A Comment on the Incarnation
The incarnation, God becoming human in the form of Jesus, has fascinated people for centuries. There is so much artwork on the incarnation, lots of stories, and many different interpretations of the incarnation, even within the Gospels. The incarnation means many different things to many different people. The incarnation is the basis for Christianity, but for me, it means so much more than just that.
It is amazing to me that God would take the time to take on a human nature. I feel as though it is possible that God remembered many things from viewing the world from the perspectives of humans. As the old saying goes, if you want to understand a person, walk a mile in their shoes. Whether or not God actually learned, or if God just remembered what it is like for the humans that God created, or if God came down to earth simply for our salvation, the important part is that God spent time among humans.
One of the most important parts of the incarnation is that Jesus sets a pretty good example for how we, as Christians, should live. He spoke to those that other people in his society and his religion viewed as dangerous, or lesser. He treated them like people, rather than “other,” which I think is an important thing that many people forget to do in today’s society. Overall, God spending time among humans provides humans with an example of how to live their lives. We can’t all be Jesus, but we can certainly try.
Ultimately, the incarnation means salvation, which to me, means hope. Hope is something that I believe everyone should have, whether it is hope for a better future, hope for seeing someone you miss, or hope for something else. Hope is important because it helps people to keep going, even when things never seem as though they will get better. Some days, everything can seem hopeless. But for me the incarnation, and the salvation that comes with it, provides hope.
It is amazing to me that God would take the time to take on a human nature. I feel as though it is possible that God remembered many things from viewing the world from the perspectives of humans. As the old saying goes, if you want to understand a person, walk a mile in their shoes. Whether or not God actually learned, or if God just remembered what it is like for the humans that God created, or if God came down to earth simply for our salvation, the important part is that God spent time among humans.
One of the most important parts of the incarnation is that Jesus sets a pretty good example for how we, as Christians, should live. He spoke to those that other people in his society and his religion viewed as dangerous, or lesser. He treated them like people, rather than “other,” which I think is an important thing that many people forget to do in today’s society. Overall, God spending time among humans provides humans with an example of how to live their lives. We can’t all be Jesus, but we can certainly try.
Ultimately, the incarnation means salvation, which to me, means hope. Hope is something that I believe everyone should have, whether it is hope for a better future, hope for seeing someone you miss, or hope for something else. Hope is important because it helps people to keep going, even when things never seem as though they will get better. Some days, everything can seem hopeless. But for me the incarnation, and the salvation that comes with it, provides hope.
 |
| Angela Lovegrove is a seminarian at Wesley. |
Comments
Post a Comment