The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.
I've thought about this quote often over the past month. I have graduated from University and am wrestling with the question of what it looks like to live an authentic, Kingdom-seeking life. As Ian McIntosh sings,
What does it sound like when you sing heaven's song?
What does it feel like when heaven comes down?
It is simple and complicated. I know that what I do matters far less than what I am. I know that there is great gain in godliness with contentment regardless of circumstances. But I also know that life is not about following the path of least resistance and I want to be one of those people who will pursue the Kingdom, take hold of it forcfully. What does that look like?
I've moved into a new neighbourhood recently. It isn't the place I would most like to be in the world. There are no rolling hills or country lanes, no wild valleys or cosy tea-rooms. At first, I wondered if I had made a mistake coming here, a priviledged little girl who knows nothing of the struggles faced by many families here. What could I possibly have to offer? But as I think of Jesus stepping in to my world, He who is as 'other' to this earth as an author is to his book, I wonder if perhaps we are all called to follow His example in a way. Our words cannot become flesh until we do 'move into the neighbourhood'. The question becomes, "Whose neighbourhood are we called to?"
Maybe it is the neighbourhood of the poor, the neighbourhood of our brothers and sisters who live on the poverty line and lack hope for a future. But it could be the neighbourhood of the desperate, of the friend who is suffering from loneliness or depression. The move is from words to deeds, from speaking of hope to bringing hope. Jesus CAME. Emmanuel. God with us. If we have the life of Christ in us, if we are His hands and His feet, then I think it is worth some thought and deliberation over this question of how we live our lives. What does it look like when we sing heaven's song?
