I was watering my neighbour’s garden and as I did I wished my cherry tomatoes looked like theirs.  Theirs are richer in colour, and more bountiful.  They are nicely tied up, so they don’t fall over, and overall, they are much healthier.  I admit, I am a ‘wanna be’ gardener and because I love cherry tomatoes, I am somewhat envious of my neighbour’s. I am thankful to have neighbours and to be a neighbor because in being away for a week of vacation they have invited me to enjoy any ripe tomatoes!  Yum!

The value of neighbours is revealed in the story of Elisha and the widow. Elisha came to the widow’s house when her cupboards were bare. She had only one small jar of olive oil.  Life was not easy as a widow.  She shared of her predicament with Elisha, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead.  You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord.  Now the man to whom he was in debt is on his way to collect by taking my two children as slaves” (2 Kings 4:1).  Elisha’s response?  “Go around and ask all your neighbours for empty jars.  Don’t ask for just a few” (v.3). Door to door she went. When she had collected all the jars she went inside her home and closed the door. A miracle occurred.  Every empty jar was filled with the choicest of oil.  The woman was able to sell the oil and pay off her debt. This would not have happened without her neighbours.  Neighbours are a gift.

To be a neighbor is not only to give but to receive.  To be a neighbour sometimes means admitting our need, or asking for help, just as the widow did.  We live in a world that often likes independence and doesn’t readily want to share of a need, or where help may be required. Yet, it is as we open our lives to others we find that the biblical values of ‘bear one another’s burdens’ (Gal, 6:2), ‘encourage one another’ (1 Thess. 4:18), ‘build one another up’ (1 Thess. 5:11),  ‘pray for one another’ (James 5:16) and ‘be compassionate to one another’ (Eph. 4: 32) can be practiced.

What is the jar that you might need from a neighbour today?  The neighbour may be someone on your street.  The neighbor may be someone who has sat beside you in church (pre-Covid19).  The neighbor might possibly even be a stranger. God’s provisions can be ours through a neighbor.  Today may we be ready to be the neighbor someone else might need and may we also be honest enough to say, “I need you as a neighbor.” I don’t doubt that the Lord still works miracles through neighbours today!

This song, new to our songbook, speaks of the gift of a neighbor. Be reminded that sometimes the “I” in these lyrics is you and I, not someone else. We are all in need of the care of a neighbor.

1013: When I Needed A Neighbor

1.  When I needed a neighbor,
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbor, were you there?

And the creed and the color
And the name won't matter,
Were you there?

2. I was hungry and thirsty,
Were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?

3. I was cold, I was naked,
Were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?

4. When I needed a shelter,
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter, were you there?

5. When I needed a healer,
Were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there?

6. Wherever you travel,
I'll be there, I'll be there,
Wherever you travel, I'll be there.

And the creed and the color
And the name won't matter,
I'll be there.

God of all provision, Jehovah Jireh, thank you that you see my empty jar.  I know that it is not beyond you to care for my needs.  In offering provision, you remind me that you have given me neighbours. Make me not only aware of how I can be a neighbor, providing a ‘jar’ for someone else, but also give me strength to ask a neighbor for the ‘jar’ I might need.  Together we rejoice that through one another, your miracles are worked.  AMEN

With care and in prayer,