Flesh It Out
The birth of Jesus, which we remember through these weeks of advent and especially two days from now, is the deepest mystery I know.
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. The Word put aside position and power, and took on human weakness to the extreme, while continuing to also be the Word, in the form of flesh.
There had been declarations, covenants, and words before, between God and creation... but finally the Word became flesh in order to fulfill all that had preceded. To flesh it out.
I love contemplating the craziness, shock, ridiculousness, absurdity, drama, brilliance, and simplicity of this event.
What a mystery: that the artist would enter into the art, in order to help it overcome the places where it's "stuck."
And what an inspiration. A stimulus package for worn out souls.
This year, here's another thing that inspires me about Jesus becoming flesh: the reminder that we need to and can do the same. We need to Flesh It Out too.
Ideas have their place but if they stop short of action and never take a real form, they're hollow, maybe even arrogant.
Words are great, but without real love they're just clanging cymbals.
Intentions are good for paving roads, not much more.
Dreams can only inspire so much, but actions, discipline, sacrifice, commitment, dedication, and resolve are needed to realize (fulfill) dreams, especially in a context so full of resistance as the human experience.
It requires faith to believe that the Word became flesh. (Of course, it requires at least as much faith to disbelieve this.)
But even belief, on its own, is fragile and vulnerable. Belief needs a companion. Belief needs bones and skin so it can go into the neighborhood.
It takes true faith to flesh it out - to demostrate and participate, in our daily lives, in the life-changing implications of what God has done and wants us to "do likewise."
The New Testament's gospels and epistles are centered on this theme, as is the whole history of God's redemption of God's own art.
Grace and Peace to you this season as you absorb more of the deep mystery of Jesus' birth, and become part of the peace on earth he came to unveil.


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Happy Earth Day. I don't know, is that the proper greeting on Earth Day?
