John 1:14a - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us ...."

This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

There's a paraphrase of this verse that says, "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood." It's from The Message version of the Bible by Eugene Peterson. Elsewhere, Peterson explains how he arrived at this translation. He says when he was a boy growing up in small-town in Montana, one day a moving truck appeared. "It was a North American Van Lines® vehicle," he says, "majestic in its red, white, and blue logo, a huge truck half a block long. It dominated the street, bringing with it an aura of expectancy, the promise of new life in the neighborhood." Eugene remembers watching the movers unload the truck—the immense plate glass mirror, the expensive looking furniture, snow skis, a motorcycle. "We had hit the jackpot," he thought, "These people ... simply by moving into the neighborhood, were already transforming our lives. We would never be bored again. We would never be ordinary again."

The new family did transform the neighborhood, but not in the way Eugene had hoped. Turns out, they were a rich family from back East. They'd moved to Montana because the dad had gotten reassigned with his corporation. And it was clear from day one that none of them were all that happy about it. The dad never spoke to anyone in the neighborhood. The mom rarely left the house. And the teenage kids called Eugene and his friends "hicks" and never hesitated to belittle, demean, and remind them how much better things were where they used to live.

Contrast Eugene's experience with those words from the Gospel of John. The Word of God, the Son of God, infinitely rich, Second Person of the Trinity, became a flesh-and-blood human being and moved into the neighborhood. The first words we hear Jesus speak in John's Gospel are not demeaning or belittling, but inviting. Jesus sees some of His new neighbors out on the street, trailing behind Him. They're wondering who He is and what He's about. He says to them, "What are you seeking?" They say, "Rabbi (which means teacher)—where are You staying?" He says, "Come and see." And they went with Him to His house—or His tent, probably, and spent the day with Him (John 1:38).

Why does the eternal Son of God move into our neighborhood? Why does the all-powerful, all-wise, all-sufficient Word of God stoop down and become a tent-dweller? Because we needed Him. You might not always think to name the need as such, but it's there—a spiritual, relational hunger that's never satisfied, but always searching, always seeking. What you are seeking—whom you are seeking is Jesus. He moved in, lived and died, rose again and will come again to transform our lives, to make everything ordinary—extraordinary. And He promises that we will still find Him dwelling among us, wherever two or three are gathered in His Name (see Matthew 18:20), in the bread and wine which is His body and blood (see 1 Corinthians 10:16), in your neighborhood church this Sunday. Go and see. Spend the day with Him, why don't you?

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for making our dwelling place Your dwelling place. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you have a memory of when someone new moved into your neighborhood? How did their presence change things for better or for worse?

2. Part of the Gospel is that Jesus came to die for our sins. What difference does it make to add: "He also came to live with us and among us, now and forever"?

3. How does Christ's presence in you change things for your neighbors?

Today's Bible Readings: Job 3-4    Matthew 8:1-17

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