INGNITE: DAY 21

SCRIPTURE READING - DAY 21


Galatians 3:26-29

You are all sons of God through faith
in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ. There is neither
Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to
the promise. (NIV)




MEDITATION BY Phil Alessi


Each February, Bryant Park in Manhattan is abuzz with the coming of Fashion Week. Tents go up and the media is everywhere, anticipating the strut of models adorned with the year's sensations.

Downtown is the Fashion District, uptown are the chic stores of Fifth Avenue. From our rooftop near the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we can see the neighborhoods where distinctive clothing marks diverse cultures—the Hipsters and their vintage clothing, the Hasidics adorned in plain black caftans, and the Hispanic community in bright colors.

Our prayer and passion is to see people in this urban diversity become his. Many times I pray Aaron's benediction from Deuteronomy: "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

In studying a harmony of the Gospels, we can find Jesus in only nine religious settings. He spent a lot of his time where people lived life, and we must seek to do the same. How can we "wear" Jesus and make him visible to those around us? The Lord who clothes us with himself is able to open doors that seem closed. We've had several opportunities to wear Jesus around our neighborhood: turning off lights one Sabbath evening for Joel, fixing a bike for young kids on the sidewalk, and switching on the air conditioner for Aaron during a heat wave on a Sabbath evening, which then enabled us to make a connection with the rest of his family.

I've found myself on several occasions in Isaac's apartment, including one time during the preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles when wood was being delivered to build a Sukkoh, a temporary wooden structure. For seven days, Jewish families like Isaac’s celebrate as a reminder of God's faithfulness to the nation of Israel during their 40 years in the wilderness.

I offered to help carry up the wood which was too large to bring in the
elevator. Isaac asked several times, “Do I have to pay you?” and “Why do
you want to do this?” I assured him there was no charge and I was just being a neighbor. I offered to help him build the Sukkoh, and was invited to do so the following week. It was a blessing to work together with a man whose family I had prayed for several times from my rooftop. Now, Isaac and I exchange greetings on the street.

The apostle Paul tells us that clothing is the key to others becoming his. It is not enough to represent Christ verbally; we need to "wear" the visible Jesus for all to see. We are seeking to posture our lives so that people in these communities can see him. In our experiences, we did not invite our neighbors to a meeting or give them something to read. We prayed for them and we showed up wearing Jesus.




REFLECTION


Read Galatians 5:22-23. What spiritual clothing does Paul list here? Who is the designer?


How has the Spirit been directing you to be involved in the lives of people around you?


How can you use some of your interests and passions to be a blessing to people in your neighborhood?