Jesus Moved Into the Neighborhood

We are in the midst of the Advent season.  This time the dictionary definition is almost prophetic:

• Advent - The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important 

Yes, indeed.  This is a season of preparation, of eager anticipation.  This is the beginning of the Christian Year.  Advent prepares us for the greatest event in human history -- the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, God "in the flesh."

There will be Christmas pageants.  A heavenly host of angels and shepherds and wise men.  There will be Marys and Josephs.  There will be babies whose parents will delight in their son (or daughter) portraying Baby Jesus, lying in a manger.  

There will be sheep and cows and donkeys and straw.  There will be children's choirs, adult choirs, hand bell choirs, orchestras and bands, all helping us prepare for this most important coming of all.

The Gospel of John declares this incredible miracle unlike any of the other Gospels (in my opinion).  In John 1:14, he says:

• And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (KJV)
• And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time (Darby Bible)
• The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. (The Message)

"The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood."  I think that's my favorite version of this text.  Because it conveys the settledness of God's decision.  This was not merely a "visitation." It was a "habitation."  Jesus moved into our world. 

I am thankful that we have four accounts of the life of our Savior -- four different perspectives -- each unique (acknowledging the similarities of the Synoptics and the singular nature of John).  They give us significant details of His birth, various accounts of His life with the disciples, many of His teachings and descriptions of His miracles, and details of His arrest, trial, and crucifixion.  I just wish we had more.  

I wish the Gospel writers had deemed it important to tell us more about Jesus' life from birth to the time He gathered the twelve and started His"official" ministry.  Other than a snapshot of Jesus at twelve years old in the Gospel of Luke, there really is a gap of about thirty years.  And I suppose at the time, none of them thought the details of Jesus' life growing up important enough to record. They wanted to make sure the world understood this Man was from God -- this Man named Jesus was the Messiah, the Promised One, the Savior. 

I understand their eagerness, their passion to proclaim this greatest miracle of all time, and to stick to the most important parts of the story.  God loved us so much He came in human form, as a baby, and demonstrated His divinity through His ministry, eventually suffering and dying for our sins, and then rising from the dead to conquer sin and death.  What an incredible God we have -- what great love!

But I think we can sometimes miss a significant part of this miracle -- a significant part of the Divine Incarnation.  The part where Jesus comes and LIVES with us.  The part where God "moves into the neighborhood."  The part where God doesn't just become a human being, but also experiences all of what it means to be a human being.  God actually entered into our time and space and became a human son, with an earthly mother and father, sisters and brothers.  Jesus wasn't just born to die.  He was born to LIVE.  

Why do I think this is so important to the story?  Because I think we have a hard time talking about Jesus as a human being.  It's so much easier to talk about Him as the Son of God.  It's so much easier to talk about Jesus as being perfect, without sin, fully Divine.  We have a much more difficult time talking about the fact that He was fully human as well.  

When we fail to see Jesus as a human being, I think we miss a major point of the Incarnation.  God was -- and IS -- literally WITH US.  God came to us and stayed, took up residence, had a real, human life among us. The Gospel of John says that He "tabernacled," or "dwelt" with us, which means He was with us as a friend, as a brother, as one of the family.  

John repeats this important truth in his first letter  when he declares, "That which was from the beginning (Jesus), which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched..."  John wants to make sure we get the message that Jesus LIVED.  He lived a life out in the open, among people, among friends, among family.

And because of this,  He knows what it feels like to be a human being.  And not just all the physical aspects of being a living, breathing person -- eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, walking, talking, working, playing -- but all of the emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects that come with humanness. 

Jesus had to GROW.  In fact, Scripture gives evidence of that fact, "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him," (Luke 2:40).

He had close friendships.  Parents who loved Him.  He experienced joy in this world, but also devastating heartache.  He loved, certainly with the love of the Father, but also with human love. His heart was broken by betrayal and rejection.  And yet He continued to love.  Because love really isn't love without sacrifice -- without risk -- without truly giving yourself to another and allowing them the ability to cherish or reject this gift.

We have a Creator, a God, who loves us so much He came down to OUR level.  The God of the universe, Creator of all, came here to learn what it means to be a created one.  To learn what it means to be US.  God entered our world in the only way He could to truly understand us -- by becoming ONE of us.  

Jesus moved into the neighborhood and now God is able to understand us and love us in a way He couldn't before.  Is that possible?  I really think so.  I think that one of the most profound miracles of the Incarnation is that God is now REALLY with us.  

