Who is Your Neighbor?

Transcription

1 Knoxville, TN March 2012 Who is Your Neighbor? by Pastor Rich Elseroad esus was asked, Which is the greatest commandment in the Law? He answered this way: Love the Lord your God with J all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. It was as if Jesus was saying there is a 1-a and a 1-b, and we really can t separate them. If we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves who exactly is our neighbor? In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus spells it out very clearly: your neighbor is anyone who has need of you anyone who needs your help anyone. In other words they don t have to live nearby, and they don t have to be of the same race, religion or political persuasion. But for this article I am going to talk about your immediate neighbors, that is, those who live in your neighborhood or your apartment complex. We have become more and more isolated from our neighbors. We can live in the same community and not know the people living in the house or apartment across from us. We might never know that they are in need. As Christians wanting to serve our Lord, this is a situation that should not remain. If we want to obey this greatest of commandments, then we have to act differently. Here are my five suggestions. And yes, all of them are meant to show love and give us the opportunity to do the most loving thing we can do toward them: share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find out who your neighbors are. This is not always an easy thing to do. You will probably have to inconvenience yourself. The easiest and yet perhaps uncomfortable way is to go to their home or apartment knock on the door and introduce yourself. If you have been living near them for many years, this no doubt can be awkward. But you are putting yourself out there as Christ bids us to do and it will most likely be received well. Even if you are not received well or brusquely, you never know what the future might hold and how coming to know your neighbor may be a blessing for you both. Remember their names! This is so very important. As soon as you leave write them down. Of all the things you hear them say this is the most important information. Immediately rehearse in your mind their names. If you forget on the spot, ask them again and apologize and make whatever excuse you need to make. Use their names in your conversation. Try very hard to remember their children s names. Remembering names goes a long way in establishing relationships. Look for opportunities to help them. Everyone has crises in their lives. Try to be there with a plate of food, a shovel, a money gift, or whatever to show (Continued on page 2)

2 Page 2 March 2012 Who is Your Neighbor? (Continued from page 1) that you care. Jesus said that at the Last Judgment it was His people who fed Him when He was hungry, gave Him a drink when He was thirsty and visited Him when He was sick or imprisoned. He was saying that if you did it for the needy among you, you were doing it for Him. People will never forget the help you offered when they needed it the most. Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 11 Pray for your neighbors. Make it a part of your everyday routine. Pray for their needs as you know them but most of all pray that they will be brought into Christ s Kingdom. If you do this regularly it is a good way to remember their names. It will also allow you to see how powerful our prayers are. You will see things happen and your neighbors come to Christ. How happy we will be to see the answer to our prayers. Finally, invite them to your home and when invited to their home or apartment, GO! The old adage is that there is nothing more powerful in relationship building than breaking bread with someone. We can extend this idea (as did Jesus) by saying there is nothing better to propel our relationships with our neighbors than to party with them. Especially note the big days in their lives or lives of their children. Birthday parties, graduations, and any of the regular holidays where you can invite or be invited are so important in coming to know and love your neighbors. You can have significant breakthroughs if you don t miss these opportunities. I hope you truly come to know some of your neighbors. Take the risk for Jesus sake it is worth it! ~ Pastor Rich GraceNet is published monthly by Grace Lutheran Church LCMS 9076 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN Phone: (865) Fax: (865) glc@visitgrace.org Reverend Richard M. Elseroad, Senior Pastor Reverend Justin A. Bell, Associate Pastor Website: Articles for GraceNet are due by the 1st of each month for the following month s edition. GraceNet Staff Debbie Booher, Editor Linda Jaekel Nancy May Joan Scraggs to Editor: dbooher@knology.net

