WEBVTT

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 We're starting this brand new sermon series called The Art of Neighbouring by using this book.

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 And we're starting it as we come into spring and hopefully we're coming out of lockdown,

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 which should mean that we can spend a lot more time outside and see a lot more of our neighbours locally.

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 And during this whole sermon series, we're going to be asking ourselves, what does it look like to love our neighbours?

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 The ones we live beside, the ones we work alongside, maybe physically or virtually,

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 and what it means to love the people here in Clevedon, where God's placed us.

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 To start off, we think about the famous verse from Matthew 22, where Jesus gives us that command to love our neighbours as ourselves.

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 A couple of years ago, I was really fortunate to help to facilitate something called a poverty and community hearing,

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 which gathered a lot of people together for one afternoon.

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 There was a lot of religious and faith leaders there, charity leaders, school leaders, that kind of thing, all together.

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 And also some people there that shared testimonies of their lives and how the hardships that they'd faced during their lives,

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 the effect that it had on them and the things that had been helpful to them during that time,

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 and also the things that had not been so helpful.

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 And one of the things that was highlighted, which was really interesting,

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 was the fact that a lot of them said that although in the past there had been some excellent events and groups and things started

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 by getting grants from councils and the government and things,

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 they'd maybe run for two or three years, but gradually the money had fizzled out,

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 and so those groups had stopped, and so those people then had been left in the lurch.

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 And one of the council leaders said something really interesting,

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 and he said he thought that one of the best ways to make life a lot better for people

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 was for people to have and live amongst good neighbours,

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 people that cared about the area they lived in and cared about the people also that were there.

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 This was really challenging for everybody that was there,

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 but especially for those church leaders who, like many church leaders,

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 are really good at putting on events and programmes,

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 but actually might spend their time doing that and actually overlook that basic call to love your neighbour.

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 So in this series, we're going to start unpacking this question,

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 what does it mean to love our neighbours, and who are our neighbours,

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 and what is that call in Matthew 22 to love our neighbours as ourselves,

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 how can we put that into practice here in Clevedon?

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 That passage is again one of the most famous passages probably in the Bible,

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 and again the context of it is the Jewish leaders that are there at the time

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 trying to put Jesus through the ringer and catch him out, as they often did.

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 They wanted to expose him because the things he said about himself and his authority,

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 they didn't like, they thought he was a heretic and he was a fraud,

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 and they wanted to trip him up.

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 And so when they ask him,

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 teacher, what is the most commandment in the law?

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 That's not a hypothetical question for them.

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 They had over 600 laws that they used to have to keep.

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 And when he answers them back,

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 he quotes from the Old Testament passage Deuteronomy 5,

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 which they would have known, and he says to them,

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 it says,

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 love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength.

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 That is the first and the greatest commandment.

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 And in saying that, they're quite happy with that one.

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 But then he adds to them a bonus answer,

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 which they're not that keen on,

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 because he says,

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 the second commandment is that you must love your neighbour as yourself.

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 From the commentaries I've read,

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 it's not a hierarchical thing.

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 They're loving your God first,

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 and then second to that, loving your neighbour.

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 They're not split.

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 It's actually, they're both held together.

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 And actually to love the Lord is to love your neighbour.

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 And in order to love your neighbours properly,

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 you need to love God,

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 and you need to have his help to do that.

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 There's lots you could say about these commands,

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 but this morning I just want to look at two aspects

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 of how we can actually apply them to our lives.

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 And the first thing is,

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 I find it really striking that when Jesus summarises the Old Testament

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 and what it means to be a believer,

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 he summarises it with the word love.

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 And it seems to me,

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 and sadly in this culture,

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 we as Christians are often looked upon,

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 those people who don't do this,

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 and they don't do that,

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 and they're opposed to this,

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 and they're opposed to that,

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 and everybody knows what we're against,

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 but actually they don't know what we're for.

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 Now we do have some really important rules,

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 but it really saddens me that often the takeaway

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 by non-Christians about us and our lives

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 is not that love underpins it.

