Eugene Peterson’s The Message clearly depicts the incarnation with this rending in the first chapter of John.
John 1:14
The Message (MSG)
14 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.
For the last five-and-a-half years cross-cultural church planters Ellen and Kyle Benefield have lived in the neighborhood of Mazatlan, Mexico, where they are planting a church. I like the way they have been present in this Mexican city. They moved in, jumped in, said, “This is our home.”
On a walk the other day Ellen said, “When we moved in this neighborhood five-and-a-half years I would notice all the trash along the streets and the bumpy, unpaved roads. Now I notice the trees and how pretty they are.”
In life a heart of gratitude often comes when we stay present, hang in there and decide that where we are is where we will be. So look at the trees today. Aren’t they pretty?
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