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To Be a Neighbor in a Burning City

5/29/2020

 
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I didn’t sleep last night.  My native state is in turmoil.  Minneapolis and St. Paul are burning.  My friend Andy messaged at 3:00AM, “Police sirens all night, but at least the chopper isn't near my house anymore.”  My brother and sister-in-law live in downtown Minneapolis.  I worry. 
​
I’m having flashbacks to my own experience in St. Louis after the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.  Black Lives Matter was born.  Six years later, we are still struggling with which lives matter most. 
The unrest of Ferguson stretched my understanding of Jesus’ Great Commandment:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  It’s easier to label than to love.  Unrest has a way of polarizing existing opposites. 

Political tweets and criminal activity distract from underlying injustice.  The fact remains:  An entire group of people in our country is treated differently.  The lives of Black neighbors are too often ignored.

Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer once called Jesus “a man for others.”  He took up the cause of “the other,” even when “the other” was his opposite or enemy.   He took no one’s side and everyone’s side at the same time.  He loved his neighbor as himself, even to death.
You cannot define your neighbor; you can only be a neighbor.” 
​                                                                                                                   -  Gerhard Friedrich 
I am a white, middle class male in America looking for ways to “be a neighbor” to my African American brothers and sisters.  I often fail and feel helpless.  But the work is not as heroic as we think it is.  To be a man or woman “for others” is “a long obedience in the same direction.”   Daily, unseen, and persistent.   “The other” is placed above self in quiet but sacrificial ways. 

The work ahead is not only in Minneapolis.  The Great Commandment is before each of us.  Our neighbors are next door. ​
Esther Rhodes
5/29/2020 08:19:31 am

Praying for healing and Christian understanding. It's so unfortunate that these things happen with all the focus on Georgia's problems recently. I remember Detroit in the 60's.

Jeff
5/29/2020 08:23:29 am

Thanks, Esther. Yes, there's lots of history here.

Carol Hubbard
5/29/2020 09:19:06 am

Praying for you and your family in these turbulent times. Racism, pandemics, corruption,floods, fires, social distancing. I believe Jesus is trying to get all of us to get closer to him. I know I have.

craig a baker
5/29/2020 11:55:23 am

God is good God is love God is everywhear

Peggie Otto
5/29/2020 12:25:08 pm

Praying for peace and healing for Minneapolis and other cities experiencing unrest. God’s command is for us to love one another, not just those who look like us. When will we learn?

Mark Kinnard link
5/29/2020 05:05:25 pm

I have a hard time with individuals who seem to think a protest gives you the right to destroy people, property, and lives.
People make mistakes, especially those with flesh.
But how right is it for 1 man to die so 100 individuals can destroy the lives of probably 500 or more.
Who is responsible for cleaning up this mess?
People really need to read Proverbs Daily! Maybe it will
Lighten their load.
Life is not about me, it about we, us, them.
The question is are people ready for peace, real peace.
Where we see the sunrise and set, where hugs are not a mystery and Love is abundant because God has his arms wrapped around us.

Mimi Rusert
5/30/2020 08:26:39 am

Without the knowledge and understanding of the one true God, and His true love for us, there cannot be any true love for others, and therefore, no love for neighbor, sense of others first and then peace. Christ alone can give us the power and ability to truly love others and then truly serve others, put others first, regardless who they are, and bring peace. It’s a countercultural idea. It’s a selfless act of worship. Lord, help us to act in such a way, every day to all.

Aaron
6/2/2020 06:04:35 am

Concise and lots to think about. I’m in the mix of trying to figure out response, reaction, and best next steps forward. Thanks for the breath of air in amidst it all.

Jeff
6/3/2020 01:11:10 pm

Yes, some days it seems like there's no way to "win." Other days, there are glimmers of hope. We march on.


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  • Blog
  • About
    • Sixth Generation
    • Jeff Cloeter
    • If you're not a Christian . . .
    • Contact
  • Loved & Sent
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    • The Stories
    • My Children's Book
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