Friends and Neighbors
January 26, 2020
Jim Trenberth
errant
MEANING:
adjective:
1. Traveling, especially in search of adventure.
2. Erring, straying, or moving aimlessly.
When I agreed to do this talk, I had no idea what I wanted to say. I thought, “Something will come up” I moved aimlessly, straying, in search of adventure. Some non Unity people would call this procrastination. I prefer the term GODS SPIRIT or maybe divine inspiration, or the Holy Spirit. Waiting and paying attention.
It was November 21st; I was reading the morning paper and my cell phone rang. Expecting an important call concerning extending the warranty on my 30-year-old truck or maybe a FREE timeshare offers for Branson Missouri. I answered.
The call came from Bob Lawyer, telling me than his wife Aranka “Cookie” Lawyer had passed away a few days earlier. He wanted to make sure Nancy knew. I said what I could to Bob and ended the call. Nancy was getting dressed and I went in to tell her the news. Later we visited the funeral home web site and sent flowers. Many tears fell.
I had met Bob once before and Cookie had driven Nancy’s mom from upstate New York to our wedding in State College Pennsylvania. On our trips to visit Nancy’s mom, we always stopped in to visit with Cookie. They shared a special bond.
When Nancy was in jr. high she had surgery to repair some of the damage from polio. After the surgery she spent about a year in a full body cast. Each day after teaching a full day of school Cookie would come to the house and tutor Nancy. To this day Nancy credits Cookie for her love of books and her relentless grammar and editing skills.
Here is what another of her former students wrote on the tribute page on the funeral home site:
Ward Lape
If you ever met her, you never forgot her, that stare. I didn’t. She took your soul and held you in her presence. She came to our Richmondville School classroom as Miss Vincze. God himself had assigned her to teach the English language.
She was a trailblazer, the torch bearer, researcher, ever-teacher. Miss Vinzce was the one who took the time to show the way. She was super leader, motivator, an idealistic visionary and a dreamer. From her, I learned what authors meant when they wrote, “the gleam in her eye.”
She taught me how to think, to enjoy books, and most of all how to communicate … to organize my thoughts. I can see her now, in her early twenties, in a white blouse, sitting on the edge of her desk, straight as an arrow her posture, asking Larry Babcock to read the next chapter.
She was certainly a wonderful person and a friend. I am happy to say I got “that stare” many years later sitting around Cookies’ dining room.
It was only later that I remembered that the phone call came to MY Cell phone. Why MINE?????? Why not Nancy’s. There is was, the divine inspiration. The message from God, I was no longer errant. I had a subject for my talk. Friends and Neighbors. Those special people or organizations in our lives.
It was about the same time that the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood came out.
I was ready to include Fred Rodgers in my talk. What a perfect example of a friend and neighbor. I started researching Fred Rodgers. Alas, Rev. Deb stole my thunder by using Mr. Rodgers in her next talk. But I will not let that stop me from mining this motherload again.
I found article after article, but two themes emerged. First the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. Second, the Jewish concept of “tikkun olam” Let’s look at the New Testament example first:
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: An Interview with Amy Hollingsworth
How did Mister Rogers’ view of being a good neighbor compare with Jesus’ description of a good neighbor?
Amy Hollingsworth: I like to call it Mister Rogers’ theology of neighbor. Fred’s definition of neighbor was simple: whoever you happen to be with at the moment. This is even more the case if the person you happen to be with is in need
Once we know there are no loopholes, we have a choice. The choice, Fred said, is whether to be an advocate or an accuser. On one side of the spectrum stands the evil one, the accuser. Fred told me, “Evil would like nothing better than to have us feel awful about who we are. And that would be back in here [in our minds], and we’d look through those eyes at our neighbor, and see only what’s awful—in fact, look for what’s awful in our neighbor.”
On the other side of the accuser stands Jesus, our advocate. “But Jesus would want us to feel as good as possible about God’s creation within us,” Fred continued, “and in here [in our minds], we would look through those eyes, and see what’s wonderful about our neighbor. I often think about that.”
That’s a powerful lesson: Whoever you happen to be with at the moment is your neighbor, especially if the person is in need. Once you realize that, you have a choice to make: you can either be an advocate for— or an accuser of—your neighbor.
Powerful words
The second theme “Tikkun Olam” came from a TV special Mr. Rodgers did shortly after 9/11.
