How do you and I promote healing and wholeness in our divided American society? Jesus has the answers.
Jesus tells us to begin by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Our neighbors are Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian. Our neighbors are Black, Asian, African, Latino, Middle Eastern. Our neighbors are straight, gay, trans and questioning. Our neighbors are Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Our neighbors are men, women, young and old, new to this country or here for generations. You see, everyone is our neighbor, and Jesus has clearly instructed us to love our neighbors.
What does that love look like? Jesus tells us that, too. If we see someone hungry, we are to feed them. If someone needs clothing, we give them clothes. We are to invite in and care for the stranger. We must look after those who are sick, those who are imprisoned, those who are homeless. In many examples from Jesus’ life, he shows us how to live out that love, always being with and caring for those who society scorns or holds in contempt.
This message is excerpted from “How can we promote healing, wholeness and peace?” by Linda Post Bushkofsky from the November 26, 2016, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today we commemorate missionaries John Christian Frederick Heyer, 1873; Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, 1719 and Ludwig Nommensen, 1918.
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