Welcome to The Neighborhood

New every morning is your love, great God of light,

and all day long you are working for good in the world.

Stir up in us desire to serve you,

to live peacefully with our neighbors,

and to devote each day to your Son,

our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen.

— page 878, The United Methodist Hymnal, current edition

“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,” Mister Rogers sang at the beginning of his children’s television show on PBS.

“Who is my neighbor?” Jesus was asked in Luke 10.  He answered with the story of The Good Samaritan.

John Wesley clears his throat to get our attention.  He nods and says, “I used to preach that the world is my parish.  Now the world is our neighborhood.”

In the background we hear Mister Rogers finishing up his song with the words, “Won’t you please, won’t you please, please won’t you be my neighbor?”

Jesus looks over at Mister Rogers, then at John Wesley, nods and smiles and turns to us.

We pray these words from this prayer: Stir up in us desire to serve you (and) to live peacefully with our neighbors.