3 Page 3 March 2012 March Med-ness! For the word of God is living and active. Hebrews 4:12 I t s the month of March and March Madness is in the air. For many of you, your minds are immediately drawn to NCAA basketball. Well, I congratulate your ability to come to a swift conclusion. Not so much for me! My thoughts turned from madness to medicine! I can t explain it in any other way than to say, That s the way my mind works! Recalling the fact that some time ago I had written on March Madness my mind turned to, of all things, medication side effects. You might wonder why? Well, here goes! My recollection of how to recall side effects of certain drugs drifted into my self-consciousness. Over 30 years ago I was taught to observe how medications worked and how to watch for signs of overdose. One drug given to patients prior to surgery was atropine. A pneumonic device was developed to help us nurses remember how to diagnose an overdose. It went something like this: Atropine overdose Red as a beet, dry as a bone, wild as a hare. Patients who had received too much of this medicine would have red faces. Their mouths would be very dry, and they were as fidgety as rabbits. There are side effects to every medication. In recent years we have been inundated with all the terrible things that could happen when you take a certain medicine. One reason for all this information is to quell lawsuits aimed at the pharmaceutical companies who make a profit off the sale of the medicine. I wonder, however, if we are losing consideration for the positive side effects of medicines. For example, one benefit of low-dose aspirin is the effect it has on platelet cells. Aspirin makes the cells more slippery and may help in the prevention of heart attacks. It is a fact that many medicines even work better if used in connection with others. In other words, the benefits are multiplied. As we approach the season of Lent in preparation for Easter, I think it is appropriate to think of the most important medicine of all, the Gospel Good News of Jesus Christ. It is during the season of Lent that we have the opportunity to be more aware of need for the cure for sins. Holy Week follows this season where Christ s life, suffering and death gain the eternal healing we all need. And this healing isn t just for our future in the future. Taken into our hearts and minds daily it brings the peace that goes beyond all human understanding. There is much more that could be said about the most important prescription ever given. Yet, the Lord has given us supplements with side effects to aid us in our every day lives. These supplements work together in connection with one another in order to help God s people live in a sin sick world. The supplements I m thinking of are very simple: The Word of God and the Sacraments. It is the Word of God that brings us to the realization we need the medicine of the Gospel. It is the Word of God that encourages us during the sin-sick trials of our own lives or the lives around us. It is the Word of God that promises the ultimate cure, and this ultimate cure will be delivered. The Sacraments multiply the blessing of the Word because they bring what the Word promises: Forgiveness of sin and strengthening of faith. When we recall our Baptism, we are recalling this singular act that connects us with the Baptism of Jesus Christ on our behalf. When we take the Lord s Supper, we are receiving Christ, Himself, along with common bread and wine. It is His visible promise to be with us always even to the end of the age. May I be so bold to say that when we take the medicines of the Word and Sacraments the side effects effect us on every side. Our relationships with others have the potential to be more like those God wants for us. Marriages are impacted. Our worship lives are enhanced when we experience fellowship with other Christians. March madness will come. It may come in the form of the frenetic of basketball tournaments. It may come in the form of unexpected storms in our lives. No matter what form it might take, may march madness of any kind lead us to March Medness in Jesus Christ. With almost every medicine there are additional directions on how the medicine is to be taken. Consider these directions given in the New Testament: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) ~ Pastor Jim Kirk

4 Page 4 March 2012 DVD Movie Reviews Grace Card (PG-13, approximately 102 minutes) This movie was loaned to me by Tim and Tammy Kipp. It is about Memphis police officers, particularly two men who are partnered together one black and one white. The white officer Mac, suffered the traumatic loss of his son who was run over by a drug dealer. The little boy s death is something Mac never recovered from and the love for his family (wife and remaining son) and his own life has eroded into bitterness. He is passed over for promotion which is given to his new partner Sam. The racial overtones and anger of Mac boil over in ultimately self-destructive and hurtful ways. But God places Sgt. Sam Wright, who aspires to be a full-time pastor, right in the path of the belligerent Mac. This film packs an emotional wallop. Have some Kleenex on hand because you are going to need them. Personally I very much like movies in which racial harmony and love prevail. I also like happy endings and emotional highpoints. The improbable circumstances that lead to these happy endings do not bother me. Critics are sure to pounce on and give fewer stars to a movie that shows the miracles of love while praising secular movies that do the very same thing. This movie glorifies God while promoting the sheer joy of forgiveness, reconciliation, and racial harmony. And for that I will give it five stars! Molokai: The Story of Father Damien This movie was loaned to me by Jack and Jenny Hay. It is the true story of the Roman Catholic priest who gave himself relentlessly to serve the lepers who had been exiled from the other Hawaiian Islands to this barren one at the cost of his own life. This movie has some well-known actors in it including: Peter O Toole, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Neill, and David Wenham who played the role of Father Damien. The acting is excellent and scenery is wonderful. Frankly, it is hard to watch some of the scenes of the lepers in all their disfigurements and sufferings. Father Damien was truly an extraordinary man, in the vein of a Mother Teresa. His only visible sin was his occasional outbursts of anger. But these too could be justified because of the injustices done to the lepers. The story is at times complimentary to the Catholic hierarchy and other times severely critical. Overall, you come away thinking that the Catholic Church is self-serving and selfish and Father Damien and others priests anything but. I thought there were a couple of interesting details, like when the Kris Kristofferson character tells Father Damien that he is a Lutheran. Or then there is the time the Peter O Toole character asks Damien whether he believes only Catholics can go to heaven. Father Damien replies cagily that Catholics can go to heaven. The film made me thankful that there are people like Father Damien, a truly inspiring Christian. It also made me feel small, thinking I could never sacrifice as much as he did. Father Damien, himself, became a leper and at the end of the movie was greatly disfigured. But his acts of grace and mercy live on to this very day giving glory to the Savior of us all as the movie so aptly illustrates. ~ Pastor Rich

