Luke 10:25-28
If you go to the "Hole in the Gospel" daily website www.sixweekquest.com they have daily readings. Today is the 14th day. For each of the days they have a person's face. I was struck today by how much the face on the picture looks like Leslie Scribner. Leslie lived in Grapevine. In recent years he walked around town pulling toys. Many people knew him as the "toyman" even though they had never met him. He was struck and killed by a car recently while walking. Today we are holding his funeral service at our church.
What has been amazing to me is how the community has responded. Individuals who did not know him are paying for his funeral service. Toy drives are being held in his memory. I believe this type of action is what Jesus meant when he said to "love our neighbor as ourselves". It is a love that reaches out to another, even in death.
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What a simple command Jesus gave us: To love God and our neighbors with all our being and as ourselves! Our church continues to be a wonderful blessing in following through with this commandment. During the last year, I have had some personal experiences that exemplify that kind of love. One was a flower delivery from the church on one of my lowest days of this past year's illness. Another was the day the Fall into Missions group came and worked diligently all morning on various needs around my house. There have been other calls, cards and emails from which I have felt so richly blessed. I praise God daily for His work that is going on in our community and the world through FUMC Grapevine!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as Pat does about our church and how it reaches out to our neighbors. I think about the Veggie Tales movie we took to Kenya two years ago- "Are you my neighbor?" It teaches that even though we are on separate continents, we are still neighbors. Jesus doesn't define neighbors by proximity-it is all encompassing-no one is excluded.
ReplyDeleteThe church has provided my family and I with friendships and relationships that are unlike others that have been formed outside. They, too, are very dear and special, but there is something different about those that were made within the church. I believe these are friendships where others are willing to reach out and truly love their neighbors as God intended.