"Love Thy Neighbor" - Romans 13:8-14 - September 4, 2005

This past week you have probably been watching the news about the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico from Hurricane Katrina. Our neighbors to the south have really suffered tremendous losses. Hundreds have died and thousands have lost their homes and businesses. The devastation is simply catastrophic. Life in New Orleans will never be the same.

Hurricanes are a way of life in the Gulf of Mexico, so on the one hand it shouldn’t surprise us that these horrific storms will occur. On the other hand, it seems foolish to build a home on the coast, especially where it is so vulnerable. After listening to those who refused to evacuate I said to myself, "Are these people crazy?" When the pictures of the damage began to appear one could easily say, "I told you so." You must admit, it’s kind of difficult to sympathize with those who defy mother nature.

It didn’t take long for the phone numbers and addresses to surface to give you an opportunity to send financial help. Millions of dollars are now pouring in to agencies whose mission it is to provide relief and emergency assistance. Thankfully, the world is responding.

My first thought about the aftermath of the hurricane was, "Why do men and women continue to build their homes in areas that are so vulnerable?" Just last week my brother told me that because of the hurricanes in Florida his house insurance increased by out 25 %. It seems like a lot of damage could be avoided if people lived in places that aren’t so prone to hurricanes.

Tuesday afternoon, a CNN reporter was interviewing folks who were wandering in New Orleans. One man said his home and all of his belongings were gone. At the time he was searching for his wife, who was missing. He was holding the hand of his little girl. All they had was the clothes on their backs and each other. I was struck by the agony and pain in his voice. This was the man’s neighborhood where he lived all his life. It was all he knew. Now he has nowhere to go. The reporter said, (in a choked up manor) "Good luck sir, I hope you find your wife."

That story has left a permanent image in my mind. This man is someone’s neighbor. He desperately needs help. He is a human being who has experienced a terrible tragedy. Perhaps he had no opportunity to escape the storms’ fury. Perhaps he didn’t own an automobile. Perhaps he had no resources to buy gasoline. Perhaps his little town didn’t get the word that the storm was going to be so severe.

After reading Paul’s words in Romans I must confess that I now have different thoughts about those who live in coastal cities. They are people too, and they have chosen to make that area their home. They have families, traditions, histories, jobs, and a community. They are no less worthy of God’s love than I am.

When Paul says we are to love our neighbors it is not just about sending them money, food and resources. To love one’s neighbor means that we accept them as people of worth. They are just as deserving of God’s love as we are.

Many years ago, when a famine was bringing misery in Russia, the writer Leo Tolstoy passed by a bridge in Moscow where many beggars gathered. They were on the verge of starvation and were asking for alms. Seeing a beggar, Tolstoy searched in his pocket for a coin, but discovered that he had nothing with him, not even a copper coin. Embarrassed, Tolstoy took the beggar's hands in his own and said, "I am sorry, brother. Don't be angry with me. I have nothing with me today." The thin face of the beggar became illuminated, and he said in reply, "But you called me brother - that was a great gift, sir." (Ronald E. Vallet, Stepping Stones of the Steward, Grand Rapids, Mich.,William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989)

Many of you will help aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina in a variety of ways. God however, wants us to help out of love, not because we feel an obligation. And God wants us to believe the folks there are worthy. Making a judgment about them does not help, loving them does.

Paul also stresses a sense of urgency when it comes to loving our neighbors. It is not something we should put off. Paul said, "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber." To be apathetic or indifferent or fail to respond means we are asleep. Love of neighbor requires an immediate decision. Paul even takes this a step further. It links our response time to our salvation. The time is now! It’s time for us to wake up!

Several years ago a twelve-year-old girl, Ashley Peebles, ran into the kitchen and said to her mother, "Have you seen the news today?" The news revolved around a flood that hit Elba, Alabama. Elba relied on a levee system to hold back the waters of the Pea River. The levee gave way and the entire town was engulfed in water. Many families lost everything they had.

Ashley wanted to help. She decided to start a food drive and wondered where to begin. Her mother asked her how she would deliver the food to those in need. "That’s where you come in, Mom," she said. "Will you help me?" Her mother agreed and Ashley began placing containers in her community. She distributed flyers throughout the neighborhoods in the area and contacted the Salvation Army who would arrange to deliver the food. The Salvation Army had already delivered some food to Elba, but they assured Ashley, future food items would be kept in storage for other disasters.

Ashley’s food drive was a huge success and everything was progressing smoothly until a tornado struck Birmingham, Alabama. Many homes were destroyed and 30 people perished in the storm. The major at Salvation Army telephoned Ashley and told her he wanted to send the donations she had collected to Birmingham. Elba was in fairly good shape by then but in Birmingham they had a real emergency.

Ashley was already one step ahead. She had heard the news and distributed flyers, telling folks about the disaster in Birmingham. She even called area businesses to get additional supplies. She called her local Wal-Mart and the manager agreed to provide supplies and arrange for the store to be a drop-off center. She had a plan but again, tragedy struck. There was another major storm, this time in Southern Tennessee. Another tornado struck a small town just across the state line.

Ashley went to work and the manager of Wal-Mart arranged to broadcast their efforts on radio. Ashley worked twelve straight hours and by the end of the day a Salvation Army truck arrived to deliver the supplies. At the end of the day Ashley said to her mother, "I’m tired, but I feel good inside." She thanked her mother for helping her. Her mother replied, "No, thank you for teaching me about reaching out to others in need." (from Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul)

Ashley’s passion to respond to people in need was a wake-up call for her mother and her community. Her efforts enabled an entire community to be involved in the process of helping their neighbors.

When we love our neighbors it means that what we do for them is a gift. In other words we give without any strings being attached. A gift of love is given without expecting anything in return.

We already have been given options to help with the disaster in New Orleans and the communities along the Gulf Coast. Some folks will be more than generous. Others, however will ignore the pleas thinking, "I have enough problems of my own." Still others will hold back, because we want assurance that our resources will be used for those who truly have need.

Ashley originally wanted to help the folks in Elba, who lost everything in the flood. Instead most of her efforts were directed to other places where the need was just as severe. We never know whose life our resources will help. At some point we have to trust that they will ultimately help someone in need.

Paul says we are to "clothe ourselves with Christ." Jesus modeled a life of sacrificial giving. Giving is meaningless unless it means we are willing to make a sacrifice ourselves. To hold back is to live in darkness. To give freely is to, as Paul says, "Put on the armor of light."

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio