Reflection: What does it look like to love our neighbour and seek to transform our neighbourhoods? It starts by seeing ourselves and the Church as part of the broader city. That was the message Isaiah gave to Israel, even while they were in a season of lack and their numbers were few.
It might seem like we are in a season of lack now – the ongoing impacts of COVID, the rising cost of living, the apparent decline of the Australian Church. But, as with the Israelites, I believe God is telling us not to turn inwards but to stretch out.
What if we stretch the concept of our Christian ‘tent’ and how far it reaches? What if we see our tent as covering our whole town or city? How might that change people’s perception of the Church and ordinary Christians? How might that change our perception of ourselves and others?
If our tent covers the city, then the city’s issues become our own – homelessness, mental health, domestic violence, unemployment. If our tent covers the city, we take less pride in our own success and recognise the things that are not as they should be. If our tent covers the city, we change the way we love our neighbour – not just in word but in deed and in truth.
Prayer: Father, you know the trials and tribulations your people have endured over the past two years. Give us your strength to stretch our curtains. Bring others who can lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes. Help us be a tent that has room for all to find shelter and find you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.