“And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered correctly ; do this, and you will live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."
A few days ago I came home to find a memorial set up by one of our neighborhoods’ local cliques. (Yes, CLIQUE…I detest the loaded alternative.) It upset me a little, and I wondered when the man who was to be remembered had taken his last breath. How did he die? Was it a recent event? Was it a result of a violent crime or was it an accident of some sort? Was justice administered if anyone was to blame? All these and other things rushed through my mind as I quickly scanned the block before retreating through my double-locked door.
I was about to head out for the evening when two of my neighbors came over. Jillian, Sara, and Meredith had all just left for Spring Break, and I would be alone for the next couple of days. When I opened the door, I was embraced by Wifey & Nyah. (Nicknames.) I had not substantially seen either of them in a while, but almost immediately my fears were assuaged. I’m usually very comfortable in solitude, but at that very moment I felt great comfort in their company. It gave me an immediate reminder of how we need each other. At least for me, it’s never necessarily been in tangible or physical ways, but through spiritual, emotional, and experiential means.
Wifey, Nyah, and I reconvened a few times over the last week along with the remainder of what has become our common crew. One of those days was quite a marathon: After a small snack time we went to the park to play, climb rocks, talk about crushes, met new friends, and generally enjoyed the beautiful day God blessed us with. That particular day I was having a tough time, and once again the gift of their company reminded me what it means to love and therefore what it means to live.
When I first moved in, I was so intimidated with the prospect of being so available. I would hear children ringing the door bell and I’d have to take a deep breath before I opened it. I praise God that through the work and fellowship we are constructing here, that he is building the gifts of the love of Christ in me. I think of how even when He would go off to be alone, Christ was always available to the people who called His name. I think of how He has always made Himself available to me, and Heaven forbid I deny anyone an ounce of that kind of love. More importantly, I’ve discovered that I had it completely wrong! To love, as Christ loves us, is to live the most abundant life possible. I thought Christ-like love was entirely martyr-based. But I testify today that I have never felt so great a level of satisfaction as to make my heart burst through my rib cage.
In this house, on this small block in the South Bronx, there is so much love. We are conditioned to believe that happiness comes from what we receive, but I challenge you today that it comes from what we give, and God’s greatest command is to give the gift of love. God wills that we experience life in great abundance, and I suspect that when the lawyer in Luke asked about eternal life, Jesus replied not only in reference to an abundant life after this one, but one in our very own Earthly lifetime.
1 comment:
beautiful
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