The Gospel of John
Matthew Philip
Daily Incarnation: 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The idea that God would desire to live among us takes my breath away. Humanly speaking, it’s a pretty poor choice; quite costly and without much of a return especially in frail and fickle me. That he willingly wraps his divine reach toward me in the form of a human being disturbs my simple expectations of power and influence.
Divinely, however, there is consistency. Approximately 3,500 years ago, when choosing to tabernacle among an ungrateful bunch of desert wanderers, Almighty God reiterated his preferred interest for fellowship with humankind. He chose to become one of us, move into our neighborhood, and embrace us with all our foibles – for a shared relational destiny!
Anita and I just returned from our son Vivek’s elementary school graduation. Along with most parents we made it just in time to slide into our seats, switch off cell phones, and nod to acquaintances – before adjusting ourselves to the world of our children; a very different world where we lose even our names. No longer are we Anita and Matthew, but Parents of Vivek and Kiran!
During the ride home, Anita and I reflected on the degree of involvement we have in the world of our children – their classmates, teachers and the other parents. While we do fulfill the occasional class volunteer roles and bake the expected dozen cookies a couple of times a year, we realized we have defaulted to a pretty low level of relational engagement.
Switching worlds, to my role as global outreach director in a larger church, I mentally reviewed our most recent missionary applications. Surprisingly, not one applicant even used the idea (let alone the word) incarnational to describe their future ministry. In stark contrast, in many of the newer missionary sending countries such as India, Brazil and Nigeria, a one-way ticket and a gap of three to five years before the first visit home are quite normal. Willingly and often permanently switching cultural customs is part and parcel of entering and influencing new relational networks.
As we begin to learn from John, an incarnational lifestyle is not about giving up everything, though there is an element of sacrifice and definitely one of identification. Rather, it is about relating and engaging so that their words of testimony become “you are one of us, like our own flesh and blood, there are no differences.” Joyfully entering the other ‘world,’ with an attitude of love and respect also characterize incarnation.
Over the next couple of days, join me in taking some time out to better define our worlds and our roles. I want to move from passive superficial involvement to transformational and incarnational intent. Whether in summer classes, prepping for a missions trip, commencing a part-time job or simply vacationing, we have multiple opportunities for transformational living. Will your summertime boss, fellow travelers, co-workers or even friends and family affirm your life as incarnational?
Gently, kindly, and always full of grace and truth, Jesus reminds me that the incarnation was his way of helping me better understand and love him and his ways. Defining our worlds and choosing to live incarnationally will help our summer sojourners also better understand and love him and his ways. Give it a shot.
Print
Email
Comments
Be the first one to add a comment.
To post a comment, please login or register