New Addington is looking particularly sparkly in the snow at the moment, but it's also feeling particularly sparkly. Every other Monday I have the privilege of chairing a meeting that gathers together leaders from across the community who are seeking to see this the community thrive as we respond to the challenges of the pandemic - voluntary organisations, schools, people who work for Public Health, local councillors, other council workers and people from services doing amazing things... the list goes on - a brilliant group committed to the flourishing of New Addington and Fieldway which was set up as lockdown hit last year. The way that the community has come together has been awesome. It's not always easy and there is so much brokenness, but beauty rises from within all that.
I never cease to be amazed at the creativity of this group and all they represent. The vast variety and quality of the work going on at a grassroots level where everything has had to change and challenges have had to be embraced is something to behold. People of passion and commitment who know their community so well and are not afraid to take risks. I'm a relative newbie to all of this, and this kind of collaborative community working has been going on for many years here - but the pandemic has brought it into the spotlight, and bright and sparkly it shines.
Today as one of the people who works for the council told of how he keeps talking about the brilliant work going on in New Addington and how that is an example to others across the borough something inside me lit up and felt proud - as someone called to the community it is a pleasure to be in a community that gets it, that runs with it and that commits to being all it is able to be.
It's not been the easiest of journeys in New Addington, not least because I've been here almost longer in pandemic mode than not, but it is moments of joy and realisation like this that remind me of why I am here - and one of these things is to be part of and an encourager of the community - standing side by side, walking onwards, whatever comes our way.
This is what, as a follower of Jesus, I believe we are called to be. To love indiscriminately and seek to help the most broken rebuild, to sit beside others in sorrow and offer hope as they weep, to shine like stars in the universe - sparkling light in the snow, finding a way to thrive despite all that goes on around, to move the mirror in the right direction to shine the Christ light in the darkest places that need it most.... to live the best lives possible and invite others to join in and walk with us as we are trying to walk in the way of Christ....
In the Message version of John 1 it says "The Word became Flesh and moved into the neighbourhood". In the snowy sparkle of today, it is clear this is where God is - he's living amongst the people, he is moving us towards restoration, he is calling us on.... in amongst the bigger picture as a church seeking to be a Christ-centred community, we see that He is moving beyond our familiar boundaries and bringing life in all its vibrancy, embedded in the community, calling us to embed ourselves with him. Telling the world about Christ includes living in the way of Christ, and right here, right now, that's dwelling with Christ in the neighbourhood to which he calls.
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