Sirens wail. Police car lights bounce off the facades of the houses. Next, the television reporters arrive en masse and knock on the neighbors’ doors. They want the lowdown on the guy who just got arrested or had some unfortunate event happen to him.
No one knows anything about him. You can tell in the manner of responses the reporters get from the other residents of the block. “He was a nice guy, y’know? Always said ‘Hi’ in the morning.” From another, “He seemed kind of normal, I guess.” No details. No true sense of concern or empathy.
How about you? Do you know your neighborhood? How can you reach out to know them better? Are you afraid of what you will find out about the folks living on your block? Are you more afraid of sharing things about yourself?
Fear and a fiercely protected right to privacy play a part in the de-personalization of American neighborhoods. Live and let live is the attitude of many. As long as nobody is too loud and the house doesn’t smell, what they do is no business of ours.
Then of course, there is the fear of reciprocal information sharing. If you show an interest and ask about them and their lives, they’ll expect you to share details of your own life with them. You’re not so sure you want to share that information. What if they judge you?
Those of you who watch too much television and scary movies have another fear, too. What if your neighbor is a mass murderer or a key member of an organized crime syndicate? Asking too many questions may not be very healthy for you!
That’s not the way things should be. Jesus commands us to love and care about our neighbors. That includes everybody- even our neighbors! So how well do you know your neighborhood? How can you reach out to safely extend some Christian love around the block?
With everybody guarding their secret lives and as wary of you as you are of them, you may have to be a little tricky. It starts with careful observation. Instead of coming home and plopping down in front of your computer or television, why not sit outside?
Watch the neighborhood. Look for clues about the other families. Who has a family minivan or SUV? Who has the two-seat sports car? Who dresses in a suit or a uniform to go to work? Take a walk up and down the block. Casually look at the homes- how they are kept and whether there are toys in the yard.
Eventually, you want to make contact with someone else. Look for opportunities like helping bring groceries into a house. Someone washing their car is a good person to strike up a conversation with. You know they won’t walk away until they are done.
Maybe you can bake cookies and leave them at the doors of your neighbors. Leave a note explaining that you made too many. Sign your first name and the number of your house. You might get more cookies in return. Some daring soul might actually knock on your door to say thank you.
A block party may be a little difficult to pull off until you really know everybody. But maybe you can send a flyer out about setting up a block-watch. Or you can challenge them to a lawn decorating competition or Christmas lights show. Or you can just invite them all over for a quick barbeque and iced tea and quit being so sneaky about things.
How well do you know your neighborhood? How can you reach out to show God’s love (or at least to make sure no one is a mass murderer?) Walk in the confidence of knowing Jesus is walking with you. Show yourself to be approachable by approaching others. Be the one to take the first step.
Soon, you’ll have one of those neighborhoods where everyone knows each other and watches out for each other. That’s the kind of neighbors Jesus wants us to be. Let’s start working on this together.
