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| Illustration by Hanna Barczyk in The New York Times article "The Christmas Revolution" |
How do we marvel again at the Incarnation as we wonder at the mystery of God with us at the close of 2017?
The incarnation reveals that the divine principle governing the universe is a radical commitment to the dignity and worth of every person, since we are created in the divine image.
But just as basic is the notion that we have value because God values us. Steve Hayner, a theologian who died earlier this year, illustrated this point to me when he observed that gold is valuable not because there is something about gold that is intrinsically of great worth but because someone values it. Similarly, human beings have worth because we are valued by God, who took on flesh, entered our world, and shared our experiences — love, joy, compassion and intimate friendships; anger, sorrow, suffering and tears. For Christians, God is not distant or detached; he is a God of wounds. All of this elevated the human experience and laid the groundwork for the ideas of individual dignity and inalienable rights.
In his book “A Brief History of Thought,” the secular humanist and French philosopher Luc Ferry writes that in contrast with the Greek understanding of humanity, “Christianity was to introduce the notion that humanity was fundamentally identical, that men were equal in dignity — an unprecedented idea at the time, and one to which our world owes its entire democratic inheritance.”Indeed, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (blessed are the poor in spirit and the pure in heart, the meek and the merciful), his touching of lepers, and his association with outcasts and sinners were fundamentally at odds with the way the Greek and Roman worlds viewed life, where social status was everything.
“Christianity placed charity at the center of its spiritual life as no pagan cult ever had,” according to the theologian David Bentley Hart, “and raised the care of widows, orphans, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor to the level of the highest of religious obligations.” Christianity played a key role in ending slavery and segregation. Today Christians are taking the lead against human trafficking and on behalf of unborn life. They maintain countless hospitals, hospices and orphanages around the world.
The Incarnation is theological poetry, the Word Made flesh and transforming us.
"The Incarnation," by hip-hop artist and spoken word poet Odd Thomas, also helps answer this question with some theological poetry, confronting me with the mysterious and propulsive wonder of Jesus. If everything in this poem is true, and I desperately need it and believe it to be true, then I want to follow Him, the incarnate Deity.
Odd Thomas "The Incarnation" Advent Spoken Word
“What
good is the Christmas story if it’s void of God and His glory?
What’s
the worth of the words ‘peace on earth’
if it’s not rooted in the Truth of
Christ’s birth?
What
benefit is it for us to discuss the joy of the season unless we fix our hearts
and minds on the principal reason that Christ has atoned for us?
See
Christmas is more than just a story of a baby born in a manger,
More
than a poor fiancé engaged to a humble virgin teenager,
More
than a Magi, more than gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It’s
more than a narrative of a Nativity scene, it was so much more that occurred.
It’s
the coming of the Messiah, the fulfillment of all Old Testament promises,
The
prophecy of the suffering Servant and all of His accomplishments,
The
second Person of the Trinity commissioned to abandon His position,
And
literally set aside the independent exercise of His attributes in full
submission,
The
Word manifested in the flesh, the fullness of God expressed,
The
self-emptying Jesus poured out at the Father’s request,
The
image of the invisible God, the radiance of the Father’s fame,
Holy,
but retained His humanness to empathize with our pain.
He
was unjustly crushed, chastised, cursed and shamed,
Mocked
and adorned with a crown of thorns, disgraced but He still faced the grave,
To
fulfill the Father’s will, to come and die in the place of sinful men,
And
receive the fully fury of God’s judgment upon Himself instead,
The
most monumental mark for mankind made in human history,
Wretched
sinners being made righteous only by the wounds of the risen King,
The
condescending of a holy God made in the likeness of men,
A
child born to be the Savior that would save the world from their sins,
The
offspring of the virgin’s womb,
The
Christ, God’s own Son, fully God, yet fully man, the only theanthropic One.
This
is what we celebrate, Christ the newborn King, veiled in flesh, the Godhead
seen,
Hailed
incarnate Deity.”
7 ways to live out Incarnational community in Worcester, MA during this season of Advent 2017
I love how The Message describes Jesus' Incarnation: "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood" (John 1:14). Jesus, the Incarnation, said "As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:21-22). Jesus gave us these words and His Spirit to move us to action by faith. And in trusting Him fully as we follow His lead, we learn how to engage with others who in some ways are not like us, but in their need for an incarnational God, are exactly like us. It starts by taking some small steps (thanks goes to Jonathan Dodson for help with the list below):
- Eat with others. Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Or invite neighbors over for lunch or dinner. When you go out for a meal, invite people you’ve just met the past week. Cookout for people in your neighborhood. Schedule time ahead to eat with those you meet at Elm Park, The Ecotarium, Kendrick Field, or a local Spray Park.
- Walk and drive with an eye for connecting. Make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex or campus. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Take an interest in others.
- Be a regular at grocery stores and restaurants. Go to the same places – like Nu Cafe, Armsby Abbey, Mezcal, BirchTree Bread Company, Wicked Wing Co. – and get to know the staff. Build relationships.
- Hobby with others around your city and town. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Play basketball at the Y, check out the local farmer's market on Green Street a Saturday morning, peruse some antiques at Crompton Collective. Have fun. Be yourself.
- Volunteer with nonprofits. Find a nonprofit in your area of Worcester – like W.R.A.P., Net of Compassion, You, Inc., or Ascentria Care – and take one Saturday per month to serve. Bring friends. Spend time with others serving your city together.
- Participate in city or town events. Go to a show or concert at the Hanover Theatre, the DCU Center, or Mechanics Hall. Reflect on what you see and hear. Participate with people and love Worcester.
- Serve your neighbors. Help a neighbor by raking a yard, sharing a meal, making a repair, etc. Ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Get creative and then set some time aside.
With Emmaus City, we are a church of City Groups (i.e. missional communities) who seek to embody the actions above together. We join with Jesus, the Son of Man who said: "I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life.” (Mark 10:45). We aim to emulate Him in living with no prejudices or presumptions in order to love others like Jesus does and share His gospel in word and deed so that we might all know this mighty Savior, Healer, Rescuer, and King. And if we do this together with Him and with each other, we’re never alone. We not only have Immanuel – God with us – we also have Jesus – The Lord saves.
And who knows how many we might see receive Him, the greatest gift of all time before 2017 comes to a close? Lord, please make it happen for the salvation of many and the glory of Jesus.
Christ is all,
Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan
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