Questions to consider this week: How were you being a good neighbor to those in your Arborlawn community pre-COVID? How can you be a good neighbor to your Arborlawn community now?
Some pretty obvious common ground you and your AUMC neighbors have is your physical neighborhood. Did you have any idea that anyone from AUMC lived so close to you? Ultimately through this sermon series, we are hoping to challenge you to be a better neighbor to all of your neighbors, but this is not work that any of us are called to do alone!
“Then Jesus traveled through the surrounding villages teaching. He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits.” (Mark 6:6b-7, CEB)
If Jesus had sent each disciple out on their own they would’ve been able to cover twice as much ground, so why did Jesus send them out in pairs instead? Likely a few reasons: 1) Jesus valued relationships, and he knew the importance of fellowship. By sending the disciples out in pairs, they were able to continue to learn and grow together in faith to best serve the communities Jesus sent them to. 2) To hear a miraculous story of the healing power of Jesus from one person isn’t as believable as if two people can validate the account. And 3) Jesus would have been familiar with the idea that working in pairs alongside the Holy Spirit multiplies strength:
“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work. If either should fall, one can pick up the other. But how miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up! (...) Also, one can be overpowered, but two together can put up resistance. A three-ply cord doesn’t easily snap.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 &12, CEB)
You are being asked to get to know your AUMC neighbors for similar reasons that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. You have the opportunity to learn and grow together in faith with one another in your very neighborhood instead of on AUMC property; together you can proclaim the good news of your faith; and when the work of being the kind of neighbor Jesus calls you to be gets hard, when you stumble and fall, you can be each other’s companions to get back on your feet and try again.
It’s time to lean into your AUMC community in a new way, because the work of being a good neighbor is not work that you must do alone.
Prayer: Merciful God, this time of pandemic has pushed our limits of loneliness, but it has now also given us the unique opportunity to get to know our Arborlawn community in a new way. May we find joy in the journey of being the kind of neighbors, together, that you call us to be. Amen.
Written By: Jenny Spidell