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Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great week!

Well, it’s July 3—the middle of that interesting week between Canada Day - July 1 - and the fireworks-filled independence celebrations of our southern neighbors on July 4. Though July 4 is not an overly special day here in Canuck-land, the American festivities are all over the media, so that it never slips by without our noticing. And those of us who’ve spent any time at all living in the U.S. (Diane and I lived there for almost 5 years back in seminary days) are very conscious of what a big deal “the 4th” is for our neighbors. The result is a curious weekly mixture of national holidays.

We had annual reminders of this back when we lived in Abbotsford, in a house perched on a hill overlooking the blueberry fields. On July 1st, we could sit on our deck and watch our local Canadian fireworks. Then on the 4th, we could turn a bit further south, squint our eyes a bit, and see the glow and sparkle of fireworks across the border. It was a kind of 2-for-1 week for us.

And it always left me thinking about what it means to “be neighbors.”

Canada and the U.S. really do have quite a special relationship. Things have been a little bumpier than usual lately. (Hopefully that will calm down soon.) But even so, we have a remarkable history of collaboration and friendly co-existence. Anyone who wonders about this should take a drive a pleasant afternoon down to the south end of Langley and Surrey, and along “Zero Avenue” which follows the border between those communities and Washington State. If you’ve never driven 0 Ave, it’s worth the experience. For quite a few kilometers, our two nations are divided by … not a fence, not a wall, not a moat filled with alligators, but … a ditch. A grass-filled, shallow ditch! It’s digitally monitored, of course, because no one wants drugs and other illegal things passed back and forth over it. But if you didn’t read the signs, you’d hardly know there is a border there at all.

There’s a lot more of this minimalist border further to the east, especially where Canada and the U.S. share wilderness areas. But even at the edge of Vancouver, you get a powerful sense of what it means that we have the world’s longest unguarded border. As countries go, that makes us very special neighbors.

How does this work? Why does it work here, when so many other nations mark their territory with barbed wire, landmines, concrete barriers, and guard-houses with armed soldiers?

I’m sure there are a number of reasons, both historical and cultural. But I think one of the main ones is actually biblical. Neither Canada nor the U.S. is exactly a “Christian” country, but both of our nations have always had a very large number of people who either follow Jesus intentionally or who are at least indirectly influenced by His teaching. So, for large segments of our societies, for much of our histories, we’ve tried to live by the principle that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. We’ve taken this idea seriously, and it has made a huge difference in the way we’ve been able to live together.

“Loving our neighbors” still leaves many questions about the best way to manage immigration, international trade, currency exchange, and other practical things. But at the very least, it means we haven’t lived in constant fear that the folks next door will shoot missiles at us or march troops across into our community in an effort to take what is not theirs. That goes a long way.

I’m grateful, on this Canada-Day-and-4th-of-July week, to live in a place where so many people still believe in the importance of loving our neighbors, and where our relationship with neighboring countries is still essentially friendly. I don’t want to take it for granted—it’s something worth celebrating and worthy of our best efforts to preserve.

As I think about this very practical blessing, I also find myself drawn to thanksgiving and worship. “Loving our neighbors” is not the natural condition of fallen human beings. It’s something we learn from Jesus, and something we find the ability to do as the Spirit of God forms the character of Jesus in us. I’m so grateful for what we have in our Lord. May His teaching spread and His Kingdom grow, here in Canada, among our American neighbors, and around this needy world!

That’s where my mind is this morning. With Sunday coming, it’s also on this week’s sermon, which will take us back into the life of the prophet Elijah. If you’re wanting to read ahead this week, we’re going to be looking into 2 of the most famous Elijah stories: Elijah’s meeting with God in the cave at Horeb (1 Kings 19) and his departure from this world with the passing of the mantle to his successor Elisha (2 Kings 2). Don’t worry—we’re not going to try to look into every detail of both stories. But there are some things to be learned from the two, and the way that the two stories link together. They’re pretty familiar to most of us, but we don’t usually think about how the one flows into the other. I’ve enjoyed the study this week, and hope you do as well when we come to it on Sunday.

Meanwhile, have a wonderful week. Richest blessings!
—Pastor Ken