The snow has started to arrive as well, which, of course, leads to snow removal. Often I do not mind it as long as the work does not put me under a time crunch. So last Saturday night, the snow began. It continued until the morning, adding another chore on my Sunday morning. So when I arrived at church, I was greeted by a pleasant surprise of a cleaned walkway. I do not know who did it, but it was just what I needed that day. I am grateful for that, and if the person responsible is reading, I say, “Thank you.”
It is a neighbourly thing to do. Helping out someone else in the community is a way to build up a community and improve people’s outlook. It is also a good thing to do. Jesus himself hinted at this during his ministry. When questioned about a summary of what it means to be righteous, Jesus replied, “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.” (Luke 10:27, ESV) Being righteous is not only about your relationship with God but with other people as well. These are inseparable. So caring for God is caring for others.
Some might take exception to my point, saying there are people with whom you cannot get along. This is true. The big question is, have you given them a chance? Do you try to care for your neighbour, or are you ready to write them off? Grace and forgiveness are important to the health of a community. Without them, communities will slowly tear apart and become a shadow of what they were. So we need to be the ones who care for others, even if it is hard.
Perhaps the worst part of COVID is the separation inside of local communities. The fear has driven people apart when we need to be with each other more than ever. Helping each other is a natural part of life. The government is incapable of adequately caring for people. It tries and fails because people are so different. These differences lead people to make various choices, some good and some not so good. Yet, each person is made in the image of God and deserves respect. Even if we disagree with their choices, that is part of living in this world.
The differences we have can be hard to deal with, especially when you do not understand the thinking of the other person, who likely does not understand your thinking. This makes loving your neighbour hard, but it is important. The first step is being with them. Like when Jesus came down to Earth, which is what Christmas is about, that humanity might know God better because Jesus was among us.
Rev. Rick Shott, Nokomis Baptist Church
Comment on this at lmtimes.ca/minister
Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.
