In May we purchased a new home here in Charleston, IL. We sold our last house in 2013 and we're so glad we saved the money from that sale to help with our downpayment. God gave us wisdom there. (We thought it was going to be in 20 years after we retired from our missions work in Africa but it wasn't to be.) Most likely if you're in the area, we've invited you over. We have friends and family in our home multiple times each week and we love it. Students from EIU are in our home all the time for hangouts, to talk with us, use our spotty wi-fi and to participate in weekly prayer and planning times for campus ministry and for leadership training. It's a blast. And yes, we've already been "TP'ed" once. The students have christened the home.
We've always looked at our home as "God's property" and we're just the stewards. We've enjoyed opening up our home for game nights, cookouts, movies and lots of cups of coffee. And we have awesome neighbors. I think. And therein lies the problem.
We chat with 4 or 5 of our immediate neighbors frequently. We're all out in our yards hanging out, cutting the grass, walking the dogs and so on, a lot. But who's on the other side of that neighbor? Who lives 6 doors down? I don't know. I don't even know their names. They wave when they pass but that's about it. We live in a pretty small neighborhood and we're on a circle drive. There's only about 20 houses on the circle drive and we live on the back side so we drive by every house in our neighborhood on the way home (pending on which way we go on the circle drive). We know approximately 1/3 of our neighbors on first name basis but that's it. About a month ago, I had an epiphany. Go trick-or-treating.
I hate Halloween. It's by far my least favorite holiday of the year. I hate getting scared. I hate violence and gore. I don't like the undertones of halloween and to me, the night is so oppressive, it's palpable. I feel it. Every year. But what an opportunity. "Wait, what?"
See, here's the deal: our neighbors are inviting us over for the first time to their homes and it may be the only time all year that this happens. Most of our neighbors I rarely see. The president of EIU lives 5 doors down. I've seen him exactly one time (pulling into his driveway) in 5 months. We've emailed professionally back and forth and I've seen him all over campus but I've not chatted with him as a neighbor. He's never home.
Jesus calls us to be his witness in our neighborhoods. Acts 5:42 "And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." Many times we get amp'd up to be his witness on a week long summer missions trip. Or we are his witness one night a month at the local food pantry where we can volunteer. Or when we take food to the hungry around Thanksgiving (by far my favorite holiday of the year) or when we send out Operation Christmas Child boxes. But what about our neighbors? Quite frankly, shouldn't we be as excited to be Jesus to them as we are on a summer missions trip (Acts 1:8)? Did God or didn't God plant us in this neighborhood to be his representative?
What a great way to meet our neighbors by going trick-or-treating with the kids, introducing ourselves, learning their names and begining a friendship. Now, don't be a chicken and just go trick or treating without introducing yourself. Be intentional. Be Jesus.
I just hope they leave their light on.
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