One of my favorite musicals never made it to Broadway, but played off Broadway for 42 years, making it the longest running musical of all time. I had the good fortune to see The Fantasticks which played in Greenwich Village on my very first trip to New York City in 1978. It is the story of two neighbors, Hucklebee and Bellomy, who each have one child. The two fathers desire to be matchmakers for Hucklebee’s son and Bellomy’s daughter. Using reverse psychology, the fathers pretend to be feuding and even build a wall in hopes their children will be drawn together because, as the fathers note, children will always do the opposite of what you tell them to do. The ruse appears to work as Matt and Luisa fall in love. However, in time the little game the fathers play backfires, and their children go their own way. In the light of day, the fathers and their children begin to complain about one another, noticing all the flaws that have become glaringly visible by daylight.
Our theme for this year is once again, Love your neighbors, no exceptions. It’s hard to love our neighbors when we play little games like the two neighbors do in The Fantasticks or when we erect walls to keep our neighbors away. Paul writes in Romans that we should stop passing judgment or placing stumbling blocks between brothers and sisters. Paul is referring to the feud between Jews and gentiles about eating food that is clean or unclean. Paul says stop quarreling about matters in which one person’s faith allows them to eat whatever they like and the Jews, who can only eat food that is “clean” as prescribed by the law of Moses. Paul is unhappy that we judge folks who think differently than us, and yet who have been accepted by God. How often do we do that very thing today when we judge others who look different or worship different or vote differently than us? If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone say, you can’t go to heaven because you don’t go to my church, I’d be rich. The same goes for folks who argue I can’t be friends with you because you didn’t vote for my candidate, or you don’t agree with me on a single issue.
In I Thessalonians, Paul is writing to the church saying the Day of the Lord is coming and we must be ready. He says don’t waste time with petty matters but instead encourage each other and build one another up. Our days on this earth are numbered. I can tell you about too many instances in which folks I knew were healthy one day and the next contracted Covid, and were gone within a week. None of us know when our last day on earth will be, so stop playing games like the neighbors in the Fantasticks. If we want to truly love our neighbors, then we need to realize they are… like us… loved and accepted by God and therefore deserving of our favor.
– Rev. Dave Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
