Incarnation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nis God\u2019s shocking insistence that flesh and blood like ours<\/p>\n
be the medium of God\u2019s Word. <\/p>\n
The Incarnation was necessitated by the Fall. Having been \u201cclothed with skin\u201d only after<\/em> the Fall, Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise. From then on, anyone clothed in skin is sure to die. Thus, it was necessary for God to take on human flesh to free us from eternal death, thereby rescuing us, God save us, back toward Paradise.<\/p>\nDivorcing the Incarnation from the reality of the Fall and Redemption is, one must admit, lacking in the Bishop\u2019s poem. It could be that current Episcopalian theology may also lack the concept.<\/p>\n
No abstraction,<\/em><\/p>\nno lofty vision,<\/p>\n
no finely wrought dogma,<\/p>\n
no sacred tradition can mollify the shock of this truth:<\/p>\n
What is Bishop Griswold saying here? Without the \u201csacred tradition\u201d of the Prophets of old, the people of Israel, without Divine revelation, we wouldn\u2019t even be discussing this poem. You cannot separate the Incarnation from God\u2019s preceding<\/em> revelation, the Law and the Prophets.<\/p>\nI\u2019ll leave the word \u201cabstraction\u201d for someone smarter to parse, but \u201clofty vision\u201d and \u201cfinely wrought dogma\u201d are, I would maintain, part and parcel of the Incarnation itself.<\/p>\n
As one of us<\/em><\/p>\nThe Word comes to dwell among us<\/p>\n
and within us,<\/p>\n
as a newborn child,<\/p>\n
as Jesus. <\/p>\n
True, the Word comes to dwell among us and as a newborn child. But, within us? The Word dwells within us? This is the part of the Incarnation? I am Mary hear me roar?<\/p>\n
May our flesh and blood too be made the route of Christ\u2019s continuing self-gift<\/em><\/p>\nto our world<\/p>\n
in words and deeds of love and truth,<\/p>\n
mercy and indignation,<\/p>\n
healing and forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Let us dare to welcome the Word.<\/p>\n
I have no idea what this sentence means: May our flesh and blood too be made the route of Christ\u2019s continuing self-gift<\/em><\/p>\nThis, it appears to me, is pure humanism which denies the Divine nature and the centrality of Incarnational worship, the Eucharist. I realize that Bishop Griswold is encouraging his flock to be<\/strong><\/em> Christ to a needy world. But, really, Christ is the gift, if you will, that keeps on giving \u2014 not us!<\/p>\nDid he really say mercy and indignation<\/em> ?<\/p>\nThat\u2019s bold for the Primate who has seen thousands of indignant God-fearing believers flee his church in search of lofty vision, finely wrought dogma, and sacred tradition.<\/p>\n
The Bishop uses the words shocking<\/em> and shock<\/em> in his brief poem. This seems appropriate because, as of late, no church has been more shocking<\/strong> and left believers in such a state of shock<\/strong> as has Bishop Griswold\u2019s.<\/p>\nMercy!
<\/em>
I mean, what exactly are contented Episcopalians \u2014 his audience, I assume \u2014 supposed to be indignant about<\/strong><\/em>?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few thoughts \u2014 actually, a goodly measure of criticism \u2014 on the Presiding Bishop\u2019s 2005 Christmas Message \u2026 from Episcopal News Service Incarnation is God\u2019s shocking insistence that flesh and blood like ours be the medium of God\u2019s Word. No abstraction, no lofty vision, no finely wrought dogma, no sacred tradition can mollify the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1691,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n