Place Matters

Much of the New Testament was written with specific places in mind.  For example, we know that  the Apostle Paul penned most of his letters to Christians in specific localities, places like Corinth, Galatia, Philippi and Rome. Additionally, it is now widely believed among scholars that the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were originally written to be read and savored by churches in four different locations.  Mark, for example, was probably written for the house churches in Rome.  Matthew was probably written for the church in Antioch.  Similarly, Luke and John were written for particular communities of Christians.  1 and 2 Timothy were written to help Timothy faithfully oversee the church in Ephesus.  1 Peter was distributed to several churches in what is now northern Turkey.  I could go on and on, but I think the point is clear.  Most of the documents of the New Testament were originally written with specific people in particular places in mind.  

You're no doubt wondering, so what?  In a word (okay, two words), place matters.   For me, the importance of place comes into greater focus when I think about what the New Testament is not.  The New Testament is not a bunch of abstract, general truth statements and principles, written randomly with no particular people in mind.  I suppose it could have been.  Perhaps we could have received a New Testament that is a straightforward list of principles by which we're supposed to live our lives.  ("Work hard, eat your vegetables, don't eat yellow snow," that sort of thing.)  Instead, what we have in the New Testament  are these earthy documents written with particular people in mind, inviting, directing and challenging them to live as a new creation in their particular place.  

I know I'm strange, but I find all of this very exciting.  This emphasis on place in the New Testament suggests to me that God is not so much interested in forming people who are right about everything (if so, the NT should have looked like a legal document), but rather on forming people who rightly embody the grace of God in their particular communities. In other words, right now, even now, the Spirit is forming people who have the soil of Gratiot County (or wherever you may be as you read this) under their fingernails, people who love their place and work steadfastly for its renewal.

Reflections on a Small Town

My family and I moved to Alma, Michigan from Phoenix, Arizona in the fall of '99.  The contrast between these two locations is, as you can imagine, like night and day (or Democrat and Republican--choose your analogy).  Looking back, I think I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about moving to a small town.  I don't want to overstate this.  It certainly wasn't as though I ever out and out disliked being in a small town.  I did, however, occasionally grouse about the local restaurants and the entertainment options (or, as I would have said, the lack thereof) and  I complained about the sparse local newspaper, as it compared with the daily tome I had grown accustomed to in Phoenix.  I think a few "Mayberry" jokes slipped off my tongue in those early months.   I spent the first year or so pining for the activity and the sunshine of Phoenix.

I make mention of this today because recently I have enjoyed a deep and real sense of gratitude for the opportunities I enjoy living in this small town, amid a cluster of small towns, in Gratiot County, Michigan.  In particular, I am thankful for the community I enjoy in this community.  I recently ducked in to the local hardware store to purchase a couple of small items.  I was warmly greeted--by name--by no less than three of the employees.  A day or so later, I enjoyed a brief but enjoyable serendipitous conversation with our mayor, on another day a short but thoughtful exchange with a man I had just met.   While out on a run or doing some shopping, waiting for the  barber or doing my banking, there is enough time, trust and hospitality in this small town for strangers and friends to welcome one another every day. 

I find that this 'public life' adds to the quality of life in ways that are difficult to explain or express.  By 'public life' I mean the many, casual connections that we enjoy on an almost daily basis.  I won't deny that I occasionally miss a wide variety of options for eating out.  And there are certainly days that I miss the excitement of living in a large, metropolitan city.  For now, however, I'm content and enjoying life in this small town.