"HI NEIGHBOR!"

"But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus And who is my neighbour" (Luke 10:29)

The title of this post is taken from an old beer commercial that ran in New England during the 1960s.  It was for Narragansett Beer.  Their slogan was, "Hi Neighbor!  Have a 'gansett!"  (Please don't panic, you fellow Assemblies of God friends of mine!  I don't drink alcoholic beverages at all and have not done so in well over forty years.  I just liked the title for this piece!)

Last night around eight o'clock, I went on Facebook and read a very sad post.  It stated that Carrie Havener Mason [who was our next door neighbor for the entire twenty-four years that we lived on Harrison Street in Framingham, Massachusetts] had died.  I don't know her age, but she was a lot younger than I am.  Carrie had been battling cancer for several years.  I met Carrie, her sister Tabitha, and her mother Pam on the day we moved in at 40 Harrison Street in early January 1987.  Her death has hit me rather hard.  And, I've been thinking about that.  Were I to name the twenty-five most important people in my life, Carrie and her husband Andy would not be on that list.  Were I to name my twenty-five closest friends, Carrie and her husband Andy would not be on that list.  Were I to name the twenty-five people who have had the greatest impact on my life, Carrie and her husband Andy would not be on that list.  But it reminds me of how I felt when I learned in 1997 at my class reunion of the murder of "Katy" a classmate in our Canton High class of 1972. 

She'd been murdered by a deranged ex-boyfriend.  I was so devastated that it took many weeks to get over that news.  And, I had not been close to Katy.  She was never a girlfriend, or a close friend, or anything other than a distant acquaintance with whom I'd shared a few classes.  But the thing was, Katy was absolutely the nicest and most likable kid in our graduating class.  Her Step-Dad was a very popular English teacher in the school.  She was genuine, and vulnerable, and just such a great person.  That's why I took her death so hard.  It was so unfair and so wrong.

Carrie Havener Mason was just as nice and just as likable and just as genuine as Katy was.  I remember that from the moment I met her, she'd made a very powerful impression on me.  I posted on Facebook that she was both ordinary and extraordinary.  I'm very paradoxical.  I'm a very good public speaker.  I've spoken at a Moth Main Stage Theater Event, and had that talk broadcast on The Moth Radio Hour.  I'm always available to preach or teach and I love it!  But I'm also quite an introvert.  When I'm at a public event like The Moth  I love mingling among the crowd as a little celebrity.  But when I get home, I'm very private.  I want to watch television, read, and largely be left alone.  I know introverted Christians tend to be criticized for not knowing their neighbors.  No kidding, one time we had a guest speaker to dinner at our home.  He asked me about the neighbors on the opposite side of our house (from where the Masons lived) because he'd admired their German Shepherd dog.  When I told him I didn't know them, he really "let me have it" for not knowing my neighbors!  The bottom line is, I don't tend to be a big "mingle with the neighbors" person, but Pam, Carrie, and Tabitha coming over and welcoming the Barils on our very first day in the house, and introducing us to Mr. Needleman, the elderly Jewish man directly across the street, kind of cut into that "comfort zone" of mine.

During the first few years on Harrison Street we'd say superficial "hellos" and "goodbyes" to the Haveners and Carrie's boyfriend Andy Mason, but we weren't really close.  In the early 1990s, Carrie and Andy got married, and they lived right there at Carrie's house.  It was a two-family, so they lived in one apartment and Pam and Tabitha had the other.  Their first child was a bubbly and extroverted little girl named Danika.  It was Danika who really brought our families closer together.  When Danika was around four or five, she got the idea that she wanted to come to our house and have supper with us every night.  And she did exactly that!  She was so cute and so friendly and so adorable that we honestly liked having her over.  Andy and Carrie were very apologetic and embarrassed at first, but we told them we liked having Dankia over, and that if it was O.K. with them, it was O.K. with us.  I think Danika at supper time kind of served the role as a "little sister" for my girls and they loved that.  I don't know how long those "Danika suppers" went on but it was quite awhile.  We just found ourselves talking to Andy and Carrie a lot more and feeling closer to them.  During those years, Mary Ann's friend Suzanne and her daughter Erika used to come and visit us quite a bit and over time, Suzanne became friends with the Masons, as well.

It wasn't like we were friends like the Mertzes and Ricardos on television.  It was nothing like that.  Sometimes a week or more would go by with no more than a quick wave or a quick "hello" or "goodbye" with the Masons.  But at other times, it might be, "Too bad the Red Sox lost that game," or "Why are they messing up Concord Street?"  or "When is Framingham going to elect some decent politicians?"  Andy is what I'd call a "secular Jew".  He's Jewish, but not practicing.  He believes in God, but just doesn't usually get real excited about spiritual matters.  At times, he'd surprise me and we'd have some sort of religious or ethical discussion.  Those conversations were not often; perhaps once every year or two.  I think Carrie and her kids went to one of the Protestant churches in Framingham, but we never discussed it.  I will add that one time Sherry Gurney, who'd been the wife of the minister who preceded me as pastor of First Assembly of God of Framingham told me they'd done a children's outreach to the local area when Carrie was a little kid and that on a day in the back yard of 40 Harrison Street, Carrie had prayed to receive Jesus Christ as her Personal Lord and Savior.

Carrie was a school bus driver.  She and her whole family loved the Red Sox.  She was a very caring person.  I remember that one night, the elderly man Mr. Needleman had been taken seriously ill. Several of us neighbors were out on the sidewalk taking the whole thing in, and she was particularly concerned, hoping Mr. Needleman's son Stewie had been notified. The Masons also loved animals.  They'd had rabbits and even a ferret at one time!  My daughter Amy was remarking last night that she loved when Carrie and Tabitha would "sneak them over the fence to see the bunnies" when they were very small children.  I recently watched a classic episode of Leave it to Beaver in which Beaver wrote a composition for school about his father.  It was a real tear-jerker.  He wrote that his father was not famous, and had not accomplished anything impressive.  But he added that he brought him ice cream when he was sick and he liked to let Beaver help him with various chores and he liked to play with Beaver.  His closing like was something like, "You may not consider him great, but he's my father and he's great to me".  There will never be a statue to Carrie Havener Mason built in Framingham, nor will any building or bridge be named after her.  She probably won't even merit a footnote if somebody writes a history of Framingham from 1975 through the 2010s.  But my feeling about her is similar to Beaver's feeling about his father, and to how I felt about my classmate Katy.  Carrie Havener Mason was a great person and a great neighbor. 

My heartfelt condolences go out to Andy and their children, and all of their family and friends.

ACTS 12: A STRIKING CHAPTER!

"In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence:  and his children shall have a place of refuge." (Proverbs 14:26)

About a month ago, the Lord led me into Acts chapter twelve.  It's a chapter I've taught about and preached from on a number of occasions.  This was different, however.  I found myself just soaking in Acts chapter twelve and seeing and thinking about so many things.  These matters were striking!  I don't preach very much at all these days.  But if I were to preach a sermon this month, this would definitely be the sermon!  I don't even feel I have the space nor the time to write everything that I've received during the past few weeks from Acts chapter twelve, but I hope you'll enjoy this piece.  I also hope it will encourage you to jump into Acts chapter twelve and dig into its truths yourself!