This is from article written by Judy Gruen for Aish.com which is a Jewish news site:
After the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Rogers was asked to create a public service message for the nation. In footage of that PSA taping, he was visibly depressed, wondering aloud on the set what good he could do in the face of such massive evil. Yet when the cameras rolled, he played the piano and assumed the reassuring countenance the country had come to expect from him. And he reminded America that even in dark times, goodness and love still existed, and that we still could find reasons for optimism. Encouraging everyone to make the world a better place, he used the Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam.”
This was quite a departure for Rogers, as he never preached religion on his show – only kindness and equality, whether advocating for peace in the 80’s by portraying the Lebanon War on his segment, in a soft tone that children could understand, or asking Mr. Clemons, a black police officer on his show, to join him in a swimming pool during a time when the act was condemned.
So why mention ‘tikkun olam,’ the Jewish imperative to repair the world from its brokenness?
Perhaps it was Rogers’ unfailing optimism which connected him to this Jewish value. Even in the darkest moments, he would look for a silver lining.
Tikkun olam means to do something with the world that will not only fix any damage, but also improve upon it. preparing it to enter the ultimate state for which it was created.
Here at Unity, we use the term “the Christ within”
If you trust “the Christ within” and the spirit of Tikkun olam you will find many examples of friends and neighbors in your life every day.
This past week I have working on a show, Adore Us Line! in Des Moines. It is a new Musical about the Iowa Caucus combined with the music of A Chorus Line! I was blessed to work with two people who express the spirit of Tikkun olam in their life. I hope they will inspire you as they do me.
Josh Jepson: Josh is a sound engineer and designer is Des Moines. He is a multiple award winner in Des Moines for his theatrical work We have worked together on so many shows together in Des Moines and Ames it has become somewhat of a running joke. He is someone who is loved by everyone he works with both for his professional excellence and his calm friendly demeaner. Always willing to make thing better. A perfect example of the Tikkun olam spirit. Josh is also a father and husband.
His son, Lee, has been visiting the various theatres Josh works in since before he could walk. Like his father he is drawn to ladders.
About a year ago Lee was diagnosed with Leukemia. Through an on-line fund raiser people have donated over $16,000 for his medical care. Tikkun olam spirit strikes again.
On February 1 there is another fund raiser for Lee. It was created by Robert John Ford. Robert is the playwright for Adore Us Line! While creating the overwhelming task of a brand-new play he has created this event to help the Jepson Family. Tikkun olam spirit strikes again.
These are just examples in my life THIS WEEK. All of us have people like this in our lives. Their goodness and GODness inspires us to be better. To reach for the Christ Spirit in ourselves and share it with others. Friends….. Neighbors.
This week we mourned the passing of Joy Munn.
As Tammy Albright said on Facebook no one was more aptly named. The spirit of Tikkun olam was strong in her. Like Fred Rodgers she hosted a TV show for children.
Now I would like to talk about another Neighbor-
Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance. If you attended the annual meeting earlier this month you will recall that Good Neighbor is Unity of Ames charity organization. We give to good Neighbor every month. I have been on the board for a number of years and will serve as the president until July 1.
At one time Both Don and Heather Withers were deeply involved in the organization, and if memory serves, Heather suggested that I join the board.
Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance was incorporated and began operations in 1997 with twelve sponsoring churches. As of June 2002, Good Neighbor’s Board of Directors represent 18 participating organizations. Good Neighbor was granted federal not-for-profit status in 1998.
SERVICE
Good Neighbor provides emergency assistance to Story County individuals and families. Good Neighbor also consults with and makes frequent referrals to other agencies which might also be able to help. The largest share of its funds are spent to help keep families in their homes and to prevent a loss of utilities.
For many years Good Neighbor was run primarily by volunteers like Heather and other ministers in the community. Eventually a Director was hired.
July 1, 2019 Lori Allen became the newest director. Since that time Good Neighbor has gone from being a paper and pencil organization using OLD technology to a fully integrated computerized office. ALL without using the money contributed for assistance to the needy. HOW, did this happen? A local group of professionals came to Good Neighbor and offered to help. They assessed the needs of the organization, raised the funds for equipment and rearranged the furniture, installed the computers and trained the volunteer staff. Tikkun olam.
Here are some figures for you. In the first half of the fiscal year Good Neighbor has helped 846 households with food housing and travel assistance to the tune of over fifty seven thousand dollars.
I suspect you might be thinking, “here it comes, he is going to ask for money” Good Neighbor would not say no, but the real need is for volunteers to work a few hours a week in the Good Neighbor office. Please come talk with me if you are interested.
The spirit of giving, sharing and making the world a better place is the Christ Spirit in us. Let us take those thoughts into meditation.