The Best Neighbor
Over the past several months, as people have asked me about my experience in the GNP Fellowship Program, I’ve attempted to explain it in a few different ways. Sometimes my explanation focuses mostly on the community aspect of it, sometimes more so on my relationship with my mentor, sometimes on the academic side of the program, and sometimes yet on the food and hospitality that we get to enjoy together. Occasionally, at the end of my speech, I’ll slip in, “. . . and at the end of the year, one of the Fellows will be crowned Best Neighbor.” This line usually gets a laugh in response because, of course, it’s a joke. We know that having a Best Neighbor contest among sinners would be completely counterproductive—not only to the ministry of the Program, but also to the entire heart of God.
Being a good neighbor isn’t a pageant; it’s God’s command. And, as we see in every passage where God gives a command, his command is also a self-description. When Jesus confirms that the whole Law can be summarized, Love God with your entire being and love your neighbor as yourself, he doesn’t throw in a clause about a special reward for the most righteous, most obedient, most dutiful neighbor. Instead, he just states the Law and he thoroughly shows us how that Law is actually fulfilled in his own life, death, and resurrection. Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, loves God the Father with his entire being*, and Jesus also loves his neighbor as he loves himself.
There’s no contest for Best Neighbor because God already holds that title. He’s the one who tends to our wounds and cares for us at great cost to himself. He’s the one who counts others as more important than himself. He’s the one who turns the other cheek when we strike him. He’s the one who draws near to us, and in turn, draws us near to himself. He does all this for us through Christ who's the fulfillment of his own word, The greatest among you shall be the servant of all. I’ve learned from being a GNP Fellow is that, if I’m going to become any kind of good neighbor, I have to start by simply listening to Jesus and learning from him.
* St. Augustine would go on to teach that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is the love shared between the Father and the Son.
Carter was born and raised in Lancaster. He’s a lifelong athlete, enjoys cooking (especially Italian- and Cajun-inspired dishes), loves classical and ancient music, appreciates coffee and Scotch whisky, and is an avid supporter of the Oxford comma. He works as a scientist at Eurofins in Lancaster and as a soccer coach at a local high school. He is a member of Wheatland Presbyterian Church.