Here’s a little secret: I find it hard to actually say the word “gospel” out loud.
For me, there’s just too much burst-out-laughing wonder and impossibility wrapped up in those six letters that make me uneasy about using it in everyday conversation.
What I can always talk about though, is how the news and power of what Jesus has done for us is throwing back the curtain on a new New York City from the Boogie Down Bronx to Sunset Park. It’s the New York City you’ve always wanted to live in, with the kinds of people you’ve always wanted to be with, but it’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.
Evidence of the new New York is all around. You can hear it as Jessie conducts performance appraisals in her midtown Manhattan office. Remembering who her Dad is, Jessie is free to reverse the age-old workplace curse of “kissing up and kicking down.” You can see it in Queens where Charlie willingly gives up part of his plot in the community garden to an unpopular elderly neighbor. Because of the staggering generosity he has received, he cooks and cleans for her too. It’s baffling to the other gardeners, but it catches their attention.
Yes, a new city breaks through as followers of Jesus speak and live out the news that because of His death and resurrection, we no longer have to navigate life as friendless orphans scrounging and jostling to secure our next meal.
Because the reality is that every moment of every day we are the favorite daughter of the Dad who throws the best parties around. Even more incredibly, our Dad is the Chair of every committee that runs the new city of New York, and He’s inviting us to work with Him to make streets safe and schools vibrant, to drive out hunger and hostility, and create lasting opportunities for everyone—not just those born in the right zipcodes–to flourish.
So the new New York tastes like jerk chicken and sno cones served at Friday night dinners in the church backyard. Come as you are. It’s the feeling of a solid handshake at the end of a police and youth roundtable meeting where trust and understanding are being forged against all odds.
From the moment the angel Gabriel tells an unsuspecting Mary that she has found favor with God, that she has his smile of approval in Luke’s biography of Jesus, we watch as God’s favor on all of humanity bubbles up, springs forth, and rushes out over Galilee, Judea, and into all the world.
Will we, who in Christ will always and forever enjoy God’s smile, join in the slow but sure work of making his new city visible?
We can get started, and continue this work today:
Here’s a little secret: I find it hard to actually say the word “gospel” out loud.
For me, there’s just too much burst-out-laughing wonder and impossibility wrapped up in those six letters that make me uneasy about using it in everyday conversation.
What I can always talk about though, is how the news and power of what Jesus has done for us is throwing back the curtain on a new New York City from the Boogie Down Bronx to Sunset Park. It’s the New York City you’ve always wanted to live in, with the kinds of people you’ve always wanted to be with, but it’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.
Evidence of the new New York is all around. You can hear it as Jessie conducts performance appraisals in her midtown Manhattan office. Remembering who her Dad is, Jessie is free to reverse the age-old workplace curse of “kissing up and kicking down.” You can see it in Queens where Charlie willingly gives up part of his plot in the community garden to an unpopular elderly neighbor. Because of the staggering generosity he has received, he cooks and cleans for her too. It’s baffling to the other gardeners, but it catches their attention.
Yes, a new city breaks through as followers of Jesus speak and live out the news that because of His death and resurrection, we no longer have to navigate life as friendless orphans scrounging and jostling to secure our next meal.
Because the reality is that every moment of every day we are the favorite daughter of the Dad who throws the best parties around. Even more incredibly, our Dad is the Chair of every committee that runs the new city of New York, and He’s inviting us to work with Him to make streets safe and schools vibrant, to drive out hunger and hostility, and create lasting opportunities for everyone—not just those born in the right zipcodes–to flourish.
So the new New York tastes like jerk chicken and sno cones served at Friday night dinners in the church backyard. Come as you are. It’s the feeling of a solid handshake at the end of a police and youth roundtable meeting where trust and understanding are being forged against all odds.
From the moment the angel Gabriel tells an unsuspecting Mary that she has found favor with God, that she has his smile of approval in Luke’s biography of Jesus, we watch as God’s favor on all of humanity bubbles up, springs forth, and rushes out over Galilee, Judea, and into all the world.
Will we, who in Christ will always and forever enjoy God’s smile, join in the slow but sure work of making his new city visible?
We can get started, and continue this work today:
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In 2018, Garrett and his wife Gabby asked themselves, “If we knew we had God’s blessing, what’s the boldest, most meaningful thing we could do?”
“We don’t live in a religious desert. But it is a church desert.” When Larry and his wife Lindsey moved to Western Queens, there were about 30 mosques and temples in the neighborhood and barely any churches.
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Shenaya Dias works for Redeemer City to City as the Classroom and Student Success.
Coordinator for the City Ministry Program (CMP) at Redeemer City to City. She is originally from Negombo, Sri Lanka, but she has been in New York for the past four years. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics, Pre-Law from Fordham University. Prior to this position, Shenaya worked as a Paralegal Specialist for the US Department of Justice in Manhattan. She is also an unreached prayer writer for the Joshua Project. A fun fact about Shenaya, she used to be a competitive Ocean/Sea Swimmer back in Sri Lanka. Some of her hobbies include playing the piano and traveling.