What's Next?

It's the day after Christmas. The question which occurs to me today is "What next?" We've celebrated the incarnation of Christ into the world. As we have been talking about in at least one other post, then "So that..."?

One of the lectionary readings for this week is from John 1:9-14. I was particularly struck by verse 14a in The Message:

The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
What if we realized that God had moved into our neighborhood? Wouldn't that make a difference in what we do? Is our response different if we think that God became flesh and entered the world 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, rather than "moved into the neighborhood?"

I like the immediacy of it, and I think it calls us to action. Take a look at the rest of the verse. This is again The Message (although I like the poetry of NRSV better):

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.
So, what next? What is the response to seeing the "glory with our own eyes," in our own neighborhood?

I think the answer to that question might be different for each of us. I think finding the answer to that question involves listening for God.

Think of it, though, in the light of another lectionary reading for this week -- Isaiah 52:7-10. Following is verse 7:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
In the book by Stephen Covey, he talks about Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. One of those habits is to "begin with the end in mind." Where are we going? And do we realize that it is the direction of our steps which take us to our destination? Beginning with end in mind means that as we order our world, as we take our steps each day, we do so with the realization that we have a goal, whatever that goal might be. We take each step so that we can reach the goal that God has set for us.

Image: Our Christmas tree.