Union with God: The Incarnation and Its Consequences

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 

The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 

That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete." (1 John 1:1-4)

As we approach the end of this Christmas season, I keep returning to the doctrine of the incarnation. St. John writes in the opening verses of his gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The Word, the second person of the Trinity, broke through to our timeline and dwelt in a virgin's womb for nine months. By her, he became a man, and his name is Jeshua, Jesus, which means “Salvation.” As a human child, he grew. He fed from his mother’s milk, just like us. He first crawled then learned to walk, just like us. He fell and bruised his knees, just like us. He even lived through puberty, just like us. He grew in wisdom and knowledge, just like us. He was like us in every way save one – he knew no sin. He entered into his creation that he might redeem and renew it. This is the Doctrine of the Incarnation: God became man so that we might become one with him through his body. Jesus is 100% human while maintaining full 100% divinity. If the math sounds wrong it's because this is a mystery, something we will never be able to fully grasp. The Apostle Paul calls it "the mystery of godliness" (1 Tim. 3:16).

The Physicalness of Salvation - The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel."

Today, we celebrate the "Presentation of Christ in the Temple," also called the "Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

The Nunc Dimmitis (so named because of the first two words in the Latin translation) are the words Simeon proclaims when he sees the Christ child (see Luke 2:29-32). God had promised Simeon that he would lay eyes on the promised Messiah before he died. This man stares at baby Jesus and can actually say "mine eyes have seen thy salvation."

I don't know about you, but I don't usually think of Salvation as being something physical. I think many Christians would think of salvation as an event -- the event of a man dying on a cross or the event of atonement.Yet, here in the gospel of Luke, the Bible declares that salvation is physical and walking around -- salvation is found in the physical body of Jesus Christ. If Simeon can look at baby Jesus and utter this provocative phrase, "mine eyes have seen thy salvation," then that means that salvation is located spatially, in tangible things. Salvation is located in the person of Jesus Christ.

By extension, wherever Jesus is -- wherever his body is -- we may join our voices with Simeon and locate salvation there. Where does Jesus claim his body is located? There are 3 places.

Imago Dei: Incarnation as the Means of Restoration

 What does it mean to be human? This question has been asked by different people throughout history. The Psalmist rightly frames the question within the context of God’s order. He asks, “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4). Because humanity draws its significance from God, humanity finds significance within God’s narrative.

Your Body Is Important

One of the most remarkable changes that happened  to me over the past few years took place in the context of worship. I began attending an Anglican church. This was much more than a change in the types of churches and styles of worship with which I had previously been involved; it was radical change in worldview.