What does it mean for us that God chose to enter the world in flesh and blood — incarnate — through a poor baby in Bethlehem? We invited a dozen theobloggers to consider the question: “Why Does the Incarnation Matter?” And we asked them, as usual, to do it in 100 words or less. We’ll be sharing one response a day over the next couple of weeks here at Faith Forward.
Today, Spiritual Director and Episcopal Priest Fred Schmidt shares his reflections:
If Jesus is just a good guy, then the world has one more hero — but nothing more — and we are stuck with no way out. You can stack up martyrs like firewood (and many have), but the world will remain broken.
If God had not bothered to tell us that we are beloved by entering into our lives, then we are stuck with the architect of the cosmos, living at a comfortable, divine arm’s length from our chaos. Nicely celebrated at the opening of Congress and football games, but no earthly good.
The incarnation says “no” to both alternatives. God is different enough to be capable of saving us — and enough like us to understand our needs.
Read the rest of the responses to “Why The Incarnation Matters” here, and join the conversation.
Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. is an author, Episcopal Priest, and Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality at Perkins School of Theology. He blogs at his Patheos Expert site here.
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