OWL Scripture Reflection Spring 2025: Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor
By Rev. Amy Johnson
UCC Minister for Sexuality Education & Justice
May 2025

Multiple times in our sacred text, we are commanded to love our neighbor. This commandment occurs from “Thus says the Lord” texts in Hebrew Scriptures to Jesus proclaiming this as one of the two greatest commandments to disciples reminding us over and over again how foundational this commandment is. As Christians, as followers of Jesus, we are called to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Throughout the centuries, throughout the multiple authors and genres of the Bible, this text remains central to our faith.

Providing an Our Whole Lives ministry is about loving our neighbors. We prepare ourselves and our space to provide hospitality through trustworthy leadership, learning opportunities, and sacred space for questions and honest answers. We open conversations like we open windows in spring, allowing the warmth of curiosity, community and care into a room that has become stale with ignorance, shame, and stigma.

Providing time and space to slow down, to consider topics related to bodies and relationships, to think critically and carefully about feelings, actions, and potential consequences—to cultivate this time and space is not only unusual; it is not only counter cultural; it is sacred.

And in this moment, in this country, in this world, now, more than ever, participating in the ministry is saving lives.

So. Go forth, beloveds.

Unapologetically embrace your faith.

Be undeterred in offering your Our Whole Lives ministry.  Love your neighbor.