The Outsiders | God is in Galilee

In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, the road by the sea, across the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned. 

Isaiah 9:1-2 (Common English Bible)

This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light, and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death. 

Matthew 4:14-16 (Common English Bible)

Isaiah saw it coming centuries before it happened. The people walking in darkness would see a great light. The light wouldn't dawn in Jerusalem, the city already filled with light. It would dawn in Galilee, the place Isaiah describes as "pitch-dark."

And Matthew wants us to understand that this wasn't a mistake or a backup plan. This was God's plan all along. God always intended to start in Galilee. God always intended to bring light to the people living in darkness rather than adding more light to the place that already had plenty.

This week, we've explored what it means that Jesus started his ministry in Galilee instead of Jerusalem. We've examined why we expect God to work in the center when God consistently shows up at the margins. We've acknowledged the ways we dismiss places and people because they don't fit our categories. We've confronted the danger of being so invested in our expectations that we miss what God is actually doing.

But it all comes down to this: Are we going to keep waiting in Jerusalem, or are we going to join God in Galilee?

Because God is in Galilee. Right now. God is working in the overlooked neighborhoods, through the dismissed people, in the unexpected places. God is bringing light to those living in darkness. God is honoring what the world has humbled. God is doing powerful work at the margins while we're waiting for something impressive to happen at the center.

So what does it mean to join God in Galilee?

It means noticing the kingdom work happening in small churches, community organizations, and grassroots movements that will never make headlines. It means recognizing God at work through ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of love even when they don't have platforms or credentials.

It means investing our time, our energy, and our resources in places we've been overlooking. It means showing up in neighborhoods we've been avoiding. It means partnering with people who are already doing the work rather than insisting they join our programs and fit our models.

It means letting go of our need to control how God works. It means releasing our insistence that God should show up in the ways we expect, through the people we recognize, in the places we've decided are important. It means trusting that God's logic is better than ours, even when it doesn't make sense to us.

And it means being willing to be part of Galilee ourselves. Because some of us aren't just being called to join God in Galilee. We are Galilee. We're in the small churches, the overlooked neighborhoods, the dismissed places. We're the ordinary people without platforms trying to love our neighbors well. And we need to hear this: God chose Galilee. God is working through you. God is bringing light through your faithfulness even if it never gets recognized or celebrated in Jerusalem.

So stop waiting for permission from Jerusalem. Stop looking to the center for validation. Stop believing the lie that God only works in impressive ways through impressive people in impressive places. Because God chose Galilee. God is in Galilee. And God is inviting you to join what's already happening there.

Isaiah saw it coming. Matthew showed us it happened. And it's still happening today. The people walking in darkness are seeing a great light. And that light is dawning in Galilee, not Jerusalem. At the margins, not the center. In the places we least expect.

The only question is whether we're paying attention. The only question is whether we're willing to join God there.

Prayer:

God, you chose Galilee over Jerusalem. You chose the margins over the center. You chose the unexpected over the obvious. Forgive us for waiting in Jerusalem while you're working in Galilee. Help us join what you're already doing at the margins. Open our eyes to see the kingdom work happening in overlooked places through dismissed people. Give us the courage to invest ourselves in Galilee instead of waiting for something impressive to happen in Jerusalem. And if we are Galilee, if we're the ones being overlooked and dismissed, help us trust that you've chosen us, that you're working through us, that you're bringing light through our faithfulness. Thank you for consistently showing up where we least expect. Help us learn to expect you there. Amen.