January 24, 2010: “The Word moved into the neighborhood.”
Posted on : Jan 21st, 2010 | By office | Category: This Sunday's Service
Welcome to
LifeServe 2010
Whose lives are different because of you?
When we look at many of the problems in the world today, we feel overwhelmed. They appear so large and we often feel so small, so powerless.
Wednesday evening on ABC’s news program, Nightline, I saw an interview with President Obama by George Stephanopoulos. I certainly have not been thrilled with President Obama’s leadership, nor is a lot of the nation. George Stephanopoulos really pushed President Obama on issues of the economy, healthcare reform and the growing anger in America over many issues, particularly the economy. Obama, to his credit, tried to explain how difficult it is to try and “fix” the economy after the magnitude of collapse it went through. He explained once again that we are dealing with the effect of decades of bad economic policy and it just isn’t able to be fixed easily. Furthermore, what is making the recovery so difficult is that far too many Americans took on huge amounts of personal debt that now has to be paid off. So instead of spending, many Americans are using their income to pay off debt. Likewise, many businesses are so fearful that nobody will buy their stuff, they are not hiring those they laid off as the economy entered freefall. Similarly, Obama explained how the healthcare industry involves one-sixth of the US economy. That’s HUGE! It can’t be changed easily and nobody wants to take “a hit.”
As I watched and listened I was so thankful I’m not in Obama’s shoes. Even though he has inherited 20 or more years of bad economic and healthcare policy, the buck has stopped with him. They are now his problems. The one optimistic thing I observed in this interview is that Obama has still not lost hope or vision. He still really and truly believes he can make a difference. He is willing to keep working to make average Americans’ lives better.
That is the theme we’re focusing on this year. Whose lives are different because of us? How do we bring about change for the better in everyone’s life, even when problems appear huge and our ability to affect them feels small?
In John’s Gospel, we’re told the way God did this was by taking on human flesh and blood and moving into the neighborhood. Okay, most of us learned that verse in the older version “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) But once again, I love the paraphrased version of this text in Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible called “The Message.”
“The Word took on human flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”
John 1: 14 (The Message)
Barbara Brown Taylor, in her book, “Leaving Church” offers these thoughts:
“The whole purpose of the Bible, it seems to me, is to convince people to set the written word down –
in order to become living words in the world
for God’s sake.
For me, this willing conversion of ink back to blood
is the full substance of faith.”
As we enter into partnership and offer our lives in service to others, “the Word takes on human flesh and blood and moves into the neighborhood.”
This Sunday, we’re fleshing out the gospel in preparation for our service weekend with our neighbors at Oportunidad. Julia Garcia, Director of Oportunidad will be with us on Sunday as we talk about how we are going to partner together with our neighbors at Oportunidad. Julia is a Pentecostal preacher. She has a fire and spirit that is indomitable. That’s what’s needed for the demands placed upon her and her ministry at Oportunidad. This Sunday Julia and I will enter into conversation about what Oportunidad does, who it serves, what the needs are and how we are going to join with the members of Oportunidad to change both the neighborhood and the lives of the people they serve and in the process, how our lives are going to be changed for the better.
After a week of rain and dreariness, I guarantee that you will leave renewed and empowered. Our goal this Sunday and next week in our serving-weekend is to let the Word take on human flesh and blood and move into the neighborhood!
Blessings,
Dan
This Sunday’s Scriptures:
Isaiah 61: 1-4
The prophet proclaims: “The Spirit of God is upon me because…”
The Spirit of God is upon me, because God has sent me
to bring good news to those who are poor;
to heal broken hearts;
to proclaim release to those held captive
and liberation to those in prison;
to announce a year of favor from God,
and the day of God’s vindication;
to comfort all who mourn,
to provide for those who grieve in Zion
to give them a wreath of flowers instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of tears,
a cloak of praise instead of despair.
They will be known as trees of integrity
planted by God to display God’s glory.
They will restore the ancient ruins,
and rebuild sites long devastated;
they will repair the ruined cities,
neglected for generations.
John 1: 1-18
“The Word took on human flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”
In the beginning there was the Word;
the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God.
The Word was present to God from the beginning.
Through the Word all things came into being, and apart from the Word nothing came into being that is.
In the Word was life,
and that life was humanity’s light -
a Light that shines in the darkness,
a Light that the darkness has never overtaken.
Then came one named John, sent as an envoy from God, who came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through his testimony everyone might believe. He himself wasn’t the Light; he only came to testify about the Light – the true Light that illumines all humankind.
The Word was coming into the world -
was in the world -
and though the world was made though the Word, the world didn’t recognize it.
Though the Word came to its own realm,
the Word’s own people didn’t accept it.
Yet any who did accept the Word,
who believed in that Name,
were empowered to become children of God -
Children born not of natural descent,
not of human will –
but born of God.
And the Word took on human flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.
-We saw the Word’s glory –
filled with grace,
filled with truth.
John testified by proclaiming, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘the One who comes after me ranks ahead of me, for this One existed before I did.’”
Of this One’s fullness
we’ve all had a share -
gift on top of gift.
For while the Law was given through Moses,
the Gift- and the Truth – came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God,
except Jesus,
who has revealed God to us.