Loving my neighbour

Jesus calls us to love our neighbours. But in the parable of the Good Samaritan, that neighbour is actually an enemy! It is also the "unclean" - the lowly - the distant... the list just goes on of who we don't WANT to love but are called to.

I was smacked in the face with this today as I worked on this week's sermon. Joel Percy, one of our staff, is in Africa for 1 year with his wife, exploring how we as a local church can have an impact on the AIDS pandemic. So this Sunday, he's teaching our sermon - via the beauty of video! As I listen to him speak about loving those people who it would be more convenient to forget about, I'm once again confronted with the firm belief that God has something more for me and my family than to stay in North America and serve here in our local church community forever.

Ever since Arja and I spent 2 weeks in Honduras in 2000, we've ACHED to go back - for an extended periond of time. Not to plant churches or to be "evangelists"... but to love and serve people. As I hear Joel cry in his sermon about loving and serving a little boy in his community who has no parents... I cry too. How badly I long to serve others... but why is the desire to serve in another part of the world so much greater than to serve here?

Okay - so we DO serve. And in some very good ways. But not like THAT! Not binding the wounds of the broken, or feeding the poor. We are so stinkin' busy in North America that it's very difficult to do those practical ministries in addition to our regular workload. Don't get me wrong - I'm not excusing myself. I need to do more to serve compassionately. I have lots of ideas. I just don't do them. I think if we got rid of our possessions, closed up the house, sold the cars, packed up the girls and moved away to another part of the world, it might be easier. Okay - it would still be hard... but to GO with the intent of doing nothing but serving people... my heart aches to do that someday.

In the meantime - until God moves us - we have GOTTA figure out what it means to love and serve right here in our local context.

So are you gonna be at The Meeting House this Sunday? Will you hear Joel speak? You need to. If you aren't in the Toronto area... listen to it on our website next week!

While you are there, check out the previous 3 weeks called Travel Light. Warning - if you don't want your way of life challenged, stay away.