It’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood // John 1:14

John 1:14 (NIV) | The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Today’s verse is one frequently read around Christmas. It points to what we know as the Incarnation, which means God came to us in flesh and bone in the form if Jesus. I like how The Message paraphrase renders this verse: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. 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.” I can’t help but think of the theme to Mr. Rogers when I think about God “moving into the neighborhood.” His presence brings the light and love of eternity into our everyday existence. There are times when it feels so dark and corrupt, but God chose to come. Jesus didn’t wait for us to clean up our lives, our rooms, or our plates before coming…no, He said come to me and we’ll clean it up together. This is His mission and invitation. When we accept it and accept the responsibility to live into it, we help the Lord make it a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Together.