Wiles Hill Walking

Pastoral Letter from Torin
Wiles Hill Witness (November-December edition)

For the past several months, Carrie and I have been going on regular walks around Wiles Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods. What began as a time to reconnect at the end of the day and get familiar with our surroundings (and a strategy for coping with an exhausting baby), became an important way to meet our neighbors.

When we arrived, we had the impression that Wiles Hill had strayed far from its history as a small community mixing many long-time residents with young families in the balance of a healthy neighborhood. Many houses had been split into apartments for university students. Residents complained of increased traffic and the noise of late-night parties. The school on the hill had closed for political reasons as well as the lack of a local student base.

What we discovered in our explorations is that there are still several enduring residents scattered around the hill. Some of these have been here for longer than we have been alive. At the same time, several young couples and families with young children have moved into the community recently. Dogs and their owners are often about on the streets. Mothers walk their babies up and down the hills in strollers just as we do. Children of all ages come and play at the playground across from the old school. There are many student houses, but they have not overrun Wiles Hill. Indeed, they have their place here, making this community truly multi-generational.

For some time now, I have been wondering why the residents we talk to have such a dim view of the neighborhood when it seems to hold the promise of vibrant community life. I supposed that it could be explained by two of society’s trends: heavy scheduling of children’s activities and the movement toward evenings in front of the television and the computer. These two trends have combined, all over the country, to move people from yards, playgrounds, and porches to athletic fields, skill-building lessons, and living room couches. Many families no longer know the names of those living next door let alone others in the neighborhood.

More recently, I have come to suspect that an underlying culture of fear may be the true cause of our disconnection. Living, as we do, in a constant state of “Orange Alert” with locked doors and lights blazing to discourage intruders, is it any wonder that fear would seep into the rest of our lives? We don’t go out to meet our neighbors. We watch suspiciously as strangers walk past our homes. We avoid shadows and shun “unsavory elements.” It seems that we shrink our living into smaller and more distinct parcels as we build up walls to protect us from what we fear.

Yet, this is not consistent with the Christian life. Listening to the voice of the Spirit, Christians hear the call to go to the shadows on society’s margins and reach out the “unsavory elements.” Modeling ourselves on Christ, Christians risk violence and scorn in order to proclaim and embody the Reign of God. Worshiping the God who gives us life, Christians affirm the goodness of all creation and seek the God-ness in each person we meet.

We cannot live this life if we build defenses that separate us from the world and imprison us behind walls of fear. Instead, we must lose ourselves in the power of God’s love – perfect love that casts out fear. Difficult as this is, believers of every generation have found that in practicing Christian love, their lives become infused with it and the walls of fear fall away as they embrace the world.