A Good Neighbor
The
Yorktown United
Pastor Roy Grubbs
June 8, 2008
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
4th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 10:25-37
As I watched the news this week, I was
shocked. I am sure many of you have
seen the terrible footage on TV where two cars crossed over the yellow line on a
two-lane road and struck an elderly man crossing the street.
The cars were illegally going around another car that was making a turn.
But apparently, they did not want to slow down; so they went around and
hit the man – who was just crossing the street, headed to the store.
This was a busy street. What
made it so much worse was that as he lay there, bleeding, no one came to help
him. The footage shows many, many
people driving past or walking up to him and then walking away.
There were some who called 9-11, but it took a while for that to happen.
I want to know, what has happened to our society?
What has happened where people can no longer turn to their neighbors in
times of need? Is this how we are
called to live our lives? Is this
how we love God and one another?
On that last night, Jesus ate, drank, and
prayed with the disciples. He had
shared with them everything they needed. Jesus
spent three years with the people teaching, healing, praying, eating, laughing,
and weeping. He was truly
relational, working to mend brokenness and to guide us on the right path.
He felt compassion for people and healed many, not just in body, but in
spirit as well.
We need to realize that every moment of our
lives is an opportunity to love others. And
for those who deal with children, this is very important.
They learn from our example; they look past our words, to our actions and
our inactions. If Jesus calls us to
love one another as he loved us, what example are we living?
What are we modeling for others?
I’d like to share a story with you.
A family is out for a relaxing drive down the highway on a Sunday
afternoon. Suddenly, the two
children begin to yell to their father to stop the car.
There’s a kitten on the side of the road looking sick and lost.
The father says, “So there’s a kitten on the side of the road.
We’re having a drive.” “But
Daddy, you must stop and pick it up or it will die!”
“Well then it will have to die. We
don’t have room for another animal with the zoo we already have at the house.
No more animals.” “We
never thought our Daddy would be so mean and cruel as to let a kitten die.”
Finally, the mother turns to her husband and says, “Dear, you’ll have
to stop.” He returns to the spot.
He goes out to pick the kitten up, who is just skin and bones, sore-eyed,
and full of fleas. When he reaches
down, with the last bit of energy the kitten can muster, it bares teeth and
claws. Hisss!
He picks up the kitten by the loose skin at the neck, puts it in the car,
and says, “Don’t touch it. It
probably has leprosy.”
When they get home, the children care for
the kitten. They give it several
baths and lots of warm milk. The
father allows the children to let the kitten sleep inside with the nice warm bed
they have made. Several weeks later,
the father feels something rub against his leg – the cat.
He reaches down to it, carefully making sure no one is looking.
This time, the cat arches its back to receive a pet.
This is not the same cat. It
has received true love from this family. It
has been nursed back to health – given food, shelter, and a warm new bed.
This is the kind of love we are called to give one another.
In a fourth grade class, the teacher put on
a “balloon stomp.” Each child
had a balloon tied to his or her leg and the object was to obliterate everyone
else’s balloon without letting anything happen to yours.
The teacher gave the signal and they leapt ferociously at each other.
In a few seconds it was over; only one balloon remained.
But then another class came in full of special education students.
It took a few moments before they caught on to what they were supposed to
do. They went around methodically
getting their balloons stomped. One
student held their balloon in place while another popped it.
And then they reciprocated. When
all the balloons were gone, the whole class cheered in unison.
Instead of playing the game to determine the winner, they played the game
helping one another, fostering generosity, trust, cooperation, gentleness, and
concern for one another. Instead of
winning at all costs, these kids found a creative way to model the kind of
friendship Jesus meant for us.
Are there any better two words that define
friendship better than Jesus Christ? - The One who came to live among us, to
teach us, to heal us, to carry us when we are heavy-laden, to share in our joys
and our sorrows – To laugh with us and to take time to love our children.
Like the disciples, we now know everything we need to know as well.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.
Jesus calls us his friends. He
gave his life for you and me, and he calls us to share that love in the world.
I would invite you to share the Friendship in Jesus you have received
with someone this week. Look for
ways to help others, even those you do not know.
You may be just the light they need at that precise moment.
Share the joy with someone that Jesus is your Eternal Friend.
Share the love of God with one another and together, let’s make this
world a brighter place. Amen.