Through Jesus, God's Only Son, fully divine AND fully  human, we now have an Advocate with the Father -- One who speaks on our behalf because He KNOWS.  And the Holy Spirit is evidence of God's Presence among us always.  Jesus didn't physically stay in the neighborhood forever, but His Spirit lives and moves and takes up residence in all who believe in Him.  God is still in the neighborhood.

Emmanual -- God is TRULY with us.

Finding Jesus at Walmart

I am not a shopper.  And that is a huge understatement.  There is a strong, dominant shopping gene on my mother's side of the family.  My mother clearly has it.  She successfully passed it down to my two sisters.  It missed me.  I take after my dad's side of the family.  On the few occasions that I remember my dad coming with us to shop, he took along one of his science fiction books, found a chair somewhere, and contently read while we went from store to store.  At least I managed to pass along the shopping gene to both of my daughters -- but now they're stuck with a mom who would rather go just about anywhere other than a mall -- unless it has a movie theater -- then it's a completely different story.


Suffice it to say, I did not go shopping on Black Friday.  I did purchase a few things on Cyber Monday.  My younger sister went shopping on Black Friday.  She lives for that day.  She owns that day.  She gets deals on that day that other people only dream about.  I would stack her up against any other Black Friday shopper.  She would win.  Hands down.


Not me.  I get anxiety attacks when I think of shopping on Black Friday.  And honestly, from now until Christmas it's a bit too rough out there for me.  But we still need stuff, even during the holidays, so I must shop.

This afternoon I ventured to Walmart.  It was busy, which I expected on the first Saturday in December.  But there was something else I noticed that troubled me much more.  No one seemed happy.  No one was smiling.  Except for a few children who were laughing and talking a mile a minute, most people were looking down, or away -- avoiding eye contact with strangers.  They seemed as if the weight of the world was on their shoulders.  Even the Salvation Army bell ringer didn't appear to be having any fun.  So much for this season of "love and good cheer."

It wasn't until I reached the checkout counter that I realized I hadn't done a thing to help change the situation.  I hadn't done a thing to help spread "love and good cheer" myself.  I could have looked people in the eye and smiled.  I could have said "hello" as I walked the aisles.  But the truth is, I was tired and stressed and wanted to get home myself.  I walked by dozens of other human beings, each with their own concerns and needs, each with their own families and responsibilities, each created in God's image and loved by Jesus.  But I stayed in my own "world" instead of venturing out into theirs, if only for a moment, if only to say "hello."


It wasn't until the checkout counter that I realized my responsibility -- and privilege --  to love others, even as I'm shopping at Walmart.  I looked up and saw a fellow human being, working as a checker at Walmart. We not only exchanged the necessary polite phrases, but we engaged in a meaningful conversation.   He told me about his six year-old daughter who had to endure several brain surgeries because of a rare congenital disease.  Thankfully, she is doing better.  He said he loves his job at Walmart because he gets to help people.  He seemed like a wonderful man.  We didn't talk about Jesus -- neither of us shared our faith journeys -- but I know Jesus was Present.

There are sacred moments waiting to happen all around us, maybe even especially at places like Walmart, or the grocery store, or the doctor's office, or the post office.  Jesus is HERE, and He wants US to make Him known.

Let's dare to have some genuine conversations with others, even complete "strangers," this season.  Let's dare to really look at other people -- look into their hearts and lives with the love of Jesus.

We have the ability to share with others the very thing they need the most -- real, genuine love -- unconditional love -- the love of Jesus Christ.  This is our sacred calling as followers of Jesus.  It's always our job.  But maybe, during this season of "love and good cheer," it is needed even more.  Maybe during this time of "giving," people are actually more desperate for gifts with true meaning --conversations with others who show them genuine concern and care -- genuine interest in who they really are on the inside.



And then, we might just have the chance to share with them the best news of all -- the greatest gift we've ever received -- the inexpressible gift of God's love, Who came in the form of a baby, born in Bethlehem, Judea.  Born to be our Light and our Salvation.  Born to be our King and our Friend.  And how this Savior, this Baby, has changed our personal world, turned it upside down, given us hope and joy and love and meaning.  Just maybe we could have this conversation in the middle of a Walmart, or a KMart, or ToysRUs.  Maybe we can find Jesus all over the place this Christmas season.