Word Made Flesh:: John 3

Way back when my wife and I were engaged I went to her grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. It was a great time of getting to know her extended family and over-eating, but the best moment was walking into the play room. It was a bunch of toys for the now fully grown grandkids and this Mork doll was part of the amazing collection. I didn't know they had even made Mork dolls, much less that one could still exist in the early 2000's. 

My fascination with the doll was noted and guess what showed up in my Christmas gift that year from Sally's grandmother that year?

If you haven't had the privilege of watching this amazing show that aired from 1978-1982, here's some of the things that really stuck. Robin Williams character Mork would sit on him head when asked to take a seat. He would great everyone by saying, "NaNu NaNu" with a very vulcan-like hand sign that turned into an awkward handshake. 

What was so great about the show is that it exposed through an alien culture and system how strange we all are. Every episode ended with a transmission from Mork to his home planet explaining some of our customs as extremely odd practices. By introducing a character who doesn't assume anything we do is normal, it shows us how strange the whole enterprise of being a human is. 

This week we're going to be looking at Jesus comment in John that we need to be "born again" or "born anew". What does it look like to orient your life in a way that takes nothing for granted? What if we take an alien's view of our lives and customs and normalize different values? How does Jesus invite us to make our experience of the world intentionally odd to see, speak and act in a way that brings mutually thriving to all?