I’m nowhere near working all this out, but one initial thought is: perhaps we need to be a distinctive community that is consistent with Jesus, but endeavouring to be ‘not inconsistent’ (whenever we can) with the norms of the multiple subcultures we are faced with, while at strategic points being deliberately ‘of’ that culture or neighbourhood, and at other points being critical and standing against it. Our practice of incarnation needs to go beyond following the ‘pattern of Jesus’ so that a desired outcome will occur, and into “place-sharing” (Andrew Root) that hopes for transformation but is not beholden to it.

I’ll be speaking on “Rearranging the pews while the neighbourhood burns”.

‘Where do I join this kingdom revolution?’

If you’ve read this far, you have probably already decided that you want to join this kingdom revolution. Next step is to find some people who want to do it with you. If you don’t have anyone like that, look up some of the communities mentioned previously. They’ll help you on your way.

Most importantly, do something. This movement is not about standing on the banks of the river while others swim by. It is about getting personally involved in people’s lives, people who are isolated, persecuted and poor. Knock on the door of the elderly neighbour. Stand up to bullies, be they small or large. Make peace. Spend a week’s coffee money on someone who actually needs it. Foster a child. Pray with a suffering parent. Invite the new person over for tea. Sit down with the loner at school. Sell your possessions and have a party for the outcasts. Tell the truth despite the consequences. Move to the wrong side of the tracks.

The disciples simply left their nets and followed, and Jesus wants nothing more and nothing less. Jesus doesn’t care how much we know, or what we are doing now, or what we’ve done in the past. He cares about where we’re headed. In the river of Jordan, John baptized Jesus in a symbolic drowning and rising to life. In following Jesus among the poor, we not only drown with all our inadequacies, flaws and sins, but rise to a new life of compassion, truth & justice.

When we first moved to Bendigo, another church plant also had moved from Melbourne not long before. They wanted to plant a church in the community where we live, and did a fantastic family fun day at a local primary school to let people know who they were. Though they believed in the theory of incarnational mission, none of them lived in the local area. In fact, the nearest home was 5km away! Needless to say, their efforts broke down quickly.

One of the ‘marks’ of the groups in the Seeds network is “Proximity to each other and the poor”. Leaving aside the valid and inevitable questions about the nature of poverty, is such a geographical focus necessary? Does it depend on the community being incarnated into? Incarnating into a CBD workplace won’t work at a geographical level. So, does place matter? At a very basic level I would say it does – simply because a bird won’t shit in its own nest; ie. we will naturally work for the good of the place we live in.

I don’t think geographical (or place-based) incarnation is in absolute necessity; Jesus wandered all over the place and let’s face it, most people these days are hardly anchored to a bit of land these days, if they ever were. But let me argue briefly for it anyway.

Encounters In poor communities where car transport is limited, place-based incarnation is crucial to the unplanned and ‘intentionally natural’ encounters with people. To get to know someone, planned encounters only go a little way because real relationship occurs when we see people in unexpected situations and times.

Exilic theology In Jeremiah’s famous ‘letter to the exiles’ (Jeremiah 35??) he exhorts the people of God to work for the good of the place they have been exiled to. While it seems an encouragement to resignation, I believe it gives us the encouragement  to be re-formers of our neighbourhoods. And to do that, I believe we need to be there when we don’t plan to be.

Means and ends If our vision of the reign of God is, as mine is, individuals-in-community relating in a Christ-like way to people, land and God, then we are bound to the land. We cannot be faithful to this vision without being bound to some land ourselves. Means and ends need to be, and in fact are always, identical.