Neighbors

Who is My Family?

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Some of today’s worst homelessness is not found with folks camping on the streets; though you would think so if you watched Fox News, CNN or even your own local station. Here in the USA there are 1.5 million people living in long term care institutions, who while they are not out out on the street are certainly not living at home. Though for the most part they are fed and clothed; they struggle with loneliness; depression and even bitterness as much as anyone in a encampment. The answer to this part of the homeless crisis will never be found unless we as a society and more importantly; we as the church of Jesus Christ begin to ask the right question. One of the most famous stories of Jesus resulted from the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Instead we need to be asking  “Who is my family?” Family is the first place we should be able to find help and the last place we should be rejected but sadly in 21st century western society this is becoming more and more uncommon. But God values family and especially the most fragile members of it so highly that he packed one of His Ten Commandments together with a promise if we kept it.

Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 5:16

Some one once said that what matters is not how many years are in our life but how much life is in our years. Years spent alone in a long term care facility may be necessary for the physical care of some of our family members; but it cannot be a substitute for family. The United States Department on Aging tells us 70% of our seniors on long term care never receive a single visit all year. As a long time chaplain in many different Nursing Homes I can attest to the fact that if we raised the number from 0 visits to just three per year it would sadly include more than 90% of Mothers and Fathers struggling through their final chapters alone.

Remember Jesus said that being a true neighbor was not about living next door to someone but about showing compassion. The same holds true for family. You might not have a Mom or Dad in long term care but there are plenty there who would be delighted if you treated them like family. This week why not peel away a little time from the TV and ask our Father in Heaven how you can be a son or daughter to someone alone whose family is not there.

P1030920

 

Our Special Muslim Friends

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Last year we moved from a house along a busy city street to a planned community. We miss the hustle and bustle and choice of Latino, Asian and Italian food, but we are happy to live in a neighborhood where the people next door aren’t moving in and out every six months. We were also pleasantly surprised to learn that at least two of the other families on the street were Evangelical Christians like us.  What we didn’t expect was to learn that the nice people who lived right across the street from us were Muslim. Now that almost eighteen months has passed since we began to unpack our boxes I have come to some startling conclusions.

The first surprising thing is that even though our Christian neighbors like us and we get along fine, it is the Muslims who are the easiest to talk to.  Secondly they not only greet us with friendly smiles and small talk but also loaned us their pressure washer so we could clean our driveway. Then Christmas rolled around and guess who came to give us a beautiful tin of cookies at Christmas? You got it! What a blessing that our Muslim neighbors are now our Muslim friends!  All of this has made me stop to reevaluate how Jesus looks at our Muslim neighbors all over the world .

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2:10-12 KJV

If the angels were sent to Bethlehem today they would be probably waking up Muslim shepherds. Stranger still is that this idea is more than okay with God. Notice how in the story from Luke there was no special guidance given to the angels. They were not directed to find only folks who attended synagogue regularly. Instead they were sent to people who would be willing to have a conversation and do something about the news. Then consider the message itself. God sent a message of “Great joy…for all people.” Who better to send a missive on joy to than some shivering shepherds who had to stay up all night watching stupid sheep!  Last of all God decided on people who He was certain were going to tell others. Christmas was not some sort of top secret “For your eyes only” communication. If God wanted to keep Christmas quiet He could have gone to the high priest or some of the higher ranking members of the Sanhedrin. They would not have agreed with the good news for everyone part of things so they probably wouldn’t have told a soul. But instead God chose shepherds and a carpenter and strange wise men from Persia to show His love to that night. Since the first Christmas the angels have passed on to us their job of good news telling. Maybe we should ask ourselves who God might be wanting us to tell tonight!