incarnation

Evangelism is not a word that is used all that much among young adult Christians. As a matter of fact, I find that many young people cringe inwardly when confronted with the word. Social justice, sure. Missional, sure. Loving others in the name of Jesus, sure. Partnering with God in His Kingdom work, sure. Evangelism, not so sure.

I serve as part of the teaching team of Third Way Church, and, as we move into the summer, we are talking about evangelism for a couple of reasons. First of all, it seems as though we need to rediscover the word evangelism. Unfortunately, many have come to see evangelism as a program, methodology or tool (especially of the 1970’s and 80’s).  Rarely is evangelism seen more holistically as an intentional lifestyle that permeates the everyday relationships in the places where we live, work and play. Thus, evangelism is not always viewed as necessary for the equipping of Christ-followers, and for the building up of the Body of Christ (see Eph. 4:11-13).

with our next-door neighbor, Rachel, at the local seedling distribution

Also, we have noticed that most Minnesotans don’t readily invite others into their homes, especially if they don’t have an established relationship. This presents a significant challenge for getting to know our neighbors because most people are holed up inside their homes for five months during winter. The summer months become an important time to establish deeper relationships with people because the days are long, and most people are out and about enjoying the nice weather. Our hope is to establish solid relationships with people during the summer months that will continue inside our homes during the winter months.

The Word became flesh and blood,

 and moved into the neighborhood.                (John 1:14)

Jesus’ incarnation is a perfect example for us as we seek to incarnate into the neighborhoods where we live. Jesus’ incarnation wasn’t complete just by becoming a man, but by being fully engaged in life with those, who lived around Him. In the book of Matthew alone, we can see how this played out in His life: Jesus was born, was baptized, was tempted, preached that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, invited people to follow him, went throughout all of Galilee – teaching and proclaiming the gospel, healed, was with the crowds, forgave, dined with many tax collectors and sinners, prayed, withdrew to be by himself, fed the hungry,  had compassion for people, warned his disciples of insincere religious leaders,  spent time with children, spent time alone with his disciples, touched the untouchable and the sick, allowed himself to be questioned, spent time with the outcasts, allowed himself to be betrayed, allowed himself to be judged, allowed himself to be put to death, was buried, and was resurrected. Jesus fully incarnated into the human reality.

  

So, how do we incarnate into the neighborhoods where we live, work and play? The following matrix has been helpful for me as I think about living on mission in my everyday life:

	Listen	Submerge	Invite
Live
Work
Play

As I begin to listen in the areas where I live, work and play, I find myself asking:  What is God already busy doing? What is really going on in others’ lives?  What would my neighbors consider to be a blessing to the neighborhood? Submerging requires time and margin in life that allows us to go deeper by intentionally seeking others out, and sharing our own life and challenges. And Jesus was the master of the invitation. He often invited others to come and see, or to come and be with Him. He also accepted invitations from others, even when it was socially awkward or unconventional. Daleen and I found ourselves being hesitant in accepting invitations from others, so we have made it a policy to “just say yes” whenever possible.

It isn’t enough that we “moved into the neighborhood,” our hope is to become part of the tapestry that God is weaving together in the lives of those, who we call neighbor.