An offering of presence in my neighbourhood

Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash

In the parable of the good Samaritan Jesus provided a provocative answer to the question, “Who is my neighbour (that I must love as I love myself)?” What Jesus revealed in his story is that there is not a person in this world to whom we can point and say, “He or she is not my neighbour.” The literal answer, though, is that our neighbours are the people who live next door to us, across the street, and down on the next block. 

There was once a mayor of a city besieged with social issues. Desperate to bring some resolution to the issues, he said something to the effect that most of his city’s problems would be solved if citizens would simply practise neighbourliness to the people immediately around them. But sadly, it is not uncommon these days for people to live next door to each other for ten years or more, and never even exchange names.

“God always works through presence,” said David Fitch at the Into the Neighbourhood workshop I attended last month. He went on to say that “Presence is the centre point through which God will change the world.”

God’s work of changing the world through presence has been ongoing since the beginning, and it continues today. Two thousand years ago he sent his Son to be his manifest presence among the ancient people of Palestine. When the Son returned to his place in heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to be present in his followers. Now the Holy Spirit sends us to be present in the world and to make Christ's presence manifest. 

My first experiences of God’s love and grace were through the warmth and welcome of a close-knit community of believers who ministered through their presence. It was in their presence that God manifested his presence to me. 

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They embraced and accepted me; even before I believed they made me feel that I belonged and that I had a place in their midst. I heard words of truth and life from these people, from the pulpit but also as we gathered in various homes. About six months later I embraced the truth for myself and received God’s life-altering presence into my own life.

Do you know and tune in to the presence of God in your life? Are you attending to his presence and making space for him to manifest himself to you? The ways in which he does so are varied, such as through individual and community worship, prayer, partaking of communion, the scriptures and other reading, sharing resources, using our gifts to serve others, spending time with the underprivileged and marginalized, attending to his presence in others, and meditating on truth. (I recommend David E. Fitch’s book, Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines that Shape the Church for Mission for more on this topic.) God waits for us to make space in which he can show himself. 

This week my daughter shared a story of what happened as she attended to God’s presence on the streets of downtown Toronto. She and a friend were handing out hygiene packages to some of the homeless people they encounter whenever they’re downtown. She noticed a woman who appeared to be quite distraught, so rather than simply hand her a package, she sat down beside her and offered her the gift of her presence. 

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It turned out this woman was in need of someone just like my daughter who could attend to and testify to the presence and love of God. Sacred space was opened up and after an exchange of conversation and some time in prayer, the woman joyfully received God’s presence for herself. Presence is powerful.

Do you believe in God’s presence in your neighbourhood? Do you believe that he is at work in the lives of the people who live all around you? He wants to manifest his presence in their lives as well, and he is calling us to attend to his presence where we live and create space in which he will make himself known. Such is the power of presence, and by such means will our little corners of the world experience the change that we hunger and long for. 

These revelations that are seemingly common sense came as an eye-opening challenge to me at the workshop I mentioned above. It has been almost a year now since we moved from a rural setting to the small village that we now call home. 

Photo by Helena D. Bergen

You would think it would be natural to get to know your neighbours in such a setting, but the closed-door lifestyle of our culture has definitely made its debut here, as well. The hit and miss approach to getting to know our neighbours hasn't been very productive. Ever since we moved in, though, I’ve been praying for my neighbours, and praying that God would show me how he is working here.

The work he is doing, it turns out, is that he has brought us here. (I’m sure he’s doing much more than this, but this is all the information he has deemed for us to have right now!) What he is asking of us is to trust in his presence in our neighbourhood. He’s asking us to be intentional about bringing the offering of our presence into this neighbourhood, to be witnesses and testifiers of his presence for our neighbours, and to create space in which he can manifest his presence. The only way we’re going to be able to do that is by getting to know them, hearing their stories, caring for them, and sharing our lives.

“Commit to a place for ten years and watch God work,” says Fitch. There really aren’t any easy buttons or short cuts when it comes to loving your neighbours. It means that we are getting out of our comfort zones and being creative in how we create spaces where we can get to know each other. It means we have to be willing to prioritize our relationships and always be oriented towards our neighbours. We also have to be willing to let our lives get disrupted when, inevitably, needs, issues, and crises arise. I have a hunch, though, and supporting evidence from others who have travelled this path, that the payoff of living in a connected, caring neighbourhood is going to be amazing. 

So, we are trusting that God is in all this, and we’re stepping out of the boat. Where he leads, I believe, he is going to show up. I don’t know what he’s going to do, or how this is going to go, but we’re in anyway. Our first creative initiative as we take steps to know and love our neighbours is an early Christmas open house. 

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

This week I'll be knocking on doors and handing out our invites; I will keep you posted as things unfold! 

I know that we are not the only ones on this journey, though. I would love to hear of your experiences of how you have been intentional in loving your neighbourhood, and the creative things you’ve done to bring neighbours together. Please add your comments below or shoot me an email!