Moved into the Neighborhood

Prayer

Those Christian Kooks

There’s a great scene in the movie, The Dead Poets’ Society, where the teacher, Mr. Keating, has his students in the courtyard of their all-male boarding school. He has three of the boys start walking around the courtyard. No other instructions, just walk around.

It’s not a very big courtyard, so they start walking around the perimeter of the courtyard while the other students watch. It’s not long before they are walking in stride together, one after the other, in perfect rhythm.

The other students catch on and start clapping. Mr. Keating starts yelling out military marching cadences, “left...left...left, right, left.” And then, “halt”. They stop.

He points out to them that although they had all initially started walking in their own way, they quickly had adjusted to one another to the point that all three were walking in lockstep with one another. And the rest of the boys, too, had joined in by clapping along.

It’s an object lesson in the power of conformity. As Mr. Keating puts it, the difficulty of maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others, because the need for acceptance - which we all share - is powerful.

I feel the need to point out that sometimes we go against the grain, but it’s often more out of pride and arrogance, we like to be different, that somehow we’re ones who know better. Sense that we’re special somehow.

But Mr. Keating is exactly right in his teaching moment. The need for acceptance is very powerful.

Which is why I think it’s so instructive that Dallas Willard uses the idea of the divine conspiracy to talk about what God is doing in ushering in Kingdom of God. We’ve been calling it the Christmas Conspiracy because this is where it starts, with the birth of the King himself, Jesus.

It’s instructive because part of the dynamic of being someone who embraces a conspiracy theory is that you’ll be seen as different. A little off. A Conspiracy kook. A crank.

And because the need for acceptance is powerful, sometimes we resist that - because who wants to be seen as that? As being different. Weird.

And yet, it’s the very fact that we see things different - recognize what most do not see - that Kingdom of God is right here and now among us, that God’s life and power and goodness and glory are now all available through Jesus - that’s gift that we bring.

It’s the very fact that we are different (I hope and pray we are) - that we are like Jesus, living in the way of the Kingdom - we love the way he does, we stand in grace, we forgive, we live out generosity - that’s gift that we bring.

We have an opportunity to bring that gift into this neighborhood, which is what I want to talk about this morning. That’s our main point this morning - it’s our willingness to be different - to be like Jesus - that is gift that we bring to this neighborhood.

And I want to talk about it by looking at Jesus and his coming to us. How he, as Eugene Peterson puts it, moved into the neighborhood, and the gifts that he brought. Look at John 1:14-18 to do just that.

But I’m going to do it a little different this morning - read passage twice, once in NIV, second time through using The Message - because the language brings out some wonderful things about this passage.

Moving into the Neighborhood

John 1:14-18, NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

And now, same passage, from The Message

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. 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.”

We all live off his generous abundance, gift after gift after gift. 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. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Or, as Eugene Peterson puts it, The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.

Don’t let the familiarity of what we believe to be true make you numb to how crazy this claim is. Central part of the conspiracy, the part that when you take it seriously, is kinda nuts. It’s conspiracy kooky.

The claim is that this Jesus - this man, this flesh and blood man - is the Word. At the very beginning of this chapter John told us who the Word is - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Just stop a moment and hear that. To make it a little more plain: Right at the very start of all space, time and matter - in the beginning - was Jesus, and Jesus was right there with God and Jesus was God. That’s who this man is.

But that’s not all: Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Everything that exists, he made it. In my devotional time the other day I was reading through Revelation 4. And in verse 11 it speaks to Jesus as creator. It says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

What struck me was phrase “by your will they were created.” I started reflecting on that thought, that all things have their being, their existence, for one reason and one reason only. Because God - Jesus - willed it into existence.

You were willed by God. He willed you, and you specifically. He wanted the you with the way you look, and your unique gifts and abilities, particular laugh that you have, those things that grab your heart - your passions.

None of that was an accident. It didn’t just happen to be. God willed you in particular so he could delight in you in particular, to enjoy you for the unique creation that you - and you alone - are. And not just you, but every person you encounter - including everyone who lives in this neighborhood was willed by God. That’s an amazing thought. That’s a praise-God thought - you are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.

All of this is why this is Conspiracy-level kookiness. It’s like saying - you see that guy over there. No, not that one, one next to him, dark hair, kinda plain looking. That’s God. The true God. Been around since dawn of time - everything you see around you - he made it. Of course it’s only crazy if it’s not true.

But it does help to explain why so many folks missed it. Why so many, as it says in verse 10, did not recognize him. The God of all glory and power and wisdom walking around the neighborhood as another just ordinary person.

But it wasn’t just that he was so ordinary - it’s that he spoke and lived in such an unexpected manner. He was different.

What do I mean by that? Everyone - that includes people in Jesus’ time - and it includes us - we all have expectations or narratives (those little stories in our minds) of what we think God is like - some people see God as stern parent, or as a Santa Claus figure or great cosmic cop or maybe some powerful by generally absent figure. If he exists at all.

But Jesus showed us what God the Father is like, vs. 18, The Message - No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

I love that phrasing - who exists at the very heart of the Father. The NIV translates it as “in closest relationship”. In the Greek, the wording literally means that he was in the bosom of the Father (image of lying across the chest, like husband and wife or child with its parent. Way to express heart to heart intimacy. Jesus had that with Father.

