Liberated to Love Thy Neighbor
Photo by Christian Stahl
Liberated to Love Thy Neighbor
““I shall set down the following two propositions concerning the freedom and bondage of the spirit:A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to to all.These two theses seem to contradict each other. If, however, they should be found to fit together they would serve our purpose beautifully. Both are Paul’s own statements, who says in 1st Corinthians 9:19 ‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,’ and in Romans 13:8, ‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another.’ Love by its very nature is ready to serve and be subject to him who is loved. ””
If you were to ask most people to describe their current life circumstances I doubt few, if any, would respond that they feel liberated, free, or unfettered. People are far more likely to describe their lives right now as restricted, confined, and cramped.
It would be absurd to claim that during a time when we are so limited in our movements, communication, and connection we are also free in new and unprecedented ways. Thank God ours is a faith of foolishness and contradiction.
For most of my life ‘loving thy neighbor,’ has looked like giving gifts, hugs and handshakes, bringing people food, and spending time together. Right now, none of those things are safe to do. Even as we open up for economic reasons the reality is that we still don’t have enough tests or resources to track Covid 19 in our communities. There is still not enough protective gear for nurses, doctors, and other essential workers to be safe. Many of us might be asymptomatic carriers and so our presence poses a risk to those we love most. Wisdom says we should stay away from one another. Right now it feels like all the ways I love my neighbor have been taken away from me. Maybe you feel that way too? Maybe staying away and wearing a mask and washing your hands constantly is starting to get a little old?
In the midst of these restrictions, requirements, and requests we can feel incredibly confined. However, if we believe Martin Luther’s claim that we are a people both wholly free and bound to one another in service, then the freedom we are being offered here is a chance to love our neighbors in new and unprecedented ways. Sometimes loving our neighbor means restricting ourselves. It means stepping back from something we want to do (be done with quarantine!) in order to make a safe space for another. We are free to and called in service to our neighbors to set aside our desires because we know that God has taken care of our needs. When we can freely and of our own choice, out of the love of God that spills from us, choose to set our own desires aside, then we are able to love our neighbors with an even greater abandon.
Today, I want to give a few suggestions for what these neighborly choices might look like, even as we continue to stay home. We are free to: Follow, Connect, Donate
Follow
Am I an expert on Public Health? Absolutely not. Guess who is? The Center for Disease Control. They have guidelines for what can be done to prevent the spread of this illness too quickly.
Do not go out unless absolutely necessary
Wear a mask
Sanitize your hands, things you touch, and your home frequently
Wash your hands
It is important to remember that following these guidelines protects both individuals from contracting the disease as well as slows the spread of the disease by asymptomatic carriers.
Connect
Isolation is real right now. We cannot stop by our neighbor’s house just to see how they are. What can we do instead? Write a letter. Make a card. Send an email. Shoot a text. Give ‘em a call.
“Ah, but pastor Laurel, I am not crafty. I don’t write well. I am not good at keeping up the conversation. I’d rather just stop by.”
If you have any doubt of your abilities, check out Exodus 4. Moses said the same thing. God sent him to free the Israelites anyway. It doesn’t matter if the card is pretty or the letter perfectly written. Phone calls have moments of silence and nobody writes well-worded emails. The connection will still be there and it will make a world of difference.
Donate
This pandemic is hitting certain people harder than others. Some might have the ability to give fiscally to those who are struggling. A few places you might consider donating are:
Today, I invite you to reflect on how you can embrace your identity as a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none and perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all. Right now, loving thy neighbor means keeping our doors closed and staying away. Instead of thinking of this as a loss of liberty perhaps we can imagine it as an opportunity for servanthood. These days often feel a bit upside down and topsy turvy and viewing neighborly love in this distanced way may feel upside down too. Jesus spoke to a people experiencing upside down and topsy turvy times as well and still called them in unprecedented and unexpected ways to love one another. Here’s our chance to step into this new and radical love too.