Wesley Journal December 2018: Incarnation



I sometimes think that seminarians get the shortest end of every stick. Advent is one of the busiest times in the church calendar and many of us are active members of the faith community we attend or serve, caught up in the hustle and bustle of helping our congregations prepare their hearts for the wonder we'll celebrate on Christmas. We'll rewrite the script for the Christmas pageant, organize the advent devotion, and help the pastor go on a search for the good ornaments for the Chrismon tree, buried somewhere in the church basement.

All the while, of course, finals are looming over us. The semester is rushing toward its end and we are at the mercy of papers and projects and in-class exams. We're exhausted and spent and if one more person tells us to breathe and "practice self-care," we're going to lose it. We're being pulled in all directions and it is overwhelming. But at least we're not alone in this. Not alone at all.

For this edition of the Journal, we invited students to reflect on what the incarnation means to them. What does it mean for the Word to become flesh and live among us? How can we begin to understand what it means to be loved by a Love so powerful that Love couldn't stay away, but came instead to be with us, being born among the poorest of us? Contributions to this issue of the Journal include:
You can read the full PDF version of this issue here.

So take a moment to back up your work, then close the computer and the books and join us and some shepherds in Bethlehem. We have some wonderful things to see.

Jo Schonewolf
Editor, Wesley Journal
12/5/18

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