Welcome to the Neighborhood
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
John 1:14 (MSG)
About a year after my family moved into our current house, my wife & I were completing some projects around the house when the doorbell suddenly rang. We weren’t expecting anybody, so we exchanged a quick glance of curiosity as I headed to the door. I looked out the front window to see that it was my neighbor from a couple of doors down.
We were the new family on the cul-de-sac. We had come to know the neighbors a little bit which is to say we had a few conversations in the yard when we happened to be outside at the same time. The conversations had always been pleasant but usually casual & superficial. We talked about the weather, the previous owners of the home, my kids who were six & three years old at the time. For most of our neighbors, their parenting years were in the rearview mirror. They were now solidly in the grand-parenting years. We frequently heard comments about how adorable our kids were and how it was good to hear kids playing outside again. (We would test that appreciation several years later when my son became a teenage driver who liked his music a little too loud. At least we all knew he was almost home!)
Have you ever moved into a new neighborhood? Have you ever had a long-time neighbor move away and watch hesitantly as a new family buys the house next door? A new neighbor changes the delicate balance of a neighborhood’s ecosystem. It’s unavoidable really. New neighbors means new faces. New names. New vehicles driving down the street. New work schedules. New weekend routines. New landscaping preferences. Memories to be shared and new memories to be made.
We were the new family on the block, and we had changed the neighborhood without even realizing it. Little did I know then how much the neighborhood would come to change me.
As I opened the door to greet my neighbor, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Did he need to borrow something? I’m not really handy, so I don’t have a lot of tools to loan out. In fact, I’m the one who frequently knocks on doors to borrow tools & advice. Did he need help moving something? I’m a big guy, so I’m frequently called upon to help move furniture. Was everything okay personally? I’m a pastor, so I am never surprised when someone invites me into their lives. I certainly wasn’t expecting what he said after we exchanged greetings.
I wonder sometimes what it must have been like 2,000 years ago when God moved into the neighborhood. In the beginning of John’s message about Jesus, we discover that God has decided he is no longer content to merely watch humanity from a distance. He’s done everything he can through the Law and the prophets. The time to move has arrived. The moment that was anticipated far before time began has suddenly arrived. It’s time for the Word to become flesh. It’s time for Jesus to move into the neighborhood.
I bet having Jesus as a neighbor would change things, wouldn’t it?
To start with…the neighborhood block party would never be the same. No more worrying about whether you have enough food or beverages. Need some more burgers or lemonade? Jesus seemed to enjoy making sure people had enough to eat & drink. After all, his first miracle was turning water into wine so the party could keep going!
Need some advice on your marriage or your parenting? Need to know how to respond to the neighbor nobody likes but everybody talks about? Need some help figuring out what to do with your time & money? Need some discernment on that potential job transition? Need a recommendation on what to do in retirement? Jesus seemed to have a lot of great insights on life. It’s to be expected, honestly. After all, he did create us so he probably knows (and wants) what’s best for us. Just ask him. He’ll invite you over for a glass of sweet tea and a front-porch conversation. He never seems to be in a hurry and is always willing to listen just as much as he is willing to talk.
Need some help with repairs around the house? Jesus seemed to love restoring things back to their original design. Just ask the blind guy who used to beg for money on the side of the road. Ask the guy who used to lay paralyzed on his mat all day long. Ask the guy who couldn’t talk. (He’s probably got a lot to say!) Ask the woman who suffered for years with an untreatable illness. Ask the guy who was out-of-his-mind crazy living naked & afraid in the wilderness. Want to know how much Jesus loved restoring things? Just ask the guy who was dead. Nobody expected to see him at the next block party!
Need some help figuring out how to get right with God? Jesus seemed to care about that the most. You could almost say that was the main reason he moved into the neighborhood. His love for all of mankind compelled him to pack up his stuff, load the moving truck and make the long journey from heaven to earth.
Everything changed the day Jesus moved into the neighborhood. He knew it would happen. He knew his presence would change things. A good neighbor does that. A good neighbor has the potential to change everything about your life.
When the doorbell rang that Saturday afternoon, I had no way of knowing how my neighbor’s simple invitation would change my family. I opened the door and after we exchanged greetings, he said these life-changing words, “You know I’ve got a pool, right? You & your family are welcome to come use it any time you want.”
For the last ten years, my neighbor’s pool has become a second-home for my family and several other families in the neighborhood. We have spent untold hours together swimming in the cool water, sharing stories in the shade of the umbrellas and eating meals together in the splash zone of countless cannonballs. We’ve hosted youth group swim parties and neighborhood block parties. I’ve sat poolside for hours on a hot summer day counseling church members & mentoring next-generation leaders while my young kids swam.
That simple invitation to swim in their pool became an invitation to journey through life together. And journey we have. Through good times & bad. Through laughter & tears. Through the birth of children and the death of aging parents. For my family, moving into that neighborhood — and accepting that one simple invitation — changed everything.
One day a long time ago, Jesus decided to move into the neighborhood. In doing so, he extended an invitation to swim in his pool, to have a conversation on the front porch and to have a meal together at his kitchen table. Will you accept his invitation? It could change everything.
