According to Jesus, everyone is your neighbor. That means that the person who lives next to you is your neighbor. The person at your job is your neighbor. That person online is your neighbor. The convenience store clerk? Your neighbor too. That person who lives on the island of Tuvalu, also your neighbor. Your enemy is your neighbor. Your family is your neighbor. So have I thoroughly brought home that everyone is your neighbor? Good.
Now narrow that. Sure, everyone is your neighbor. But “everyone” is hard to get to know. So choose five. Five neighbors. They can come from anyplace, because that’s where neighbors come from. (By the way, I will eye you suspiciously if you choose people that are your extended family. I will probably assume that you’re just chickening out on really thinking about your neighbor.)
What do you hope for them? It doesn’t even have to be something that they hope for themselves right now. But keep in mind, this should be about them and not you. You shouldn’t hope for your neighbor to get their dog under control so that you can get to sleep at night. That’s a hope for you. Hope for them. Imagine what a better life would be like for them. Do they have more money? more laughter? more time? less strife?
Get clear on your hope in prayer with God. Bring your hope for them to Him in prayer. Say something like, “God, I really would love to see Fred smile more when I see him out.” “God, I would be so excited if Francine’s cancer test came back negative.” Start engaging your hope for your neighbor instead of just asking God for just stuff for you or just stuff for His church. Really get out of your own space with your hopes.
Now imagine what it is like for God to care about your hopes. Imagine how your hopes for your neighbor give you just a little glimpse into how God sees you, loves you, and gets out of His own space to care about yours. After all, that’s the message of the Epiphany proper preface (the thing I say just before the Words of Institution in communion): “Sharing our life, [Jesus] lived among us to reveal [the Father’s] glory and love that our darkness should give way to His own brilliant light.”
Let your hopes give way to His own brilliant light this week by hoping for your neighbors. Just five of them.