Love Your Neighbour

I don’t like to run. My experience of running is that I’m short of breath, sweaty & hot, and there’s a voice in my head telling me to STOP!!!!

This past year, while praying for Muslims in Canada during Ramadan, an image popped into my mind, (a not-infrequent experience when I’m praying).

The image was of a person running along a road that stretched into the distance. They were running in a long-distance race that was called ‘Journey of Discovery’. Actually, there were quite a few runners, but they each were running alone.

I noticed that at some points in the race there were people cheering the runners on, encouraging them and spurring them to keep going. At other points in the race there were refreshment stations where the runners could receive nourishment for the next leg of the race. Sometimes people would run alongside the racers, keeping pace with them, encouraging them to keep running.

Some runners kept running strong. Some runners who were faltering were encouraged by the cheering, and the nourishment, and the companionship they received. Some runners slowed to a walk. Some stopped altogether and left the race...

I remember sitting in a seminar once hearing the presenter ask, "If your local church disappeared, would anybody in the neighbourhood notice?"

Stinging words. Sobering. Sit with that question and chew on it. Let it disturb you the way it disturbed me.

Christian community is intended to be noticeable, and it’s intended to be transformative to the surrounding community—light in a dark place. And what makes us noticeable and transformative, according to Jesus, is our good works.

So what good works is your church offering your community that are being seen and noticed by your neighbours, bringing light to the surroundings, and causing them to give glory to our Father? What are you offering that would be missed if you stopped?

The revelation of 215 Indigenous children’s remains found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School (IRS) in 2021 shocked Canadians and reverberated around the world. As a Christ follower and a descendant of newcomers (last 150 year) to Canada, Don shares some cautions & encouragements about how to respond.

I had a dream recently. I could be wrong, but I think it was a dream from God with a message for me. And maybe it’s a message for you too.

Someone was promoting the idea of a coffee shop space. It was a small room—almost set up and ready to go, but not quite—there was some more work yet to be done to make it a welcoming and inviting space. Though it did already have some bookshelves, some decor, and a few comfy sofas chairs. For the colors, you need to imagine a typical Latin American street scene, where even humble spaces can be lit up by eclectic assortments of paint colors.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” -Mark 8:34

I still remember the moment I heard the words of Mark 8, grasping their significance for the first time. Sitting amongst peers while at university – I was largely preoccupied by ambition and my pursuit of excellence.

I didn’t know a lot back then about what it means to follow Jesus, but I did know Jesus as the Saviour who pulls little children closer, drowning out harshness with His greatness. His hands had sheltered my heart throughout my youth and brought along gifts of companionship, discipleship, and understanding. I felt cherished by Jesus and it was his inordinate compassion towards me that kept me tethered to Him. 

Deny - the word sprang out at me, convicting and exposing me. 

What did that mean? 

I was well positioned to pursue the American Dream and succeed at it, and denying myself in any way was not really part of the plan. So tangibly struck, I fumbled to respond to those words within our group, finally landing on, “I don’t think I’m doing that”. 

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” -Mark 8:35

Oh boy, somehow denying myself was connected to losing my life and that was not anywhere on my to-do list. I was on track for a comfortable life, full of all the perks of a first-world society, with no regard for the reality that no one avoids suffering anyway...

Many of us have mixed feelings about the changes that diaspora movements have brought to the world and to our neighbourhood--there is no question that it represents both challenges and opportunities.

For those of us who love and follow Jesus Christ, what should our response be to those from differing religious worldviews; to those who've chosen to follow Jesus; to Christ-following communities; and to those who are sent?