Untitled Sermon

A New Neighbor

1 The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, 2 in readiness for God from day one. 3 Everything was created through him; nothing - not one thing! - came into being without him. 4 What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. 5 The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out. 6 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God 7 to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. 8 John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light. 9 The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. 10 He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. 11 He came to his own people, but they didn't want him. 12 But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. 13 These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.

14 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. 15 John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word." 16 We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. 17 We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding - all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.

This is a fundamental text of the Christian faith. It is a text that separates us from other beliefs. It's called the incarnation; God was present and in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ.

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

I want to read that again from the Message by Eugene Peterson.

The Word was made flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes the of a kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

I like how Eugene Peterson said that. I like how he is thinking. The Word was made flesh and moved into the neighborhood.

Neighborhood reminds me of where I lived and the wonderful people who surrounded us as we were raising our children. I remember the 4th Of July Parade and all the people from the neighborhood that took part in it. I remember the fire siren going off at noon every day and the Saturday baseball games. I remember the Vacation Bible Schools where the community would gather, and the kids would sing and dance and jump around.

I remember the farming ministry in our neighborhood, where the neighbors would come to pick sweet corn. I remember wonderful people like Don Pearce, who hadn't fished for 20 years. Then he met me a re-found his passion for fishing. I remember our responses to disaster in our nation. That neighborhood had an invested interest in the schools and the care of the community.

For over 30 years this is where we felt we belonged in that neighborhood. In that neighborhood, neighbors looked out for your kids and your property. Their children were in our home, and our children were in their home.

The Word was made flesh and moved into the neighborhood. Remember the little song? "it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood."

We have beautiful thoughts about that neighborhood. However, things are much different in other neighborhoods.

Drugs are destroying neighborhoods. We had drugs back then, but not like it is now. With drugs comes crime. We would have some little crime. Now in so many neighborhoods, crime is everywhere. Gangs have taken over with guns and rape and killings. What in the world is going on in the neighborhoods of our nation? Many people are moving, leaving their neighborhoods, along with healthcare, banks, investments and affordable insurance. Quality education has left the neighborhood. Food stores are closing up their doors.

Businesses and professional people of influence have moved from many of the neighborhoods to places they call nice.

We have to recognize that children growing up in high crime, poverty, and stressful situations have an entirely different reality than kids who grow up in a nice neighborhood. Their personality development is very different than the character development of the children who grow up in the nice areas. Children who grow up in war zones, under stress, without a mother or father and fear have a much different take on life than those who have never witnessed violence, neglect, and fear.

Many years ago, I stayed on the Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It was the worst poverty I have ever seen, Tin shacks with a blanket for doors. Alcoholism seemed to have affected every family. Those young men and women had an extremely different take on life than I did.

I understand you can get tourist books that will tell you where are the good neighborhood and the ones that are unsafe. Meaning, don't go there.

So when we read that the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood, does that mean he moved on to the Reservation with all the poverty and alcoholism? Does it mean that? Or does it mean He moved only into the neighborhood where people have jobs and nice homes? The neighborhoods where crime is seldom seen?

Does it mean the Word was made flesh and moved into my neighborhood or all neighborhoods?

I fully understand God goes everywhere. When the text says the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood, I'm so glad to know that. Moved into the community not depending on whether is white or black, rich or poor, Christian or other. God goes where God goes.

We know from the gospel, God has a special place for the outcast, the poor, the oppressed, the ill and the lowly. He moved in with them as well.

By all rights and privileges, the Word that became flesh should have moved to the White House or the best mansion that the world has to offer. The Word by all rights should have been given the Chesapeake Bay as His back yard. Niagara Falls as his shower. He should have had all of that, but he moved into the neighborhood. The Word, meaning the spoken word and not just sound, put on flesh.

So many people talk but say nothing. Lips are moving sound is being made, but nothing or little is being heard in the minds of others. Talking loud and saying nothing.

That's not how God works. When God speaks, God says something. He speaks with meaning and power, authority and action in communication.

God said,"let there be light and there was light.

V6 God said Let there be land and the waters sepaerated.

V14 God said, Let there be light and there was light.

It is called the Word.

The Word was there with God, remember ?

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was God in the beginning. Through Him, all things that were made were made. No thing was made with out him.

The Word spoke, and the world came to be. God said let there be light and light showed. God doesn't talk loud and say nothing. When God speaks things happen. The Word is the expression of God's personality.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the seas into jars; he puts the deep into store houses, for he spoke and it came to be.

The Word of God, the expression of God, has creative power. The communication of God called the entire universe into being. The Word is responsible for all that is invisible. It predates everything that is visible. The Word speaks, and things happen.

