PODCAST
This is My Father’s World
January 1st, 2024
Luke 10:25-29
The concept of neighbor should be a simple one, but it has become complex and controversial. “Neighbor” might be the guy next door whose shrubs are on your property line. If you live in an apartment building, it might be the couple whose cigarette smoke seeps through the walls. More recently, “neighbor” might be code for someone from another culture whose religious background is other than Christian.
Jesus answers the question, “Who is my neighbor?” with a story about the Samaritan. In that sense, He leans into that last definition of neighbor: someone who does not look, speak, think, or maybe even believe like you. Jesus could have said, “Love your neighbor.” Instead, He said, “Love your neighbor as [you love] yourself.”
Loving self or neighbor or, for that matter, even God, requires genuine relationship—listening, time, investment. As you begin a new year, why not find a new neighbor? Find someone vastly different from you and invest yourself in learning who they are.
Author: Teanna Sunberg
Tags: Love, Relationship
