The Missional Imperative of Incarnation

"Adoration of the Shepherds" by Rembrandt van Rijn

Submitted by Jim Capaldo, Regional President

"As the father has sent me, even so I am sending you." John 20:21b ESV

When missionary-minded people prepare to minister to their communities, be it your local community with multiple church buildings or a distant tribal community in an unreached land, this command of Christ is paramount for informing how we are to go about the work of the ministry.  The question of how we should go about ministering as church members, missionaries, or pastors is answered in the words of Christ, "as the father has sent me."  All Christ-followers are presently being sent, just as the Father sent Christ.  

Because this is our imperative instruction, it is important to understand how Christ was sent. In a word, he was incarnated. Though it is infinitely richer than one phrase can capture, an applicable understanding of Christ's incarnation can be summed up with this statement, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory..." (John 1:14a ESV). Being sent as Christ was sent means that we must break into our present context and relationally make the glory of Christ seen in our actions, language, attitudes, and responses. Easier said than done, right? 

Consider the paradox of the Christmas holiday.  It exists to celebrate Christ's incarnation, and yet it is a season in which historic traditions are paramount.  For example, my wife has a Christmas tradition of baking delicious homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. This has been going on for years, and let there be a biblical "Woe!" to anyone who tries to change this tradition!  Doing things differently in the present can sometimes feel disrespectful to the traditions and experiences of our past. Traditions create nostalgia, and change is all too easy to resist when we are cozied up to the warm glow of nostalgia.  However, nostalgia is not incarnational. Incarnation breaks into the present, whereas nostalgia is locked in the past. 

Let us be reminded that God became flesh within the present world of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and the entire world! He came as the creator of the world, and yet he timelessly ministered within present-day realities.  At any moment of his earthly ministry, Jesus could have leaned into the nostalgic traditions and expectations of any living human, but he ministered in their present, offered future hope, and gave us a view of God's eternal glory. Though Jesus is Lord of eternity past, he entered into the present, learned the language and landscapes of the people he served, and accomplished the salvation-providing mission for which he came.  And it is in this manner that Jesus sends us.  May the world behold God's glory as we intentionally and incarnationally express Christ's love to others today.