The foundation of our faith is rooted in the ongoing challenge of God’s incarnation in Jesus. Incarnation continually challenges our thoughts of God’s divinity and mystery, providing new ways of understanding who God is and what God desires.
It is not a traditional aspect of our faith but a persistent challenge not smothered by time or human violence, urging us to redefine our identities by God’s example continually.
Over the years, I have heard of the surprise and analysis of The Message’s translation and contextualization of John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” The image of moving into the neighborhood is a relatable and divine moment for human history and the Gospel’s impact.
As someone who had lived in the same house for 27 years, I had no clue what moving meant until I got married and moved into my new home with my wife. I now know moving implies packing, organizing, choosing and giving space, remodeling, changing and the general sense of detachment.
I felt exhausted the first day at my new home almost five years ago. I feel exhausted remembering and writing about it.
Can you imagine God moving? Can we bear the image of a God who stretches for change?
Will we worship and serve a God who packs love in a new dimension? Are we to imitate that same aspect of the divine?
The value of becoming, an example set by God, is a transformative force for humanity. It fosters change, closeness, gospel-driven actions, and kingdom-focused love, inspiring us to strive for a higher spiritual plane.
In her book “Pastoral Leadership to Foster Innovative Churches,” Dr. Alicia Graholm describes the value of becoming by looking at Jesus’ ministry and the way he became relatable to a culture, and spoke a common language for people to understand. He also believed in new hope and was present in places where time was holy for meeting people.
What are we becoming? How are we accepting and respecting others’ processes of becoming?
Do we truly understand how to become part of the Spirit’s movement? Empathizing with others and their spiritual journeys fosters community and understanding.
We can’t fully celebrate the incarnation without valuing new ways of life that other people experience. Whether or not they align with our perspectives, being inclusive and accepting is essential.
We can’t be the people of the new creation if we are stuck in a spirituality that lacks love and presence, if our faith is shaken by an opening ceremony at an Olympic event, or because a person doesn’t “qualify” with our concept of gender. Becoming can also be interpreted as assimilation.
When I moved, the process of assimilation to a new place, people, and culture was motivating and frightening. Assimilation means grasping the significance of newness.
However, we need to be careful how we assimilate. Violent assimilation has led my Puerto Rican country into colonization for centuries. As Dr. Willie James Jennings affirmed in his book “After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging,” we need an assimilation that does not harm but heals.
We must understand and assimilate as a form of hope not oppression, an opportunity for formation not misinformation, and a liberating proclamation not silence. Jesus’ kingdom calls us to assimilate into the reality of love, mercy, and justice (Micah 6:8).
Can you imagine God assimilating? What would Jesus have assimilated into as God and human simultaneously? What does the church need to assimilate into today?
How about we strive to become a church that moves into the neighborhood? Let’s incarnate, packing up the hate we don’t need, reorganizing our opinions of others, and choosing a new room to be the body of Christ.
The value of becoming is not a fixed process, a prize, or a force that empowers us. It makes us human, continuing the race of faith and collectively sharing the gospel power of love—all for the sake of being us.