5 Page 5 March 2012 Lenten Prayer As we draw near to the commemoration of your death, dear Jesus, keep us ever mindful of all you sacrificed so that we can know the invincible power of love and life. Family Prayers P rayer is a vital part of our walk with God, and God wants to hear from us when times are good, as well as when times are bad. One of the focuses of our prayers is for various members of our congregation each week in our worship services. By the end of the year, our goal is to have prayed for each and every family at Grace during one of the services. The names of those who we will be praying for each month will be posted in advance in the bulletin and/or the newsletter. Please take a moment to read the names and incorporate them into your own daily prayers as well. Ask for God s hand to be upon these people and ask Him to bless them. Prayer can have a powerful effect on people s lives. Let s commit to lifting each other up in prayer this year and see what amazing results will follow. The families and friends we want to pray for during the month of March are: Week of March 4 Don and April Abercrombie, Paul, Karen and Daniel Will and Chantel Deichert and Evan George Heins Frank and Holly Licavoli, Julia and Rachael James and Randi Ray Tom Theilmann, Kyle and Kristen Charles and Colleen Vesser, Charles and Lilah Week of March 18 Adam Brown, Alex, Jake and Taylor Stephanie Elseroad Sam and Jamie Jaudon, Jackson and Brady Joe and Heidi Mathews Robert Schmid, Sarah and Kelly Tori and Jon Sielken and Leslie Doug and Rhonda Yawberry, Paige and Danielle Week of March 11 Susan Bodker Ryan and Linda Dreke and Elizabeth Jim and Tenyka Hensley and Oliver Robert and Pressy Marjonen, Kaylynn and Bryanna Philip and Traci Roth, Sarah and Eli Amanda and Rick Trent and Emma Don Wood Week of March 25 Bruce and Angie Butler, Zoe and Ian Craig Freeman Kenny and Amy Johnson, Zachary and Hunter Tim and Becky Nagle and Mike Brent and Terry Smiley, Leighann and Spencer Scott and Nancy Surprenant John and Susan Whittenburg, Clay and Eve

6 Page 6 March /1 Halle Bennett 3/1 Beth Johnson 3/2 Nicole Cox 3/2 Debbie Harper 3/2 Gil Pitcher 3/2 Mack Webster 3/3 Pauline Christiansen 3/3 Wendy Krueger 3/3 Ray Ludwig 3/3 Trever Roberts 3/3 Levi Smithey 3/4 Penny Perry 3/5 Pam Baker 3/5 Mary Belle Early 3/6 Barbara Sears 3/6 Fred Stapel 3/9 Hunter Johnson 3/11 Garrett Best 3/11 Sydney Poker 3/11 Teri Stoddard 3/12 Ashley Best 3/12 April Childers 3/12 Gary Krohnfeldt 3/12 Deborah Rowlands 3/12 Brianna Stock 3/12 Becky Strickland 3/13 Bob Harrison 3/13 Amanda Sexton 3/15 Rheagan Haynes 3/15 Mike Murphy 3/16 Fred Cline 3/16 Bernt Ruediger 3/16 Anne Smeltzer 3/16 Patricia Strickland 3/17 Alli Duenckel 3/17 Rebekah Satterfield 3/17 Ella Stone 3/20 Kenny Blankenship 3/21 Abigail Baserman 3/22 Jackson Henningfield 3/22 Nicholas Mackley 3/22 Steven Mees 3/23 Scott Harness 3/24 Jennifer Crisp 3/24 Morgan Grebe 3/25 Elizabeth Augustus 3/25 Beth Huemmer 3/26 Kendall Johnson 3/26 Scott Surprenant 3/26 Carol Voorhies 3/27 Keith Hipps 3/27 Jacob Miller 3/28 Dale King 3/28 Alyssa Riggs 3/28 Michelle Scamard 3/29 Sandra Arnold 3/30 Chris Jaekel 3/30 Samuel Landon 3/30 Elaina Riggs 3/30 Evan Thompson 3/31 Christian Collins 3/31 Nancy May 3/31 Sherry Schoolcraft 3/3 Larry & Diana Holden 3/8 Jim & Carol Logan 3/8 Shanon & Cody Stone 3/12 Fred & Diane Chaffey 3/13 Donald & Holly Mings 3/14 Stephen & Sherry Hovan 3/18 Jack & Jenny Hay 3/20 Beth & Kevin Tharpe 3/22 Don & Nicole Cox 3/26 Eric & Suzi Schmidt 3/28 Bryon & Linda Mahan 3/30 Robert & Jana Hotaling Payton Elizabeth Bell Born: February 7, 2012 Proud Parents: Pastor Justin and Johanna Bell March Scripture of the Month Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength... Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. ~ Mark 30-31, NIV

