July 11, 2010

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Scripture:  Luke 10:25-37 – Bill Olsen

Wendell is going to play us a little something and you tell me if it sounds familiar?

It’s from Mister Rogers! Everyone knows Mister Rogers, right? And we all know the theme song: Let’s give it a try.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
 A beautiful day for a neighbor. 
Would you be mine? 
Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood, 
A neighborly day for a beauty. 
Would you be mine? 
Could you be mine?

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. 
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day. 
Since we're together we might as well say: 
Would you be mine? 
Could you be mine? 
Won't you be my neighbor? 


Won't you please, 
Won't you please? 
Please won't you be my neighbor?

Thank Wendell – asked him – thank you for being a neighbor.

Won’t you please, won’t you please, please won’t you be my neighbor?

Doesn’t that bring back memories?

I think of Mister Rogers and I think of all those times I spent baby sitting during the summer – where we’d spend most of the day running around and playing games – whipping everyone into a frenzy (so they’d sleep at night for their parents) and then around 2 – just before the fights and the melt-downs began – we’d go inside, turn on the TV and watch Mr. Rogers – not Sesame Street – because Sesame Street would get everyone all riled up again – nope.

It was Mr. Rogers who calmed us all down, who made us feel good, who introduced some peace and quiet into our lives…for at least 30 minutes.

For most of us, memories of Mister Rogers and his neighborhood bring back feelings of peacefulness and gentleness, feelings that all is well.

Even if you didn’t love watching Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood, you have to admit, he made you feel good. My kids preferred Fraggle Rock and anything on Nickelodeon - still I made them watch – because… that’s the kind of mother I am – and by the end of the show, they, too wanted to be his neighbor.

Because there’s something about being a neighbor – there’s something about being neighborly – that just feels good. I don’t think Fred Rogers – who was an ordained Presbyterian minister – just stumbled upon this idea of having a neighborhood – I think he was very intentional about it – about creating a place where everyone is welcome, where everyone is cared for, loved, even, a place where - when everyone’s needs are tended to – a place where all is right with the world – all is as it should be.

Sounds like just the kind of world that God wants for us doesn’t it?

Oh, I think Mr. Rogers knew exactly what he was doing.

Our scripture passage this morning is about being neighbors – being neighborly. It begins with a lawyer asking Jesus what he needs for eternal life and Jesus says, You know what you have to do, it’s right there in the Law – in Deuteronomy and Leviticus – and the lawyer responds – because he knows it by heart – any good Jewish man would, especially a lawyer.

You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind (sound familiar?) Of course it does. And the second part is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Good answer, Jesus says. You hit the nail on the head.

Do this and you will live.

The lawyer wants to know about eternal life – but Jesus wants him to know life now – to embrace life now. To have real life - a life filled with joy and goodness, challenges and blessings and adventures, and most of all, God.

And in order to do that – you have to love your neighbor.

Because here’s what happens when you love your neighbor…When you act neighborly – when we love and we love and care for our brothers and sisters like we love and care for ourselves.

You feel good – you just do. It’s a known fact, a truth, we all know it, we’ve all experienced it.

Helping others makes you feel good. Whether you’re praying for someone, feeding someone, doing physical labor, lending a hand, or changing a life, it feels good. Deep down in your soul.

There’s a great quote – it’s from the Dali Lama and it goes like this: If you want to make others happy, practice compassion, if you want to make yourself happy, practice compassion.

Jesus spent so much of his time serving people and teaching about serving and trying to get his disciples to serve because he knew when you make a difference in someone’s life you make a difference in your own, too.

Whether you’re recognized for it or not.

Whether you’re thanked for it or not.

Because you know and I know – as we go through life – we don’t always get the recognition or gratitude we’d like or think we deserve.

For example – a few years back on this church’s mission trip to Buffalo, NY, my crew worked for a resident who wasn’t home – she worked most days and when she did come home she was exhausted and slept. Every day we’d work by ourselves – then we’d get back to the high school and listen to everyone else tell how great their residents were, how grateful and appreciative they were of their work, how much they loved them.

We felt awful, like we were really missing out on something. We didn’t know how our resident felt about us or the work – we rarely saw her.

By Wednesday we started to get a little attitude – you know how that happens – we started getting a little cranky – and saying things like: I don’t know why we’re here – she doesn’t care, no one cares – we’re working so hard and no one appreciates us!

When one of the other adults – the mature leader in the group – gently reminded us that we weren’t there to be thanked or to get pats on the back – sure those things are nice, but that’s not why we were there. We were there because someone needed our help and that’s what you do when you love God – you help other people – because you can, because you want to.

And after that, we were fine.

Being neighborly - Helping others – for the sole purpose of helping -because we love God and love our neighbor – feels good. It just does.

The other thing that happens when you’re neighborly is this: and this is a big one.

When we get to know someone we might not otherwise get to know –and let them get to know us – when we show God’s love and care to each other – we help create the kind of world God’s hoping for.

- a place where there are no barriers and misunderstandings because we’ve taken the time, the care, the risk to cross the road and get to know each other.

- a place where everyone is welcome, a place where everyone is cared for, loved, even, a place where - when everyone’s needs are tended to – all is right with the world – all is as it should be. Just like Mr. Roger’s neighborhood.

When the Samaritan in Jesus’ story crossed the road to help the wounded man, all who were listening to this were shocked. They didn’t expect the foreigner, the outcast, the heretic to be the one to show mercy – to be the neighbor.

Jesus’ story made them look at Samaritans and anyone else they didn’t like or understand – people they’ve been judging for hundreds of years – differently. With new eyes, new understanding perhaps, new hearts.

As if we’re all children of God.

When we get to know someone we might not otherwise get to know –and let them get to know us – when we show God’s love and care to each other – we help create the kind of world God’s hoping for.

In two weeks our high school kids are going on the mission trip to Owego, NY. Who knows who they will meet while they’re there – kids from the mid-west, from the south, liberals, conservatives, evangelicals – cause it’s a crazy mixed- up group of people that gets brought together. And who knows what their residents will be like – old, young, disabled, out of work, hopeful or hopeless.

What I do know is by the end of a week – a week filled with helping, serving, painting, caring, sweating. After a week of risking getting to know each other, being open, looking at each other with new eyes and new understanding, and tending to each other’s needs, and yes, loving each other, we will be neighbors.

And we will have helped to create the kind of world God’s hoping for –just a little bit.

Because that’s what happens when you love your neighbor as yourself.

And it doesn’t happen just on mission trips – it happens every day.

Teacher, a lawyer asked Jesus. What do I have to do to get eternal life?

Jesus says: You tell me.

And the lawyer says. You shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”

Good answer. Do this and we will all will live. Really live.

So won’t you be my neighbor?

Let us pray.

For your goodness, your care, your love we give you thanks – inspire us, fill us with your Holy Spirit so we may serve and love you, we may serve and love our neighbor and know the joy of living this day and always. Amen.