John 1:1-14 Scripture Reading John 1:1-14

John 1:1-14 Christmas Day Who has a “For Sale” sign in your neighbourhood? Imagine that the house next to yours goes up for sale. You wonder who your new neighbours will be.

John 1:1-14 Christmas Day “Sold!” sign Moving truck comes You go out to meet your new neighbour. It’s Jesus!

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Remember we are using our imaginations. Of course Jesus said: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” But imagine this morning, what would it be like if Jesus moved into your neighbourhood? What kind of neighbour would he be? What impact would Jesus have on your neighbourhood?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” I imagine that Jesus would: -Walk his dog and talk to people, even crotchety Mr. Porcupine. even crotchety Mr. Porcupine. - get to know his neighbours - Shovel the walk of the elderly couple couple - Carry soup over to the family whose son is in the hospital. whose son is in the hospital.

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” I picture Jesus: -Talking in a coffee shop to a crying young girl who everyone thinks had an abortion. girl who everyone thinks had an abortion. - Asking Fred who just lost his job to build him a fence. a fence. - Opening his home to all sorts of people - to the young person having trouble at home. - to people we might not necessarily feel comfortable with - Hugging the little boy who skinned his knee. - Help turn a vacant lot into a community garden garden

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Our text of this morning says: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14 “In-Carnation” [think ‘carnivore’] = “in flesh” The Word – Jesus, took on flesh, took on flesh, became fully human

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” “Made his dwelling among us” = “Tabernacled” among us - OT tabernacle = the presence of God. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Paul puts it this way: “Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-7

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to enter our messed up world. -The smelly stable – symbolic of our far from perfect lives - Jesus came into your life, in the middle of the confusion and mess and sin

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” I like how Eugene Peterson translates John 1:14 in the Message: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood.” “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 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” That what got my imagination going this week asking these kind of questions: Would Jesus, the Lord of life, be bombing abortion clinics or be counselling young women to allow their child to live?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” What kind of attitude would Jesus to people caught up in the sin of their lives? Condemnation or compassion?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” What would he saw to the couple who “moved in together” without being married? Would he bring over his traditional “welcome to the neighbourhood” pie that he had done with others who moved in?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Would he accept the cold one from neighbour who swears like a trooper while he works on his baby Mustang? Would he slide underneath and get grease and grime on his clothes?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” What would Jesus do if he caught 2 youth tagging his garage with spray paint? What would he say to them? What would he say to you?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” What would your neighbourhood be like if Jesus moved in? How might it change? Wouldn’t it be great to have Jesus in the neighbourhood?

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Too bad that Jesus is no longer “in the flesh” here on earth! Too bad the Word in the flesh and blood is no longer in our neighbourhoods to represent the glory of God!

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” O, wait! The presence of Jesus in the flesh is still in your neighbourhood! The body of Christ is still in your neighbourhood!

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” You are the body of Christ! You are the image of God in your neighbourhood. You are the Spirit-empowered, flesh-covered, presence of Jesus in your neighbourhood!

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” This Christmas we celebrate that the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood, into the messiness of our lives to bring love, hope and healing.

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Let us celebrate that all year by being the “incarnational presence of Jesus” in our neighbourhoods.

John 1:1-14 “Jesus Moved into our Neighbourhood” Let us move into our neighbourhoods as the in-the-flesh presence of Jesus bringing love, hope and healing. bringing love, hope and healing.