We have seen God’s glory

John 1:14 has always been one of our core scriptures at Eden – particularly the Message Translation which reads:

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood.

The notion of ‘moving into the neighbourhood’ has inspired hundreds of people over the past 25+ years to join Eden teams and relocate into low-income communities across the UK as well as motivating those already living in such communities to re-order their time and priorities to intentionally reach those in the communities they already call home. 

Last month (November), we hosted all our current Eden teams at The Message Trust HQ in Manchester for our annual Eden Team Gathering. Our speaker, Noel Kenny, the leader of Liberty Church in Dublin came to share with us and he brought John 1:14 but read the whole verse:

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Noel drew our attention to the glory of God – the glory that we see revealed to us. At the end of the year, it’s good to step back and ask ourselves, ‘where have we seen God’s glory’?

• Training of emerging leaders – back in January we were invited to speak to a group of up and coming leaders on the M:Power course in Blackpool. Many people on the course had come to faith through the work of our Eden team and it was beautiful to see them growing in confidence and maturity in their faith

• Baptism of new Christians – we have seen so many baptisms as a result of Eden ministry across the UK this year. On Easter Sunday in Gurnell Grove, West London, we saw 13 Iranians and 1 teenage boy from the estate baptised in a beautiful celebration of hope. On 17 Nov over 20 people in the North East across 3 churches were baptised

• The planting and strengthening of local churches – we have seen a new church plant established in Fir Vale Sheffield after over a decade of work by our Eden team there, and celebrated our Eden leaders in Blackpool taking on the full leadership of the church 

• Longevity – we celebrated 10 years of our Eden team in Partington, Trafford, thanking God for their faithful service and particularly celebrating their work with youth 

• New leaders – we have welcomed new leaders into the network including Josh in London and Sarah in Redcar, young and passionate leaders who will build on already existing work and expand the capacity of our Eden teams in those places 

• Expanding the vision – we loved spending time in Nottingham this year with our Top Valley team as they drew together churches from across the area to challenge them not to forget estate ministry 

• Feeding the hungry – through our partnership with Community Groceries and other local initiatives, our teams have been proactively involved in providing support to those who are struggling with the cost of living through the very practical step of helping people access food

• Everyday life and hospitality – stories of team members taking in refugees and those struggling with homelessness, offering hospitality to those who have been bereaved and walking alongside the vulnerable, visiting people in prison, supporting those coming out of addiction

Noel also reminded us of a truth that we know all too well, that alongside the glory of God revealed, we also experience the gory reality of life on earth. In the same way, that first Christmas the Glory of the living God was revealed in the midst of everyday human life. 

This year, our teams have encountered loss, ill health, violence and disturbance in their communities and the ongoing effects of poverty and injustice, and yet one of leaders spoke about how blessed she and her family were by the way that her community rallied around when she was having a tough time. We see God’s glory revealed perhaps even more in the tough stuff of life. We have a God that doesn’t wait for the mess to be cleaned up before he will show himself – he turns up in the mess, the brokenness and the chaos and reveals himself, the light and life and hope of all. 

As the old carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, goes, 

Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The Everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight