This is a quiz for all the Old Timers (don't worry, it's very brief):

#1. What famous family lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane?

(If you guessed the Munsters, you would be correct. If you are not sure who the Munsters were, you might need to do a little research into classic TV.)

#2. What famous TV family also lived in the same neighborhood as the Munsters?

 (If you guessed the Cleavers, you would be correct again.  Ward, June, Wally and the Beaver lived just a few doors down and around the corner on Pine Street.  Both houses were on a street built/owned by Universal Pictures for movies and TV shows.)

#3. Why does this matter?

It really doesn't, other than a little nostalgia can be fun, and because I also happen to live on Mockingbird Lane. And every once in a while I will give my address to someone (older) and they will ask if I live by the Munsters. I don't.

But I do live by Eric and Sidney and Lauren and Andreas and Drew and Missy and Dan and Denise and Stephanie and Harrison and Katie and Amelia and Lily. They are my neighbors - and they are good neighbors (especially Denise - she leaves my dog Rosie a treat in a special spot in my backyard almost every day).

And they remind me of that instruction that keeps showing up in the Gospels - we call it the Great Commandment. Jesus tells us there are two things we are supposed to do - love God, and love our neighbors. I often think the first command is the easier of the two. To love God I can read my Bible, pray, go to church, serve as a volunteer, etc. Those things may take some effort, but they are pretty simple.

Loving my neighbor? Now that can be a little harder. Maybe it's because they are not as easy to love as God is. And maybe it's because they're not as "accessible" as God is (I can just talk to him at any time - I don't have to walk out to the back fence). And maybe it's because we get so busy and wrapped up in our own things that we forget about those around us.

Your neighbor doesn't have to be the person whose property borders yours. It can be a person at work or a person at the grocery store. It can be another parent you've met at school or through sports or it can be those people who walk their dog down your street. It can be a friend you play pickle ball with or it can be the person who needs some food down in Pontiac. I suppose your neighbor can be anybody to whom you could show some love.

We can love our neighbors by being friendly and kind and encouraging. But we can love our neighbors better by trying to get to know them, by having some conversations, by finding literal ways to help, by praying for them regularly, inviting them over, making them something, even by building a friendship.

But it's not just a matter of building a better friendship with our neighbors, it's also important for us to realize who our neighbors are.

In Luke 10, after a brief conversation about the Great Commandment, Jesus was asked this question: "And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus didn't answer the question directly, instead he told a story that we often call the Good Samaritan. But in the story he made the point that our neighbor is anyone that we come across in our lives who needs help.

For most of us, we're typically willing to help. But also for most of us, we don't see the needs of people around us. Sometimes we are too isolated. Sometimes we are simply too unaware. So be aware of the neighbors on your street, but also those neighbors in your world who may not live on your street!

So how about one last question for our little quiz?

 #4.  What neighbor will you love today?