Incarnation's Mystery and Diversity's Messy

Incarnation’s Mystery and Diversity’s Messy

Written by Dan McDonald

 

            “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, the visible and the invisible.” The creed, which was substantially agreed upon after centuries of struggle includes mystery beyond any satisfying human explanation. One of my earliest pastors liked to describe the Gospel as simple enough a child could wade in the Gospel and deep enough that like the ocean no theologian could begin to dive its depths. We learn of the mystery not by being content to have a simple Gospel but by earnestly seeking to understand it with precision and learning in the process that to whatever degree we advance in our understanding that we know God only in part. He and his Gospel which is not a system of thoughts but the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ is always beyond what we can think, explain, or ask. Theology is prayer seeking understanding and so theology is always beyond what we can think, ask, or explain. We learn to realize in the depths of understanding to cry out in humility “Abba, Father.” Roughly translated that means we like little children run to meet our fathers, delightfully screaming with glee “Daddy, Daddy.”

 

The Gospel – a shoreline where children play

 

The Gospel – An ocean too deep for any theologian to fathom

 

            The Gospel presented to us in the Gospel is full of mystery. Think of what is being presented in a church that puts on a children’s Christmas pageant. A little boy is playing Joseph. A little girl is playing Mary. There are shepherd boys looking at yonder star. In the audience is a fundamentalist who believes in a six literal twenty-four hour per day creation and he understands that God created the star. There is another person embracing science and an ancient earth billions of years old and he too sees the glimmering star and believes God created it. But the star itself in the Gospel story signaled the birth of this child and pointed him out to the wise men because the star understood that it was standing above the Emmanuel, the God with us, the Word of God in whom this star was fashioned and brought into existence. This star was shining in the sky to bear witness of its creator. The star stood announcing to whom it owed its existence until the wise men would come to pay the same homage as the shining star.

 

Bethlehem decorated for Christmas

 

            He became flesh. He joined the meekness and lowliness of humanity to his perfect Divinity. Surely that is mystery beyond our ability to comprehend fully. He entered our humanity. Our humanity it is diverse. It is messy. We have a lot in common in all this diversity and in all this messy. We have all sinned. Let’s put it this way. David described in the Psalms how he did not forget the sins of his youth. Was it in our youth, or some other moment? We recall a sin that makes us cringe. We were so vile or evil to say something or to do something so deeply hurtful to another. There is some moment in our lives when we imagine ourselves as gallant, kind, and good; and wish others could be like us. Then we remember that moment and realize that forms of this evil remain nearer the core of our hearts and souls than we wish to believe.

            We might imagine that because we are Christian and have sought to follow Jesus that we are the insiders and others who worship within a different religion than Christianity must be on the outside. Then we remember how Jesus warned those hearing him around the Sea of Galilee how many who had lived in Sodom and Gomorrah would fare better in the Day of Judgment than many from Capernaum and Bethsaida. We can know every New Testament passage about judgment, and yet there are mysteries regarding the judgment we simply haven’t been granted to comprehend. God will save his people through Christ, but will such faith always be revealed in response to the Gospel? Or might such faith be recognized by a God who sees within the heart and soul, where one responds to what they do know by seeking to seek justice, do mercy, and to walk humbly? God will surely judge by truth with wisdom and not by mere appearances.

            But I have realized something within this that I find undeniable in my thinking. Incarnation’s mystery is that God so loved the world he gave his son. Incarnation’s mystery is that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt within humanity; within humanity with all its diversity and with all its messy. Jesus made his home with humanity’s diverse messy. In the person of Jesus Christ, Deity married humanity. In him, Incarnation met diversity and messy. He took up our cause and reached into our mess. When the leper represented a humanity others would not embrace, Jesus healed the leper by taking hold of him. When the woman was caught in adultery he protected her from her accusers that he might encourage her to go and sin no more in the power of his forgiveness. He spoke strongly to some but even in such strong words he spoke according to their truest human need.

            Incarnation’s mystery came to reside within humanity’s diverse messy. This helps this wanderer upon the earth to realize he has a home and a home address. I live at the intersection of incarnation’s mystery and diversity’s messy. I like this location for my home. It seems perfect. Life at this address is full and simple. I never imagined a place where life could ever be so simple. Everyone I know lives in this neighborhood built around the intersection of Incarnation’s Mystery and Diversity’s Messy.