Christmas in the neighborhood

It is being said that Christmas is about God moving into the neighborhood. Yes, God is everywhere, incorporeal, omnipotent. And with the appearance of Christ Jesus "the word was made flesh", as John writes. You might say that through Jesus Christ God now has a clear outline as infinite Love and is accessible as a Parent. We know God because we know Jesus Christ. And because of him, Mary Baker Eddy writes: "God is understandable, knowable, and applicable to every human need." (My. 238:21-22)

Christmas brings this new idea of a God that can be understood, and the question is - will we accept the invitation to rethink, reconsider, and deal earnestly with this idea? Will we welcome it into our home? 

With the birth of Christ Jesus, truth is no longer up for debate. Christ Jesus presents God as a breathing, living presence, as the All-in-all to be demonstrated, expressed, and experienced in daily life. As oneness, as omnipotent, omnipresent Love. A thinking consciousness with a plan. Christ Jesus lived right in front of us, as a human being. He introduced Truth as a practice, a healing, comforting, uniting practice. With his monumental life, unfolding between the virgin birth, his death, his resurrection, and his ascension he proved that Life is Spirit and always near. So in Eugene Peterson's terms you can safely say that the word - the concept of God - is now in the neighborhood. Theology through Jesus is no longer a theory, it is a life. A practice so humble and grand and healing that its basis can only be Love.

Words fails to express the awe and gratitude we owe Christ Jesus for bringing to us salvation, the spiritual understanding of the oneness with God. With God in the neighborhood Christian healing is here, for everyone to practice, in every culture, nation, religion. It is affordable, accessible, easy to grasp, safe to practice. God is understandable and so is healing. Pure and simple. 

You might consider the connection between Christmas and healing with this article about Christmas and Christ healing by Michelle Nanouche, who also gave a moving lecture in The Mother Church this year. This is also being shared with you in this blog post. 

So enjoy this Christmas season with Christ in the neighborhood, just around the corner, with healing present right were you are. And as you embrace this new idea it will move from the neighborhood right into your home, it will change you, purify, refresh, and revive you. And  it will never leave. Merry Christmas!

From the gospel of John, first chapter:

The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
(...)
The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.

(The Message)