Hundreds, if not one thousand miles north of us, wildfires are burning in Ontario, Canada. Honestly, I don’t normally pay attention to events in Canada, if for no other reason than it is so far away from us. But just the other day, when I found myself at the edge of the island looking into the distance, I noticed that the view was not what it should have been. Weather-wise, it was a spectacular day, so I figured that there would be a crisp, clear view of the waterways and distant shores. Alas, I learned that plumes of smoke had somehow gotten past the Border Patrol and reached our shores and, in that moment, I realized that Canada wasn’t nearly as far away as I had thought.
It is easy for us to detach ourselves from things that seem far away. It is even easier when you live on a bridgeless island, where the rest of the world is already separated from you by rivers and oceans. For many who live here, that played a significant factor in their decision to move here. We are separated from much of what goes on in broader society, which seems to contribute more to our sanity and sense of community. Our focus stays in different places, places like the wellbeing of our neighbors or the natural beauty of our island. We see and embrace that which is close to us, growing increasingly oblivious to the wildfires that burn in distant lands and in lands that are increasingly closer.
Ultimately, one of the major problems that arises from our detachment is the condition of our hearts. Our lives here are pretty good, and the less we think about troubles elsewhere, the more likely we are to think that most people are having experiences that are similar to ours. Or, at the very least, because of the small size of our island and the heavy use of electric vehicles, the notion that someone has to make a decision between eating a meal and putting enough gas in the tank to get to work seems nonsensical to us. Yet every once in a while, things that don’t happen to us here seem to appear out of the blue, like a plume of smoke, reminding us that our experience is atypical and we need to be more aware of what is going on beyond our own shores. Reminding us that we should be willing to use our blessings to help others who don’t live in our own community.
When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, he used as a primary character a man who didn’t live in the same community as the man that he provided aid and comfort to. Geography wasn’t the driving force for his assistance. Awareness of the problem, and a recognition that he could help caused the Samaritan man to divert from his own plans to tend to the needs of a fellow human being. Interestingly, the two characters who passed by the man in need prior to the Samaritan man were aware of the problem and were likely closer neighbors to the victim, but chose to ignore it for their own selfish reasons. Jesus’ point was that our awareness of a problem and our willingness to help has more to do with defining neighborliness and community than proximity.
We’re part of a larger community than this beautiful island that we call home. Even if we don’t see the smoke clouds from fires burning in the distance, there are needs and issues that we should be willing to address. Would you prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to respond, and then have the courage to act?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron