January 2023

In the Flesh  

One of the passages of Scripture cherished by Christians, not only during the Christmas holidays but always, is John 1:1-18. Known as the Prologue to John, it contains perhaps the most influential verses in the history of Christian theology. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). The depths revealed here inspire in us wonder and awe. Our minds begin to soar. But just as profound is the statement: “And the Word became flesh, and lived among us” (John 1:14).   

Implied in this verse is what theologians have called the doctrine of the incarnation. The Word, the Son of God, assumed our humanity He came to live among us as one of us.   

Of course, the incarnation of the Word in the person of Jesus Christ is a unique and unrepeatable event. But Scripture also refers to us as members of Christ’s body. That is why theologian Louis-Marie Chauvet can say that Christ continues to take on flesh in the members of his body, whom we encounter in the church. In the same vein, theologian Karl Barth refers to the church, in an admittedly rather cumbersome phrase, as the “earthly, historical form of Christ’s existence.”    

The wonder of the incarnation is that God made this One, the incarnate Word, the only begotten Son of the Father, as the site of a face-to-face encounter with God, “in the flesh.” And God has made the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the site of a face-to-face encounter with Christ “in the flesh” in the members of his body.   

Today, in so many ways, our collective sense of connection to each other is badly frayed. An epidemic of loneliness consumes us. Depression and anxiety cripple us, leaving potential unused. We are social beings, not designed to live disembodied lives, spending more time in isolation staring at screens than interacting with the real world in real life (IRL). Addiction to screen-based technologies, whether it be television, computer, smartphone, or social media, disconnects us from others (and from our own bodies), and undermines our mental health.    

Belonging to a church can help. It means encountering Christ where he has promised to be in the members of his own body in ways that are impossible otherwise.   

As author Cheryl Magness notes, in the church, you can:   

Hold a baby for a parent who needs a break  

Place your own child into the aching arms of someone who doesn’t have one to hold 

Lift your voice in song with a unique blend of singers in praise to God  

Smell the flowers on the altar  

Receive Christ’s Body and Blood on your tongue.  

Enjoy coffee and donuts in the fellowship hall 

Get a visit from the pastor when you’re in the hospital.  

We all need these things as human beings “in the flesh.” And our neighbors who no longer or do not yet go to church need them too. Let us pray that it may be one of their New Year’s resolutions to go to church in real life (IRL).   

Blessings of the New Year to you,   

Pastor Chris