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 If we're not grounded in love,

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 what's the point of being a Christian?

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 And the best analogy I can think of

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 is looking at a marriage.

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 We probably have all been to lots of weddings.

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 I've been to many as a guest,

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 and I might think about it slightly differently

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 when I'm actually able to officiate at them.

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 But one of the best things that I love

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 when I'm at a wedding

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 is to see the young couple there

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 making their vows to each other.

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 And I often think back to myself,

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 my husband's wedding,

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 which is many moons ago now,

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 and I think those vows they're making,

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 they don't really have a clue

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 what they mean when they're saying them.

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 You know, it means,

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 as well as the good times,

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 when things are really grim,

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 that actually we still surrender to each other.

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 We still give each other to each other.

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 And they're the vows that those ceremony means.

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 But why are they making those vows?

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 They're making them because they love each other.

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 When they're healthy and when they're sick,

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 they're promising to stay together

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 when they've got money, when they're not.

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 They wouldn't make those vows

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 if they didn't love each other.

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 And that too is the essence of our Christian faith.

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 A father who comes to his bride, the church,

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 and he gives himself in covenant and faithfulness.

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 And as a church,

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 we respond by giving our whole lives to him

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 as an offering.

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 Our minds, our desires, and everything we have.

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 And the second thing is

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 the way that Jesus really annoys the Pharisee

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 as he leaves that kind of openness to the Pharisees

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 about loving their neighbours

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 that they really can't agree with.

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 This passage,

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 love your neighbour as yourself,

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 is also told in the passage

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 that was read to us this morning

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 in Luke 10, verses 25 to 37,

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 when the Pharisee basically said,

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 hang on a minute,

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 who is my neighbour?

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 And let me just clarify this.

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 Let me just get this clarified.

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 And Jesus said,

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 love your neighbour as yourself.

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 And that does mean loving the neighbour

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 who looks like you,

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 lives near you,

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 talks like you,

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 has the same opinions as you.

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 But also it means loving the neighbour

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 who is not like you,

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 the one who doesn't like your Christian faith,

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 the one who cooks very different food to you,

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 the one who might smell a bit,

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 the one that might have mental illness,

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 or the one that's really annoying

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 because they're always gossiping,

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 fill in the blanks as you need to.

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 But those are the neighbours

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 that we're called to love.

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 And of course,

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 the Pharisees,

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 when they heard him speak like this,

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 this really touched a nerve with them

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 because they were embedded in Jewish society.

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 All their friends and family and neighbours

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 would have been Jews.

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 They would have all grown up

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 with similar backgrounds

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 and understanding of the scripture.

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 And they really didn't like the other.

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 They really hated the Romans.

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 And they wanted the answer to be

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 loving my neighbours,

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 like loving people like me.

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 But actually Jesus was saying to them,

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 you know those Romans over there,

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 you're called to love them too as yourself.

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 You, like me,

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 have probably heard and read

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 the Good Samaritan passage many times

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 and heard it preached about

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 throughout our lives.

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 And we can often think,

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 okay, who's my neighbour?

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 He is the one who lives across the road,

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 but actually it's people that live

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 in the other parts of the world,

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 immigrants, refugees,

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 people that are not like me,

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 different cultures,

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 ethnicities, etc.

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 They are also my neighbour.

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 And don't get me wrong,

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 these people are our neighbours.

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 But we can often think like that,

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 but avoid the more trickier question

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 about what about my actual neighbours?

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 You know, the ones that live right beside me,

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 right next door,

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 or right above me,

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 or below me,

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 or across the road from me.

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 What about those neighbours?

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 And I want to ask ourselves

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 a simple question.

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 What if what Jesus is saying

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 actually includes

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 our physical geographical neighbours?

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 And if that is it,

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 it might be a bit uncomfortable

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 because actually many

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 church surveys have been done,

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 it says in this book,

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 that said that actually many people

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 don't know their neighbours

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 hardly at all.

