We continue with week 2 of Reaching in Love this Sunday in worship at The Table. Worship will be rooted once again in Acts 1.8: 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We will focus this week on what it means to be witnesses “in all Judea.” Judea was a very large region in Jesus’ day. Many of the people would have shared some cultural identities and even spoken the same language. Yet, Judea was a diverse region. Like Judea, the neighborhoods we inhabit today are diverse. This week we move from reflecting on what it means to witness in the places that feel like home (Jerusalem) to the broader neighborhoods (all of Judea) in which we live.
What do you know about your neighbors and your neighborhood? How might you go about developing relationships with your neighbors? What have you tried that’s “worked” and what have you tried that hasn’t really helped in terms of getting to know the folks around you? What would it look like for you to reach in love in the neighborhoods around you?
One Comment
Delilah/The Table on Tap
We talked about “witnessing” and ways to “witness”. Some of us personally believe that there are different ways to witness. For example, UMCOR witnesses through action and relief, they don’t actually use words. Many of us are uncomfortable with the idea of doing it with words. Possibly, because aren’t really sure what God has done in our life, or are often questioning our beliefs. We know God is here – how can show that to our friends, neighbors – the world?
Things that have worked:
Finding something in common – my parents know our neighbors because they are all retired (they’re all at home during the day).
Paying attention – we realized that our neighbor was pregnant and took over diapers.
Reaching out with a friend – it’s easier to meet new people when you have someone familiar close by.
Smiling and simple “hellos”.
We also realized that sometimes being friendly can “freak” a person out. So we have to challenge ourselves to be friendly, kind and welcoming anyway. We have to be conscious and aware of the people around us and to not let our worries, stresses and burdens get in the way of “encounters”.
We had a really great conversation and are thankful that our Kitchen Table can be a “Jerusalem” for us or a safe stable place for us to be with others who watch over each other in Love.