The Incarnation Season


Some liturgists view the Church seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany as a unit, inviting the faithful into a deeper understanding of Emmanuel, “God with us.” It is a surprising and awe-inspiring event that God chooses to limit God’s self and live as one of us, a mortal being.
The season of Advent allows us both time and space to remind ourselves of what the world was like before Jesus was born.  We also walk with the faithful (Mary!) and not so faithful (Zachariah!) as they struggle to understand and respond to the Spirit’s work in their lives. 
We celebrate the miracle of the “Word made flesh” during the Christmas season.  Unfortunately, reflections on the incarnation can be overshadowed by our secular observances, vacations and other distractions.  It is important to take some time to reflect on this wondrous event and how it affected everything in our world forever.
The Season after the Epiphany varies in length depending on the date of Easter.  We are blessed that this year that we get 8 weeks to live into the utter joy and truth of the Incarnation! This is a great opportunity to reflect on the most direct revelation of God to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Rather than speaking through prophets, as God did many times through history, God breaks into human history by experiencing Creation in mortal flesh.  This action, almost by definition, means that God chose to suffer as mortal flesh does by its very nature.  It gets hungry and needs to be fed; it gets tired and needs to sleep; it gets cold or hot, or sick or broken – and that is just normal life, even before others effect one’s flesh!  Essentially, God was willing to experience death in some way by choosing to take on our life because all mortal beings do eventually die.  And yet God willingly became mortal just to be with us in such an intimate way to let us know how much we are loved.  Wow.
The Incarnation breaks into the world with ultimate power, which the Bible expresses as light.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus states, “I AM the light of the world.”  This metaphor, in the tradition of God revealing to Moses that God’s name is “I AM who I AM,” helps us see (literally!) how Christ’s presence in the world offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  The darkness of ignorance and fear is obliterated by God’s presence in our world.  Such light only allows truth to be, which may cause some to hide from it as they don’t want to be truthful, even to themselves. The gift of the light is freedom from fear and shame. Accepting that freedom requires us to live in the light, regardless of what it exposes.  Nothing can be hidden from God’s light, and though God’s love, as revealed in the Incarnation, God understands our brokenness, our suffering, our need.
During Epiphany, I encourage us all to consider how to live in the light and respond to the gift of the Incarnation.  How does accepting the light of the world change how we live?  Is there anything we are trying to hide in the dark?  What are we afraid of by exposing it?  Can we let go of any fear or shame and be transformed?
May the joy and truth of the Incarnation be made manifest in your life today and every day.
In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+

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