iHOPE

On Sabbatical

I’m taking a sabbatical from July 16- September 25. That means this blog is taking some time off, too. I’m looking forward to some extended rest and to being ready for an exciting Fall!

I’m taking a sabbatical from July 16- September 25. That means this blog is taking some time off, too. I’m looking forward to some extended rest and to being ready for an exciting Fall!

I’m taking a sabbatical from July 16- September 25. That means this blog is taking some time off, too. I’m looking forward to some extended rest and to being ready for an exciting Fall!

The Needed Neighbor

Have you seen the movie, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’

If not, I recommend you do!

It is a documentary that is also a great movie. More than that, in these polarized and divided times, it is a breath of fresh air- and just what we need.

There are lots of great reviews about “Won’t You Be My Neighbor’” but the best one is from someone who isn’t a movie critic. David Brooks writes,

There’s nothing obviously moving here, and yet the audience is moved: sniffling, wiping the moisture from their cheeks. The power is in Rogers’s radical kindness at a time when public kindness is scarce. It’s as if the pressure of living in a time such as ours gets released in that theater as we’re reminded that, oh yes, that’s how people can be.

Later this Fall, I have planned a sermon series by the same name, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” When Rich and I were planning this series, we believed it would be timely and important to talk about how to be good neighbors in such an un-neighborly environment. We didn’t know there would be a documentary- or that it would be so good. There is, and it is.

 

I recommend going with others. Friends and family are the easy choices, but why not think about going with people in your LIFE Group or another group from church? Another suggestion: invite a neighbor to go with you! Regardless of who you go with the obvious question to discuss afterwards is, “What can Mr. Rogers teach us about being better neighbors in our neighborhood?”

I also don’t recommend you wait too long to go see it. This is one of those movies that is a limited release and may not be around for long.

Jesus said that the whole Law could be summarized into…

• Love God with everything you are
• Love your neighbor

That means at least half of God’s intent for us is contained in how we treat our neighbors.  Mr. Rogers’ life was the model for the needed neighbor. His life was a reminder that, “oh yes, that’s how people can be.”