LOVE FOR MY NEIGHBOR
Jenna Worsham
Today’s Scripture: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:14, ESV
Theme: We serve globally because God's definition of “neighbor” extends further than our local community or even our country.
OUR GLOBAL NEIGHBORS
Project Hail Mary is a popular novel made into a movie currently playing in theaters. The story is that Earth faces a crisis that requires interstellar travel and suddenly barriers to global cooperation fall away. Nationalism, hierarchy, and protocol are ignored to face the planet-wide emergency with combined global expertise. The “hail Mary” is a last-ditch effort in which astronauts from different parts of the world embark on a mission to find a cure. This reminds me of the recent, real life, Artemis II mission to the moon. Maybe you, like me, enjoyed listening to the astronauts talk about teamwork, working closely, and overcoming both the differences and challenges of scientific research.
Space travel reminds us that all humanity is actually our neighbor. God sees us as we truly are: one species facing death and destruction. When we view other continents, countries, and communities from a cosmic, God-sized perspective, we can’t avoid the reality that everyone on the planet is our neighbor.
OUR SOUTH AFRICAN NEIGHBORS
Foreign is only foreign until you’ve been there. We sponsored a child in Hazyview, South Africa, over ten years ago. It seemed so far away. I loved and cared for my child, but not like a neighbor. I couldn’t imagine being there. Two years ago, my sponsored child wrote, asking me to visit her...in person. She was graduating from High School. It seemed impossible, so I started praying every day that God would send me, take me, and make it possible. He did. And because I went there, my heart for South Africa and the world has changed.
Not only do I see familiar people I love and places I’m comfortable with when I think of South Africa, but I remain tethered to friends I have made there by regular communication. Strangely, this does not reduce my compassion for the needy families three miles from my home. Rather, it motivates me to love them tangibly and regularly because I can do so conveniently. Loving my “close-by” neighbors has become a way I express my love for my far-off neighbors.
GLOBAL OR LOCAL?
It is less convenient to travel internationally to serve. We might be tempted to apply “buy local” logic to serving our neighbors. Less resources are used to transport local goods. Local veggies have a smaller carbon footprint, and international imports cost more and remove resources from a place where they may be more vital to survival.
Global projects, while less convenient than local ones, offer unique opportunities. When we are on a global trip, we will be tired; we will leave behind our usual schedules and time zones. We will be uncomfortable. We will eat unusual foods. We will become accustomed to a different sort of living...and God will change our perceptions and character profoundly. Because of Cove Global trips, we will become acquainted with our “neighbors” and find that they are our brothers and sisters in Christ – closer than we ever imagined.
Make It Personal: Who is your neighbor? Is anyone not your neighbor? Maybe you didn’t have to go on a global trip to learn that we must love everybody in every place. List ways you might love your global neighbor today. Consider: sponsoring a child in Uganda, Costa Rica, South Africa, or Egypt. Write a letter to a child you already sponsor. Pray over the next global trip, join an upcoming trip, send resources to our global partners, or financially support one of your local friends who is scheduled to go. You can find opportunities through The Cove Church here.
Pray: Lord, thank You for binding humanity together. You love all of us and see us as one family. When You say, “Love your neighbor,” You mean to love any person of whom we have knowledge of and the ability to care. Help me to love my neighbor, whether that is the person one house over, five blocks away, seven miles away, in the next state, or across the globe. Jesus, You died for my neighbor and You died for me. With this in common, I know I am called to love and serve my global neighbor. Help me believe and follow through. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Read: James 2:8; Galatians 5:13-15
Weekly Memory Verse: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19, ESV