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Of course you remember Mr. Rogers and his
long running children’s television program Mr. Rogers’
Neighborhood. Perhaps you’re also aware that Mr. Rogers,
Fred Rogers, was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He studied
at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary while working with the public
television station in Pittsburgh on a children’s program called
The Children’s Corner. However, he didn’t feel called to
pastoring a church, but rather to promoting positive family
values to children through television. Upon his graduation from
Pittsburgh Seminary, he was commissioned by the Presbytery of
Pittsburgh to that calling and continued in that work which
eventually led to the creation of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Fred Rogers understood the power of neighborhood. He
specifically sought to present Christian values without overtly
“Christianizing” the terms or topics presented—a necessary
requirement if one hopes to mainstream that presentation in the
forum of public television. And he succeeded wonderfully didn’t
he?
There are lessons to be learned in that for
all of us.
First of all, neighborhood is powerful. It
is no surprise that neighborhood is an arena to which God calls
us to be His ambassadors because the common experiences shared
in a neighborhood are ripe for creating relationships with
others—some who are close with God and some who are very far
from God, but all loved by God and He desires to reach
them with His good news.
Second, you don’t have to overtly (I might
say overbearingly) speak in “Christianese.” As we’ve been
saying for a long time now, and as you will see in a moment, we
first listen to the stories of our neighbors. Then, when
it’s appropriate, when we’ve earned the right to also be heard,
perhaps especially when we’re asked to share our story, we can
effectively introduce the topic of faith…if it hasn’t already
been introduced in the story of one of our neighbors. No Bible
thumping. No handing out tracts. Just a simple introduction of
faith in your story and how you try to live that out in your
life. Then, live it out as best you can. We can learn a lot
from Mr. Rogers.
I’m not an expert on Mr. Rogers’
Neighborhood—we didn’t watch it a lot in our household
because we weren’t at home when it was on and our kids were of
Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood “age” prior to the advent of
VCR’s and the recording of programs—but I understand he
occasionally addressed some of the fears children have,
attempting to alleviate their fear through his gentle nature and
showing them there was nothing to fear. For example, I
understand he wrote a song (his undergraduate degree was in
Music Composition) about children not being swept away in the
water going down the bathtub drain because they didn’t fit! Not
a frightening topic for an adult, but it can be for a 3 year
old. And perhaps there is another lesson in there for us.
Connect with people in your neighborhood and you’ll run into
some difficult, challenging, (dare I say frightening?)
situations. Again, not a great recruiting pitch. Last week,
interruptions, this week, challenging (even frightening!)
topics. Connect with people in your neighborhood and you’ll run
into people of other faiths—Buddhists, Jews, Muslims. Connect
with people in your neighborhood and you’ll run into people of
no faith—or, at least no religious faith. They might put
their faith in themselves, or in human beings as the highest
order of life, but when it comes to God they’re agnostics or
atheists. You might even run into people who are hostile toward
faith, especially Christian faith. They might ridicule it,
citing things like the “end of the world” folks and equating you
with them, or they might be actually hostile toward Christian
faith—usually because of some negative experience they or
friends of theirs have had. Remember, in a recent survey of
young people aged 20-35, 25% of them agreed with the statement
that nothing good has come from the Christian Church. So, there
is this certainty: reach out to people in your neighborhood and
you’ll run into some difficult, challenging situations and
people. Perhaps even frightening. But there is also this
certainty—you won’t run into someone God doesn’t care about.
They might be very far from God, but God is not far from them.
He loves them and wants to reach them with His love, mercy and
grace…and you might be the only person in their lives who can
bring that to them.
Our Scripture passage for today is one of
many that teaches us about Jesus’ heart for the outcast. Two
cultural things to be aware of in this passage:
1) tax collectors like Levi were especially
despised in that culture. Whatever you might think about taxes
or the IRS doesn’t even come close. Israel, or more accurately,
Palestine at that time is an occupied country—the Romans. And
tax collectors worked for the occupation forces! Imagine
America losing World War II and your neighbor serving as a tax
collector for Germany or Japan. Think also of colonial America
and the refrain “No taxation without representation!” That’s
something like how tax collectors were viewed in 1st
century Palestine. They were barred from the synagogue which I
find ironic because the one pathway to redemption was kept from
them. They were considered unclean. A righteous person,
certainly a serious Pharisee, wouldn’t touch a tax collector let
alone have dinner with him.
Which is the second cultural point to note,
2) a meal together was a powerful statement of acceptance and
hospitality. Sharing in a meal together was a high honor. To
the “righteous” people, it was bad enough Jesus spoke to Levi.
It was worse that Jesus invited Levi to follow him and become
one of his disciples. Worse yet, it was unforgivable
that Jesus went to Levi’s house and ate with him. Yet that is
what Jesus does…because, as he says, “It is not the healthy
who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Connect with people
in your neighborhood and you will come across much that is
unhealthy. And Jesus wants to reach them with the healing
medicine of the gospel, the good news of his love, mercy and
grace.
So, a couple of quick points in this final
sermon (for now!) about reaching out into the neighborhood.
1. Jesus wants to reach everyone—even your
most challenging, hostile-toward-Christianity neighbor.
2. If we truly want to follow Jesus, we are
to engage with what some would call the “wrong people,” with
this caveat—it must be for the right reasons. Don’t connect by
participating in inappropriate behaviors and activities. Find
appropriate ways to connect, always for the purpose of bringing
the redemptive, cleansing and healing love of Jesus Christ to
them.
3. Stay connected with your foundation.
Envelop yourself with prayer, Bible study and the fellowship
(and accountability!) of the church and fellow believers as you
reach out in your neighborhood. Bear in mind this truth from 1
Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts
good character.” Not an excuse to avoid bad
company! That’s not the model Jesus sets for us. Rather, stay
connected to your foundation as you reach out to others—even
those of bad character who could ruin your good character if you
don’t stay also stay connected to your faith foundation.
4. Support and don’t criticize those who
are hanging out with the “wrong people.” Support them with your
fellowship, your prayers and your “accountability check” to
confirm that they are staying connected with their foundation.
Connect with people in your neighborhood
and you’ll come across some challenging situations. Here’s one
story from a couple in Arvada, first with introductions from a
couple of pastors involved in this neighborhood project.
(Video: “Taking a Risk to Build
Relationships”)
Slow down. Don’t hammer with the truth.
Listen to their stories. Listen for God’s activity in their
lives. Have fun! Connecting with people and their stories,
sharing our stories together is a great adventure. Enjoy it!
Have fun! And, finally, pray for appropriate next steps…which
just might include sitting down to dine with sinners. |