The invisible expressed power compressed Himself into the physical form and became flesh. He became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. The great God of heaven compressed God's self into the form of a babe in a manager and moved into the neighborhood called Bethlehem.

It's like God pulled up with a moving truck and started to unload the fixings of heaven. We didn't know who he was.

Look at what happened, as neighbors started to notice. There was something different about that child. He was like us, yet he was different. He was one of us, yet seemed set apart from us. There was something about him. Something different. No one could name it. He was not like us, yet he was with us. They didn't know. People became curious about him and how he spoke. When he grew into a man, People noticed that some began to follow him around. Sick people, they were told became well after they met him. They didn't know if he was a doctor or what, yet the sick became well. They had crazy people in their neighborhood, cutting themselves and howling like wild animals. Some say they had unclean spirits. Some call them Legion. One day this one crazy guy met the babe now grown. He walked away normal and in the right mind. The neighbors didn't know what had happened.

Some lady with a blood issue for many years and she ran into the Word, and the rumor on the street is she is not bleeding anymore.

Preachers say its Glory. Divine Glory from the Word into human flesh. He was the brightness of God's Glory. He was the light from Heaven. A light that shines in the darkness. We saw it, the brightness of God's glory, we beheld with our own eyes. It was wonderful. Like Father like Son. It is said He was full of grace.

He became flesh and dwelled among us, full of grace.

He was generous inside and out. In our neighborhood He was. He was generous from the inside-out. He was generous because he was, and not because of what he might get from you. That's who he is. He is compassionate, forgiving and generous.

We say in every church and put signs up saying, everyone is welcome. We know that is not true. We are aware, certain groups, people, culture, fashions, music likes, religions, sexual orientation, etc. are not welcome. It's not hard for people to learn that they are not welcome. We are generous on the outside. We are generous if we like you.

He is generous from the inside out.

At His house everyone is welcome.

I heard that at home. Everyone is welcome. Sign at the front door, WELCOME.

Wasn't true. Ray and Butch, wasn't welcome and they knew it. I could go over in their yard and play. I could go in their kitchen and get a glass of water. I could sit on their porch and listen to their father tell stories. They couldn't come to my house. WHY? They were not welcome.

With the Word, tax collectors were welcome, prostitutes were welcome, the unclean were welcome, Romans, and Samiatains and gentiles were welcome. Disgraced people were welcome. He was generous from the inside out.

KJV says He was full of grace and truth.

He is true from start to finish. He didn't just do it when no one was looking as we sometimes do. He was true all day long.

Many of us are true when we think some one is looking. We are true when the boss is in the building. We are true when the wife is around. We are true when we are at church. He was true all the time and every where.

The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. He was generous from the inside out, and He was true from the beginning of His time on earth until He ended His time in the land. And we beheld His Glory

One last question. Why this neighborhood? You could have lived anywhere, so why here?

While I am impressed with God's knowledge, I super impressed with God's love. Why did God come? It's because of love. He came to us because He loves us. God loves us, so he came into our neighborhood.

There is a story of Ray Kroc owner of McDonald Resturants. It goes that Ray would do surprise visits to different McDonalds to make sure it was obeying the strict rules of cleanliness and hospitality. On this day, he pulls up in front of one of his McDonalds, and there was trash scattered all over the parking lot. Ray Kroc gets out of his Limo. He could have called the restaurants and told them to get people out there. He could have called a maintenance crew. No, Ray Kroc, owner, got out of his Lomo in his suit and he, himself cleaned up the trash. He did it himself. Why? Because of love.

Jesus came into our neighborhood because of Love. He sees people disregard like trash. He sees our sin everywhere. He sees you and me in the parking lots of life and had mercy for us. He did it himself. His Glory was upon us. The light of heaven shines upon us. He speaks out of the bright glory, compressed himself in the flesh and cleaned up our mess, himself.

He gave His life to save our life. He didn't send anyone else to do it. He didn't order somebody to do it. Jesus did it Himself. Why? A Four Letter Word- LOVE

Turn to

He didn't take his divine nature and use it to save Himself. He gave up His Divinity and made himself our sin. Because He died and is risen, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

I don't care what neighborhood it is when He shows up its a beautiful day. When people who believe, show to serve Him, it's a beautiful day. When you show up, God shows up. Compassion shows up. Generosity shows up/ Tenderness shows up. When the Body of Believers go into a neighborhood, the brightness and Holiness of His glory shows up.

There is no other one like Him. God loved us so much he moved into the neighborhood. He brings hope to the hopeless. The great light of Heaven is shining in the neighborhood. The great God of heaven compressed Himself into the flesh in the form of Jesus and moved into the neighbor.

Greater things are still being done in the neighborhoods all of this land.