Ordinary Time 
Pause
And tell me what it is that you see
A world that’s full of endless possibilities
And heroes don’t look like they used to
They look like you do
We are love, we are one
We are how we treat each other when the day is done
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more.
“Nothing More” by The Alternate Roots
Listen
A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”
Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”
He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:25-29
Think
Growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I loved all of the different characters and their adventures. As an adult, when I look back on that show, I find the storylines of the neighborhood to be so rich, and the neighbors to be people you might not expect. That’s what made it so great. So I ask you, who is your neighbor? This is the question that the legal expert asks Jesus after he tells the expert how to gain eternal life. Jesus is trying to get this legal expert to think outside of the box when considering his neighbor. It is easy for us to think about those who are closest to us as our neighbors: those who are physically our neighbors, those who are our best friends and family, those who are in our churches, or those with whom our families spend time. While, yes, those people are our neighbors, Jesus wants us to think outside of the box when we consider who our neighbors truly are.
Zeke Stephenson
Question to Ponder:
Who is your neighbor and how can you expand your neighborhood to include others?
Pray
Loving God, help me to think outside of the box when I think about my neighbor. Help me to include everyone into my neighborhood so that I can share God’s love with everyone I encounter this week. Amen.
Go
In loving your neighbor, may you see everyone as God sees them. May you see each person around you as the image bearer of our Creator. Go in peace to love God and love your neighbor.
