The Art of Neighboring // It’s All About How We Do It // Kate Murphy

This Sunday, we wrap up “The Art of Neighboring” worship series. But this ending is really a beginning, because it’s an invitation to take what you’ve heard and put it into practice. In your building, on your street, at your job—anywhere you are.

We’re focusing on Romans 12 and teaching about how we neighbor because, at the end of the day, it’s isn’t the what that brings change, it’s the how. There are one million good ways to bless your neighbor, but the way you do those things matters. More often than we’d like to admit, it’s actually possible to do a good thing in the wrong way. Listen in as we talk about our opportunity to create a culture of neighboring that is filled with the Spirit of Jesus.

The Art of Neighboring // It’s Okay To Love a Little // Kate Murphy

We’re deep in our quest of learning how to be good neighbors, and this week we’re learning the importance of loving our neighbors…a little.

Let’s be honest. Most of us end up doing nothing because we are unwilling to do a little.

It’s not that we don’t care! We’re excited to make a difference, change a life, save the day. But loving our neighbors rarely looks like being a hero. It looks like showing up, doing what we can, and sharing what we have. And in the face of the depth of suffering and pain in the world, what we do can often look…little.

What’s the point of that? How could the little that we have to offer even matter?

In John, we see the gospel truth. Our little acts to love our neighbors actually do matter—not because of our power, but because of God’s power.

The Art of Neighboring // It’s Going To Cost Us Something // Kate Murphy

At some level, everyone who is trying to live a little bit more like Jesus wants to be a good neighbor.  But even though we won’t often admit it, sometimes we’re looking to be a neighbor in a way that it doesn’t cost us very much. This week we look back at what God taught the ancient Hebrew people about neighboring and think about how it applies to us today.

Before the Hebrews even entered into the promised land, God laid out boundaries, limits, and customs so that his people would know how to live well together, as a holy community. Through these limits and customs, God teaches his people that good neighboring doesn’t happen spontaneously. It requires intentionality and, let’s be real, it will always cost us something. This week, we learn about the ancient and holy practice of gleaning—and how we don’t have to be wealthy landowners to incorporate this practice into our lives.

The Art of Neighboring // It’s About Action // Kate Murphy

This Sunday, we launch our new worship series called “The Art of Neighboring” with a story you’ve probably heard:  The Parable of The Good Samaritan.   In fact, it’s a story that many of us know so well that we’re now in danger of not knowing it at all.

Sometimes, in the church, we can confuse knowing with doing; we can trick ourselves into thinking that simply knowing what is required of us, is all that is required of us. It isn’t. We are a people called to love those closest to us in tangible, sacrificial, restorative, life-giving ways. This is the timeless truth that we will lean into, even if you’ve already learned about the good Samaritan one hundred times over.

Listen in as we re-commit ourselves to not just knowing what we believe, but also living it.