It’s fine to say you love your neighbor as yourself, but what does that actually look like in practice? How do you actually live out your ultimate rule?
As one theologian reminds us, “to follow only the ‘love God” commands is to only half-follow the Ten Commandments. In order to love God properly, one must properly love their neighbors, even the neighbors with whom one disagrees.”
UGH.
How then do we love our neighbors?
One of my favorite nonprofit organizations often shows me what it looks like to love our neighbors well. The Simple Way, located in Kensington, Philadelphia, an area on the north side of the city known for its poverty, violence, and crime, first happened when a bunch of young 20-somethings decided to move into the neighborhood and love their neighbors.
A guy named Shane Claiborne, one of the co-founders, sought to live in community with a “web of subversive friends conspiring to spread the vision of ‘Loving God, Loving People, and Following Jesus’ in their neighborhood and in the world.” Twenty-six years later, The Simple Way is still going strong. Shane is no longer at the helm, even though he and his family still live in the neighborhood.
But the thing I love about them is that the nonprofit continues to seek to support their neighbors to build a Kensington they’re all proud of. Every year, they host a School Supplies Drive – but every year it looks a little different, because the needs of the neighborhood change.
Ten years ago, it was a massive event that served hundreds of school-age kids but didn’t allow for a whole lot of connection with students and caregivers. During the pandemic, it still served a lot of people but was by appointment only, where caregivers could come in and “shop” for the supplies their children needed. But the team found they missed interacting with youth. Last year, the team decided to dig into the needs to find a balance – and found that while an event was still necessary, what was even more necessary was for them to connect with their neighbors.
As it goes, they didn’t spend as much money as usual. They didn’t even advertise as much as usual. Instead, they prioritized connection alongside need. And the end result was a marvelous time of handing out book bags and back packs, and then letting children fill those book bags and back packs with the supplies they needed. In the end, 150 elementary, middle, and high school students got what they needed, and The Simple Way team got what they needed too.
Here then, again, is my question to you: How might you tangibly love your neighbor on National Good Neighbor Day, which is coming up on September 28th?
How can you love your neighbor individually, in whatever place it is you call home? Equally, if you’re a church or a parachurch ministry, how can you love your neighbor as a community, at whatever address you call home? How might you lean into processes of spiritual formation, to love unconditionally, question boldly, and serve humbly? What do your neighbors in your location really need?
They may not need an invitation to church, but they might need fresh-cut flowers you’ve grown in those gorgeous raised beds out in the parking lot.
They may not need conversion tactics, but they do probably need you to obey noise ordinance laws.
They may not need to show up on a Sunday morning, but they might need you to throw an annual block party, complete with free burgers and ‘dogs and a bounce house for the kids.
I’m not sure what it is for your specific context and location in the world, but I bet if you started interacting with and asking your neighbors, you might find an answer.
THIS is my dare to you (and, as you may have noticed), a specific dare given to a specific church community just about a year ago.
Whoever you are, wherever you find yourself in the world, might you notice God’s invitation to you, as you lean into what it means to Love God and Love Others – as you seek to love your neighbor as yourself.
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This was from part of a sermon preached at Sequoia Church in Redwood City, California last September. If you liked this post, you might like these thoughts on the holy act of eating and drinking.
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