For college football fans, this is the time of the year where they start sizing up the strength of their teams. Most schools have played two to three games. Armchair quarterbacks are in the process of determining the assets and liabilities of their team. But, college football fans also keep an eye on that “other” team – the crosstown rival.

While Los Angeles has a number of colleges, when it comes to football, you’re one or the other. There can be no middle. You can only love one, not both. I went to one of those colleges; where they teach you to despise the other.

But, I’m supposed to live beyond that kind of pettiness. Right?

This past week, I had dinner at some friends’ house. They’re fans of that other school. When we walked into the kitchen to serve ourselves the dinner on the counter in front of us, we were confronted with a choice. There were two stacks of paper plates upon which we would place our food. One was emblazoned with the other logo and its hideous colors. Another stack was a beaming citadel, by comparison, of unmarked (untarnished) plain paper plates.

I chose the latter. I was the only one eating on the plain plates. The host noticed. I was embarrassed. I owned it. I didn’t pretend like I couldn’t find the other plates. But, I just couldn’t allow my food to be “dirtied” by placing it atop that profane logo. I’m shallow. I know. (To my credit, however, one year on his birthday, I walked into a store and bought our host a nice golf shirt in those colors, with that logo.)

In the first century, as we talked about this past weekend, there were essentially two broad categories of things, people, and places: sacred and profane. Jesus frequently challenged the notion of what was sacred and what was profane. He saw His ministry as one primarily focused those who fell into the profane category. He moved toward them. And, His critics killed Him for it.

But, that was what Jesus meant by being a neighbor. That’s why being a neighbor (in the manner Jesus intended it) is so difficult. It’s also the reason why being  that kind of neighbor can change the world. Last week, we asked the questions: “Where does my love for my neighbor get to stop? Where’s the reasonable upper limit on loving someone else?” So, what does that look like for you?

See you this Sunday,
Jeff