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 I'm wondering whether

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 the only bright spark of COVID

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 might be that actually

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 in this country,

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 we may now know our neighbours

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 better than we did

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 maybe a year ago.

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 And this week,

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 after the service,

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 or maybe in your small groups,

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 it'd be really good

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 to actually start filling in

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 this grid

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 that you would have been sent out

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 by email,

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 or you could just draw yourself one.

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 We're putting yourself

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 and your family,

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 whatever,

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 right in the centre

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 and the details about you.

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 And then throughout the series,

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 populating the rest of these boxes,

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 which are the houses

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 that are right beside you

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 or across the road from you.

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 Populating that with information,

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 people's names,

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 some names you might know them,

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 maybe you don't,

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 and maybe using this time

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 to actually find out

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 more information

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 about those closest people to you.

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 So you might know their names,

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 you might know something about them,

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 like their hobbies

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 or something like that

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 and what they like doing.

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 And then maybe actually

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 if you also know

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 some deeper stuff about them,

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 if you've got a better relationship,

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 and that'd be really interesting

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 to find out those people

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 that you do know

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 and those people that you don't.

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 In the book,

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 The Art of Neighbouring,

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 it says that they did

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 that particular exercise

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 with lots of people

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 in lots of churches

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 and they found

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 that a lot of people

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 didn't know their neighbours,

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 including church leaders

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 who may only know

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 one or two people

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 on their street

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 because they're so busy

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 out doing other stuff.

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 People may have lived

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 on their own street

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 for maybe 10 or 20 years

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 and they don't know anything

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 much about their neighbours

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 apart from maybe

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 just saying hello to them

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 in the morning

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 or waving to them

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 as they put the bins out.

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 But wouldn't it be great

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 if we could extend ourselves

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 and our hospitality

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 to our neighbours

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 that through this

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 they realise

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 that we are that person,

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 the person

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 that has the loving ear,

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 the caring ear,

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 the loving neighbour,

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 the non-judgeable presence

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 who can pray for them

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 in their back garden

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 and who they can talk to them

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 about real stuff

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 that's going on

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 with their lives.

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 That's neighbouring.

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 And it seems to me,

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 and maybe talk about this

00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:07.960
 in your small group,

00:11:08.060 --> 00:11:08.799
 that we need to

00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:11.039
 maybe think differently

00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:12.399
 about our homes

00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:14.259
 and our streets

00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:15.240
 and our neighbourhoods.

00:11:16.060 --> 00:11:17.200
 And hopefully this whole

00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:17.840
 sermon series

00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:19.039
 will help us to do that.

00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:21.719
 A while ago

00:11:21.719 --> 00:11:22.759
 there was a glut

00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:24.219
 of sort of

00:11:24.219 --> 00:11:25.199
 home improvement

00:11:25.199 --> 00:11:26.379
 lifestyle programmes

00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:27.139
 and I don't know about you

00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:28.339
 but I got quite into them.

00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:29.480
 Things like

00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:31.079
 Location, Location, Location

00:11:31.079 --> 00:11:32.539
 or Grand Designs

00:11:32.539 --> 00:11:33.539
 or Escape to the Country.

00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:34.899
 But I found that

00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:35.740
 although I liked them

00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:36.379
 I had to actually

00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:37.360
 stop watching them

00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:38.339
 because they weren't great

00:11:38.339 --> 00:11:39.339
 for my mental health

00:11:39.339 --> 00:11:40.120
 or my mood

00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:41.279
 because I would turn

00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:42.779
 the programme off

00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:43.519
 with a beautiful

00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:44.819
 staged home

00:11:44.819 --> 00:11:46.019
 and everything being perfect

00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:47.240
 and then look down

00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:47.879
 at my carpet

00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:48.159
 and think,

00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:49.159
 well that's hideous

00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:50.220
 and I then look

00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:50.980
 at my house

00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:51.320
 and think,

00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:52.600
 well this is a right mess,

00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:52.899
 you know,

00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:54.899
 why can't my house

00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:55.539
 look more like

00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:56.419
 the ones on TV?

