Who Are Our Neighbors? - Rev. Tamara Lebak

Sermon delivered on Sunday, August 19, 2012, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Tamara Lebak, Associate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Historical data from the last 30–50 years, according to sociologist Keith Hampton, shows that neighboring in America has declined. A current study found that only 25 percent of us know our neighbors’ names, and 8 percent don’t know any of them at all. However, the study also suggests that “neighboring may be an important part of the everyday support people get.” The world’s religions ask us to pay attention to who we call neighbor and how we treat them. In the Christian scriptures, we are told in Mark, chapter 12, that there is no commandment greater than this: [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. [31] The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Let us explore how we define neighbor, and how we can offer support without feeling overwhelmed or overtaken. SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943 VIEW ON YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/AllSoulsUnitarian?feature=mhee SUBSCRIBE TO WATCH VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=allsoulsunitarian GIVE A DONATION TO HELP US SPREAD THIS LOVE BEYOND BELIEF: http://www.allsoulschurch.org/make-a-donation1 LET’S CONNECT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allsoulstulsa Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/asuctulsa https://twitter.com/revLebak All Souls Church Website: http://www.allsoulschurch.org