Ordinary people.

Ordinary.

Adjective: with no special or distinctive features; normal.

Ordinary people.

That’s always been part of our heart-beat at Neighbourhood.

People sometimes ask us what our vision is.

I think it’s always been about this.

Ordinary people.

Ordinary people encountering Jesus.

Learning to follow Jesus.

Being transformed by Jesus.

Ordinary people surrendered to Jesus.

We are Neighbourhood.

We are ordinary people.

Sons. Daughters. Singles. Wives. Husbands. Divorced.

Young. Older. Somewhere in-between.

We are Neighbourhood.

Teachers. Office workers. Designers.

Stay-at-home parents.

Healthcare workers. Charity workers.

Managers. Tech geeks.

Lawyers. Social workers.

Students. Unemployed. Retirees.

Hairdressers. Musicians.

Civil servants. Insurance workers.

Occupational therapists. Physical Therapists.

And so much more.

We are Neighbourhood.

A community of ordinary people.

We’re not perfect.

We make mistakes.

We don’t have all the answers.

We wrestle with doubts.

We explore faith.

But together, we follow Jesus.

We are Neighbourhood.

A community of ordinary people learning to follow Jesus.

Jesus.

He’s the one who welcomes ordinary people.

Broken people.

Damaged people.

Struggling people.

Marginalised people.

Lonely people.

Rebellious people.

People who are ready to acknowledge their need.

The gospels are full of it.

Stories of Jesus and ordinary people.

Welcoming them.

Inviting them to follow him.

Investing himself in them.

Loving them.

Patiently caring for, serving, and teaching.

Challenging them.

Offering hope.

Working transformation.

There’s a beautiful comment in the book of Acts about the disciples.

Peter and John had just been arrested. They’ve spent a night in prison and then next day appear before the religious leaders.

Emboldened by the Holy Spirit, Peter proclaims Jesus and refuses to stop teaching and healing.

And then Luke records this:

“When they saw the courage of the Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

Did you see that?

Ordinary men.

Who had been with Jesus.

Jesus does that –

He takes ordinary people who are surrendered to him.

And he transforms.

Ordinary people exposed to the extraordinary love and grace and goodness and kindness of Jesus.

The ordinary gets caught up in the extraordinary.

Isn’t that beautiful?

Imagine this….

We are Neighbourhood.

A community of ordinary people.

A community of people learning to live with Jesus.

A community of people transformed by, empowered by, and transfixed by his extraordinary love.

Ordinary people.

Surrendered to Jesus.

Alive with the extraordinary love of Jesus.

I wonder what that might look like.