7 Page 7 March 2012 New Additions to the Library New fiction titles added to the library fall into four categories: Amish Fiction The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Fic Fis): This first title in the Stony Ridge Seasons series tells of nomadic Bee Man, Roman Troyer, traveling through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives of bees for rent to farmers in need of pollinators. Julia Lapp blames Troyer when her betrothed, Paul Fisher, postpones their wedding another time. Along Wooded Paths: A Big Sky Novel by Tricia Goyer (Fic Goy): Marianna Sommer has relocated her Amish family in the remote mountain area of Montana. She finds herself increasingly dependent on her Englisch neighbors as each must work together in order to survive. Marianna, however, finds herself torn between the Amish man she has long planned to marry and the Englischer who lives his life walking closer to God than any man she has ever met. 19th Century Romances The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen (Fic Kla): Banished from her Attwood Park, the only home she had ever known, Mariah Aubrey and her maid, Miss Dixon, hide in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relative s estate Mariah supports them by writing novels, an improper vocation for women in the early 1800 s. When Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate, the ladies lives of seclusion and mystery are threatened. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (Fic Kla): Margaret Macy escapes an arranged marriage to a dishonorable man by fleeing from London disguised as a housemaid. What she had not planned on was actually working as a servant, and especially not in the manors of former suitors. Her goal was to remain unwed until her next birthday so her inheritance would be hers and with it, her independence. Historical Fiction Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey (Fic Goy): Join in the chase to save the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa, from falling into the hands of Third Reich marshal Hermann Göring s hands as the Nazis flee Paris in August 1944, when France was on the cusp of liberation. Romancing America Travel around the United States as different authors weave stories of romance set in one of the 50 states. Some are set in modern-day times; others take the reader back in time. All the novels find their characters searching for answers and relying on their faith in God to help them through whatever situations they face. Added are: Jersey Brides by Laurie Alice Eakes (Fic Eak) Jersey Sweets by Janice Hanna (Fic Han) Delaware Weddings by Jennifer Johnson (Fic Joh) Aloha Brides by Yvonne Lehman (Fic Leh) Seaside Romance (Rhode Island) by Tamela Hancock Murray (Fic Mur) Connecticut Weddings by Kim O Brien (Fic OBr) Sierra Weddings (Nevada) by Jeri Odell (Fic Ode) Ohio Brides by Cara C. Putnam (Fic Put) Books on Film The much acclaimed movie, Courageous: Honor Begins At Home (DVD Fic Cou) is now available. Courageous Living by Michael Catt (248.4 Cat) offers a closer look at the Biblical themes and characters that inspired the film. Learn about what God expects of fathers in The Resolution which uses Scripture to encourage and direct them in their walk with their families. Find these and other materials that are new on display in the library throughout the month. ~ Mary Schultz

8 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength... Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. ~ Mark 30-31, NIV Grace Lutheran Church-LCMS 9076 Middlebrook Pike Knoxville, TN (865) Fax: (865) address: glc@visitgrace.org Sunday Worship: 8:00 a.m. (Traditional) and 9:30 a.m. (Blended)/11:00 a.m. (Contemporary) Wednesday Worship: 6:30 p.m. (Blended) Sunday School & Bible 9:30 a.m./11:00 a.m. RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED TO: Sharing the Love of Christ