I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a good neighbor. In Matthew 22, Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, and unsurprisingly he said it is love God with all your being. But then he quickly answers the second question they hadn’t yet asked, the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself; as if they cannot be separated. They are both the greatest! Scot McKnight calls this The Jesus Creed, in his book by the same name (Paraclete Press, 2004). This is the creed, ethos by which Jesus lived, taught and ultimately died. Being a good neighbor is important to Jesus.
I recently read a book called The Art of Neighboring, by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon (Baker Books, 2012), where the authors encourage the reader to take the second greatest commandment literally. What does it look like to love our literal neighbor? What type of impact would that have on our street and neighborhood if we didn’t just love the stranger across town, but the stranger living next door? What would it look like if they were no longer strangers, but friends we knew, trusted and genuinely cared for? Being a good neighbor can change lives!
This is the creed by which my wife, Andrea, and I have tried to live our lives. When we moved back here from Southern California 6 years ago, we not only felt called to be in the Pacific Northwest, but also to the neighborhood in which we live. We made it our duty to care for the street on which we are blessed to live. Whether inviting neighbors over for s’mores or walking our kids to their school down the street, we try to be conscious of the fact that we are there to love and engage these people with the love of Christ. Our goal is not to evangelize, but to love. We’ve had conversations over fences about life and occupations. We’ve been asked to pray for hard situations in neighbor’s lives. We’ve had conversations around why neighbors believe and don’t believe in Christ and/or the relevance of the Church. We’ve been able to bless neighbors with meals after having a baby. We’ve been blessed to have many of them in our home for games and refreshments. We’ve had dog play dates.
I say all of this, not to draw attention to our achievements, but to explain my approach to ministry. I am about loving God and loving people. And I see this playing a big part in the Green Bean as we open our new store on Greenwood Ave. in a month. The Green Bean has always been about loving our neighborhood. We have seen, over the past several years, lives transformed and changed because of people at the Green Bean. This will never change; and I’m excited about this!
I’m excited to get behind the espresso machine and make delicious drinks. I’m excited to meet the old regulars and make brand new ones. I’m excited to find ways to interact with all of our customers, new and old, that says not only do I care that you get a quality drink and pastry, but I care about you. I’m excited to work with employees and volunteers who share a similar vision, that the Green Bean can change lives. I’m excited to see how the Green Bean will change this neighborhood through the love of Jesus!
It is my goal to not only be a quality coffee shop, but to be good neighbors to the people who walk in to our store; people who live close by, the employees of the local businesses that surround us. It will look different than the other Green Bean locations we’ve had over the years, but the same spirit will be there. Whether through customer service, open mic nights, the ministers of presence, our non-profit of the month or availability of space for parents and small groups, the Green Bean has been and will continue to be a place where life-exploration collides with the love of Christ and the love of neighbor.
Jason Groenink
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