourself (a phrase we Episcopalians are quite familiar with) and then he would have eternal life. But, like many of us when it comes to God’s inclusive love to all…we do try to find loop holes. The “Jesus love you, but I’m trying” attitude. And as Jesus did so well, he told a story.

So you’re going down to Jericho. You’re going to an oasis. Lots of shade, water abounding, rest, and in some Biblical cases, healing. Jericho’s nickname still is the “City of Palms”. Oh yes, it’s gonna be great! The only problem is, you are literally traveling down to one of the lowest point on Earth. You are traveling down from about two thousand feet above sea level, to about eight hundred feet below. Down a steep valley which may actually be “The” Valley of the Shadow of Death. This road had a reputation for bandits and the like! And of course, while your in the middle of Mojave going to Paradise you get robbed! Your car is jacked, they took your food, money, make-up, accessories, everything…they beat you up pretty bad and they leave you high and dry. So you’re half dead. And what do you see coming? The clergymen! The Priest and then Levite. You’re saved! Right? ERGH. Wrong. This wouldn’t be the friendly collared man or woman with their faithful lay Eucharistic minister trailing behind. The Priest had his duties in the temple to perform sacrifices and the Levite had to help him. So, even though God gave care of the world to Israel in Leviticus, they had obligations to keep clean and pure as outlined in the Torah. So okay. You’re screwed. You’re gonna die. Oh wait! You see someone coming. But, crap…it’s a Samaritan. And being a Jew, you don’t like Samaritans. They are half-Jews. They don’t like you anyway! But the Samaritan picks you up. Bandages your wounds. Takes you to the nearest Holiday Inn, and pays for your room and medical expenses and pays for people to take care of you. Now really, if this had happened to you wouldn’t you be so thankful and gracious. I’m sure we all have our own similar stories of someone we know (or may not know!) going out of their way for us. It was a good time for us to recognize that we were a neighbor.
Notice how Jesus didn’t ask the lawyer at the end of the parable, “So really, who’s your neighbor?” But he reworded the question, “So, out of these guys, who was a neighbor to the victim?” And the answer was the one who had mercy on him.
Who are our neighbors? Are they the protestors who are still trying to make same-sex marriage illegal? Our roommates who sing badly in the shower? The Nigerian Anglicans? We can’t pick and choose them as the lawyer wanted to. Think of the victim as us. Those who have been wounded by the world on our rocky journey. Everyone in life tends to be ignored, even by those are considered “Holy”. But in every of life’s situations God sends the Good Samaritan who took us, welcomed us, and had mercy on us, and gave us grace. The Inn, you could call the Church. The place were all are welcomed to rest of off the hot, rocky valley traveled.
We are called to see Christ in everyone. We are called to as seen through out the Gospels to bring in those far and near to our banquet table. In the faces those we love, and meet, near and far, is our Lord. And it is our responsibility to replicate God’s love for us through his son, by loving others as ourselves, as he loves us.
So, really…who is your neighbor?