00:11:57.980 --> 00:11:59.340
 But those shows

00:11:59.340 --> 00:12:00.000
 are made

00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:00.679
 by and large,

00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:01.360
 not always,

00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:02.320
 but they tend

00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:03.580
 to reduce the place

00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:04.279
 that you live in

00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:05.700
 to the square footage,

00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:07.080
 the curb appeal,

00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:07.939
 the price

00:12:07.939 --> 00:12:09.059
 and the resale value.

00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:10.779
 And this can lead us

00:12:10.779 --> 00:12:11.759
 into telling ourselves

00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:12.480
 a story about

00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:13.799
 the places that we live

00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:15.080
 that has nothing to do

00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:15.960
 with being a disciple

00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:16.460
 of Jesus.

00:12:16.460 --> 00:12:18.100
 And what I want

00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:19.040
 to say to you today

00:12:19.040 --> 00:12:21.320
 is to think about

00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:22.320
 what it is

00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.080
 and what it could be like

00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:25.680
 if actually God

00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:26.440
 in his sovereign

00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:27.519
 and amazing grace

00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:28.519
 has placed you

00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:29.259
 where you live.

00:12:29.800 --> 00:12:30.720
 And the reason

00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:32.420
 that you're where you are,

00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:33.300
 even if it's only

00:12:33.300 --> 00:12:34.340
 for a few years,

00:12:34.400 --> 00:12:35.580
 is to be a beacon

00:12:35.580 --> 00:12:36.139
 of love,

00:12:36.400 --> 00:12:37.800
 of life and grace

00:12:37.800 --> 00:12:38.660
 for Christ

00:12:38.660 --> 00:12:39.460
 in that place.

00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:40.820
 Do you think

00:12:40.820 --> 00:12:41.180
 this could be

00:12:41.180 --> 00:12:42.019
 a real possibility?

00:12:42.019 --> 00:12:44.000
 that the neighbours

00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:44.879
 you have

00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:45.899
 are the ones

00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:46.679
 that God wants

00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:47.279
 you to have.

00:12:48.460 --> 00:12:49.000
 And if you were

00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:49.319
 to say,

00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:50.159
 oh please,

00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:50.819
 you know,

00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:51.919
 put me in a place

00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:52.539
 where I can

00:12:52.539 --> 00:12:54.079
 share your good news,

00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:55.039
 he'd say,

00:12:55.139 --> 00:12:55.639
 you know what,

00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:56.419
 you're there.

00:12:58.679 --> 00:12:59.699
 And that living

00:12:59.699 --> 00:13:00.299
 in your house,

00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:00.960
 you're not living there

00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:01.519
 because your house

00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:02.120
 is beautiful

00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:03.039
 or it's worth

00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:04.159
 lots of money

00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:04.559
 or it's got

00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:05.840
 a great curb appeal

00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:06.920
 or a fantastic

00:13:06.920 --> 00:13:08.120
 school catchment area

00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:09.800
 but because Jesus

00:13:09.800 --> 00:13:11.399
 wants us to be

00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:11.899
 the neighbours

00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:12.740
 and ambassadors

00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:13.399
 for him

00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:14.759
 to that people

00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:16.560
 and to that place

00:13:16.560 --> 00:13:17.460
 and you are

00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:18.399
 the perfect person

00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:19.240
 to do that job.

00:13:21.580 --> 00:13:22.500
 When you get

00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:23.540
 to know people better,

00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:25.120
 their stories

00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:26.060
 will inevitably,

00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:27.080
 you know,

00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:28.340
 involve difficult things

00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:28.980
 like hardship

00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:30.080
 and conflict

00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:31.879
 and isolation.

00:13:32.660 --> 00:13:33.600
 But our homes

00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:34.460
 and our gardens

00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:35.280
 at the moment

00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:36.439
 can be safe spaces

00:13:36.439 --> 00:13:37.379
 that we can invite

00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:38.399
 those neighbours into

00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:39.480
 to come and share

00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:40.199
 a meal with us,

00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:41.019
 to come and chat

00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:43.259
 where we can love

00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:43.779
 them properly

00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:45.199
 and that is the new

00:13:45.199 --> 00:13:45.799
 narrative that we

00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:46.480
 need to live in.