And because he knew him so well, he was one who could show us what the Father was really like, as unexpected as that was.

Says something about God that he didn’t come to earth with glow or aura surrounding him. Or floating on air. He didn’t even come super wealthy or powerful. He was so ordinary, plain…humble.

Just think about all circumstances of his birth…Who would have expected that a God so humble?

Did you catch how often grace & true were used in our passage? The glory of the one and only Son, full of grace & truth. Out of his fullness we all have received grace in place of grace already given.

Jesus showed fullness of that grace - it turns out that God is far more generous and grace-filled and compassionate than any one dreamed he could be (which is great news for us)

Who Jesus hung out with, his willingness to give time and attention to a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, to be a guest at the house of the reviled tax collector, and receive the tearful offering of a sexually promiscuous woman.

And yet, at same time, his righteousness and holiness were without compare. He was never corrupted by greed or power or desire to be admired. He certainly never gave into the pressure of conformity. He spoke the truth plainly. He treated all with same love and kindness.

And his death - how he bore the sufferings inflicted upon him. How he endured the mocking, the injustice - with strength and dignity and grace. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Would God pray for the forgiveness for the very people who are murdering him?!

And so many people missed it. The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood, but they missed it. Jesus was so unexpected, so different from what they would have expected God to be like.

But there were some who did. That’s why John writes, “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.”

In this humble, ordinary looking man, they saw glory of God, fullness of God’s grace and truth in Jesus. And they were taken by it, drawn right in. They wanted in, to be a part of whatever he was up to.

And so they gave their lives to follow him, to become like him, to help others to see who he is. They gave their lives to become part of the great conspiracy of the Kingdom of God.

We just moved into the neighborhood as well. The question for us is, will people in this neighborhood see the glory of Jesus with their own eyes in us? Will they experience his grace and truth in us?

Are we willing to be different? To be unexpectedly different? To be like Jesus? And will we engage them enough that they’ll see anything at all?

Our mission as a church is to lead others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus.

Made the decision this summer to make Capernaum a missional focus for our church - lead youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families into the abundant life of Jesus.

Propose a Secondary missional focus - lead those in this neighborhood into the abundant life of Jesus.

Flyers - welcome / greet / shared life together

Second Sunday Suppers - summer cookouts

As we see needs, to meet those needs - acts of kindness and generosity

Require a willingness on our part to be different, to be those conspiracy kooks, to be like Jesus - in order that others might see difference in us.

Spiritual Disciplines - Lived Obedience to Jesus, hear the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice

We just moved into this new building (which is awesome), right after worship today we’re going to vote on our new name - a lot of new-ness going on. But those, in the long run, are all superficial things. That’s not what’s going to make us a new church, different - different in the way that I hope and believe we want to be different (vibrant, flourishing).

What’s going to really make the difference is our willingness to begin to act differently, to put into practice these exercises and disciplines.

My goal in presenting them each week is to give you small, practical things that you really can begin to incorporate in your life. Sometimes it’s not even a matter of doing different things as much as it doing same things you’re already doing, but doing them differently. Let me give you an example of one thing I hope all of us will do.

Make this a practice (start today, as you leave). Every time you drive through this neighborhood, pray for the people who live here. Pray that the Spirit would be working in their lives, drawing them unto Jesus. Pray that God would give them a desire to experience the abundant life only he can give. Ask him to enable connections. Pray for their needs.

Helps that speed limit is slower here - so you have to drive a slower. Now, you might have to make a point of turning off the radio or podcast you’re listening to. It might be helpful pick a spot, a marker, as you’re driving in - 4-way stop or US Foods.

Here’s another thought - drive out a different way to see a little more of neighborhood, praying as you go.

Listen, you can ignore and just go about like you normally do - but if we truly want to be a church that leads others into abundant life of Jesus one of the things that we need to take seriously is changing way we do things - and it doesn’t have to be a huge change, but making small changes in things we already do - like driving through the neighborhood.

That’s one practice you can incorporate - here’s another I would encourage you to consider this week: Spend time this week in the bosom of Jesus. Seek a way to nurture heart to heart intimacy with Jesus. People will see Jesus in us as we get to closer to heart of Jesus.

Core Value - Heart Transformation, idea of nautilus shell, moves from inside outward? Wonderful image of spiritual formation - inner change to outward witness. The more we spend time at the heart of Jesus, more our hearts will be transformed to be like Jesus, more we will make him “plain as day.”

What’s something you could do this week just to be alone with Jesus (practice of solitude)? Take a walk (early or late in evening). Find a quiet room in house. As you read Scripture, pay attention to Jesus’ heart. Begin with prayer - show me your heart.

Inspiration

Let’s develop a heart for this neighborhood that reflects the heart Jesus had for our neighborhood, world. That drew him here to be with us, to show us the love of the Father.

Let’s trust that it was no accident that brought us here to this building at this time. That it was indeed the will of God - to bring us, you and me, in all of the unique gifts and personalities, God willed us into being for his great purposes.

Let’s be those people who are willing to be a little kooky. A little different (maybe a lot different) - because we’re like Jesus. Because we’ve been right there at the very heart of Jesus. Show forth his grace and truth.