1.  STRIKE ONE!  Well, I did say it was a "striking" chapter, so let's consider what I'm calling Strike One.  The events of this chapter are happening roughly thirteen or fourteen years after Jesus Christ's Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven.  The king mentioned in this chapter is Herod Agrippa I.  There were a number of kings named Herod.  All of them operated under the authority and permission of the Roman government.  This Herod was the grandson of Herod the Great who was the king at the time of Jesus' birth.  Herod Agrippa I had only been in power for about three years at the time of Acts chapter twelve.  Abruptly, he has James the Son of Zebedee "killed...with the sword".  There were at least three key figures in the New Testament named James.  There was James the son of Alphaeus, James called the "brother of the Lord", and James the Son of Zebedee.  In order to appreciate the magnitude of the murder of James the Son of Zebedee, remember that of the Twelve Apostles, there were three that Jesus Christ was training for leadership for the future:  Peter, and James and John the Sons of Zebedee.  These guys were the leaders.  These guys were the Big Three  These guys just seemed untouchable!  I don't think I can stress what a shock this murder would have been to the Church of this period.  I'm old enough to remember the assassination of President Kennedy.  Maybe multiply that by about three, and that's what it must have felt like!  The big question for events such as this is always:  Why?  Listen, God typically doesn't tell us why.  One of the most difficult facts for Christians to grasp is that terrible things that do not make any sense will happen to them and to those they love and respect.  This "throws" many believers, and some believers will even walk away from God because of such matters.  A female pastor friend of mine has been deeply grieving because of the sudden death of a young female writer and theologian whom she deeply respected.  The word my friend posted on social media about this is "Unfathomable".  Yes, some things are unfathomable.  My daughter Amy and her husband David have just experienced a terrible tragedy in David's extended family.  His uncle was killed in a car accident.  David was called upon to lead the burial service.  That whole family is in shock.  Yes, some things in life will happen that do not make sense, but we must trust that God loves us and He will sustain us.

2.  STRIKE TWO!  Not long after Herod had James killed, he had Peter arrested and imprisoned.  He was planning to have Peter executed.  The chapter tells us the believers were praying for Peter. The verses which tell this story are almost humorous!  For one thing, Peter is chained and guards are watching him, and yet he is sleeping like a baby!  And, this is, as I understand the wording of the chapter, the night before he's to be executed.  During the night, an angel appears by Peter, wakes Peter up, and tells him to follow him out of the prison.  The chains just fall off!  The doors all just open by themselves!  The guards are still and quiet like zombies!  Peter and the angel walk right out of the prison!  Then the angel disappears.  Peter had been assuming he was seeing a vision, but suddenly realized he was really outside and had been delivered from prison.  He goes to the home of John Mark's mother where a bunch of believers are gathered to pray for Peter's deliverance.  He knocks at the gate.  A young lady named Rhoda goes to the gate, hears Peter's voice, and doesn't let him in, but excitedly tells the people that Peter's knocking at the gate.  Ironically, they don't believe her!  Their attitude is something like, "That can't be him!  He's in prison!  We're praying he will get out of prison!"  Well, literally in verse fifteen they said, "It is his angel".  In other words, they said "It's his guardian angel and that means he's dead!"  Well, Peter continued knocking, was finally let in and told the believers what had happened.  They were praying for something they really didn't believe would happen!  Have you ever done that?  I can't tell you how many times I've done that!  What does this tell us?  God answers prayer- even impossible prayers!

3.  STRIKE THREE!  In the latter verses of Acts chapter twelve, we have Strike Three. Sadly, Herod had those men who had been guarding Peter put to death.  Now, (vv. 21-23) he was meeting with a delegation from Tyre and Sidon.  He gave a great speech.  Interestingly enough, the ancient Jewish historian Josephus has something to say about this.  If you do an internet search, you'll find that Josephus reports Herod had worn an outfit made entirely of silver.  He glistened in the sun.  As the people saw him and heard him, they concluded he was a god.  Joesphus says Herod was stricken with belly pain, and he died.  The issue was intestinal worms!  Some may say, "This was karma".  Well, I don't believe in karma.  But I do believe that what you sow, you'll reap.  (See Galatians 6:7).  No, it doesn't always happen that fast, but God rights wrongs!

4. ON DECK!  There is a fourth item to look at in Acts chapter twelve.  It's the final two verses which mention Barnabas and Saul (that is, Paul) and Mark.  Did the events of this chapter cause them to quit or to weaken in any way?  No!  They were merely "On Deck!"  In the next few chapters under their ministry, there is tremendous growth and expansion of the church.  We can expect our own Christian lives to have times of heartbreak and devastation and times of great victory; but like these saints of old we are called to be faithful and to press on for the cause of Christ!

Yes, there's a lot of "stuff" in Acts chapter twelve!  I think you can see why I call it A Striking Chapter!  It's not lightly that I quoted Proverbs 14:26 at the outset of this piece.  Remember:  God knows what He's doing and He will take care of us.  He's Got the Whole World in His Hands!