00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:48.519
 And that's the new

00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:49.519
 narrative that we

00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:50.259
 can walk in

00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:51.259
 step by step,

00:13:52.459 --> 00:13:53.839
 maybe by moving

00:13:53.839 --> 00:13:55.959
 from just a stranger

00:13:55.959 --> 00:13:57.000
 to an acquaintance

00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:57.740
 and then from an

00:13:57.740 --> 00:13:58.579
 acquaintance to a

00:13:58.579 --> 00:13:58.899
 friendship.

00:13:59.819 --> 00:14:00.620
 And maybe the first

00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:01.439
 step for you

00:14:01.439 --> 00:14:02.539
 is just having that

00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:03.100
 sort of awkward

00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:04.600
 conversation like

00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:05.480
 I've seen you

00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:06.139
 walking your dog

00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:06.659
 or putting your

00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:07.420
 bins out every day

00:14:07.420 --> 00:14:08.080
 for the past 10

00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:08.860
 years and I don't

00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:09.480
 know who you are.

00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:10.379
 I'm so-and-so

00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:11.279
 and it's really great

00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:11.940
 to meet you

00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:12.600
 and be your neighbour.

00:14:13.920 --> 00:14:14.720
 And then the second

00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:15.740
 step is looking for

00:14:15.740 --> 00:14:17.040
 opportunities and

00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:17.899
 praying that God

00:14:17.899 --> 00:14:18.740
 will show you things

00:14:18.740 --> 00:14:19.360
 that you can do

00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:20.379
 in your local area

00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:21.019
 and the people

00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:21.980
 that you can actually

00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:22.720
 make a difference

00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:23.040
 with.

00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.539
 And what I'm saying

00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:27.120
 is not just that

00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:27.459
 you're going to

00:14:27.459 --> 00:14:28.399
 pull your bootstraps

00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:29.279
 up and do this

00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:29.879
 all in your own

00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:31.019
 strength and start

00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:32.000
 really loving and

00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:32.639
 caring for that

00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:33.620
 really irritable

00:14:33.620 --> 00:14:34.199
 neighbour that you've

00:14:34.199 --> 00:14:34.959
 got down the street

00:14:34.959 --> 00:14:35.659
 which I'm sure we

00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:36.419
 all have got one of

00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:36.579
 them.

00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:38.679
 To engage with that

00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:40.039
 neighbour we can

00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:41.679
 only do that by

00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:42.919
 having God's love

00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:44.079
 to help us because

00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:44.879
 that love doesn't

00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:45.480
 come from us,

00:14:45.579 --> 00:14:46.379
 it comes from him

00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:47.759
 and his power comes

00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:48.599
 from him as well.

00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:52.500
 because God loves

00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:53.300
 us the same as

00:14:53.300 --> 00:14:53.879
 he loves them,

00:14:54.560 --> 00:14:55.480
 the God who

00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:56.320
 breaks through our

00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:57.360
 sin and comes

00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:58.379
 into our life and

00:14:58.379 --> 00:14:59.060
 gives us the gospel

00:14:59.060 --> 00:15:00.019
 of Jesus Christ that

00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:00.759
 we don't deserve

00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:02.279
 either, who comes

00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:03.639
 in and empowers us

00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:05.440
 with his spirit to

00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:06.519
 help us to do the

00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:07.480
 things that we can't

00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:08.279
 naturally do on our

00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:08.519
 own.

00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:10.220
 This is the power

00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:11.040
 and the love that's

00:15:11.040 --> 00:15:12.480
 going to help us to

00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.200
 love our neighbour

00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:15.300
 step by step, day

00:15:15.300 --> 00:15:15.840
 by day.

00:15:17.040 --> 00:15:17.360
 Amen.

00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:19.600
 Amen.