“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” -Leviticus 19:34
The St. Luke’s theme for 2021 is “Love Your Neighbor; No Exceptions.” This theme is based on the scripture from Luke 10:27 where Jesus says, “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.” Jesus is clear when he teaches that those who follow him must care for and love the people they encounter.
The theme of loving our neighbor is not only found in the Gospels. In fact, the command to love God and love our neighbor is found throughout the Bible. From the beginning, God was working with humanity to create a community of love, justice and mercy. Repeatedly, the stories of both testaments teach us to show respect for others and treat one another with kindness.
One such scripture appears in the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus picks up the story from the Exodus. It follows the Hebrew people as they establish a new nation, defined by the law of God. This community is defined by covenant. It is the promise of God offered to the people. Leviticus offers God’s instruction on how a covenant people should worship God and how they should treat one another. Leviticus makes it clear that God’s people should love and care for their neighbors, after all, God first cared for them.
In the book of Leviticus, one commandment makes it clear that the definition of neighbor is much bigger than we often allow. “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” A neighbor is not just someone who lives next door, in our neighborhood, or our town. A neighbor is anyone, regardless of where they are from. God reminds us to care for the stranger among us, because, when we were strangers and outcasts, God cared for us.
We are called to love our neighbors, no exceptions. God wants us to love our friends next door, the stranger, the foreigner, the outcast. God’s actions towards us are defined by love. Our actions towards others should reflect the love of God. Today, let us love our neighbors, no exceptions.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
