Who is my neighbor
"And who is my neighbor?" That question was asked of Jesus when he had affirmed that the greatest commandment was to "love God with all your heart, soul and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself." The question was meant by the questioner, I think, to narrow the scope of our love. Jesus' response to the question did the opposite. What we refer to as the Parable of the Good Samaritan defined neighbor in the broadest possible terms. If we see someone in need, that person is our neighbor, and we are to love that person.
One of the new experiences for me in NYC is to actually have homeless people as neighbors. Tonight I walked from my apartment on 33rd and 1st Ave to my bank on 29th and 2nd Ave. On the way back I walked through a small park and observed someone sleeping on the bench in the 30 degree temperature. A thin sheet was covering part of his body. This unknown person was my neighbor, and I knew he had to be freezing. I decided to stop and wake him up. I don't know why I assumed it was a him, but I was surprised when a female voice responded to my question "Are you alright." I asked if she was going to be out here all night. She was. I asked if she would like a sleeping bag and coat. She did. I promised her I would be back in 15-20 minutes.
There are many reasons, I have learned, for someone ending up on the street. When I returned with the goods for Evelyn, which included a bowl of hot soup, I sat with her as she ate and learned a bit about her story. She was living with a cousin when drugs and violence caused her to flee a week ago. She was afraid she would die if she stayed there, so being out in the cold seemed a better choice. She is hopeful about getting into a shelter in a day or 2. In the meantime, she is just trying to survive.
Evelyn is a delightful person. I really enjoyed being with her. It was hard to leave her there, but I know that at least for this night she had food and some protection against the cold. And I believe that she is every bit as much a neighbor as those living in my apartment building down the hall. I have to say "thanks" again to those who donated sleeping bags and coats for my neighbors.
By the way, this January we (Communitas) will be involved in a city wide effort to help the homeless. To see what we are up to, click here.
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Tom Stackpoole commented on December 10th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
A wise pastor-friend once spoke of how the Kingdom of Heaven is like the Smithonian. In the atrium, as you enter, there will be the original 66 stories as told in the bible. They will be encapsuled in a glass vacuum. The rest of the building, which is much larger than we know it today, will house each person on earth's story.
In matrialistic and conumerism driven middle America, we don't see as many homeless people as you might in New York. However, God places Evelyns in each of our lives every day! He/she may not be homeless or hungry! They may just be lonely and need someone to listen to them. They may be expereincing guilt and/or shame and need someone to affirm God's grace for them and to explain that God loves them just as they are.
I have been listening to weekend messages and doing the attached daily devotionals. God is still moving in my life, through you, even though your 1000 miles away. Chris's message on "Abiiding" was awesome! Keep blogging! It is very inspiring to hear how God is at work in the Big Apple!