Incarnation

Post #1,997 (just in case you've been counting).

I was reading blogs this evening and ran across one I have never seen before called Barefoot and Laughing.  The author's latest post is called Incarnation.

Kirsten, the author, was diagnosed with melanoma during seminary.  In this post, she talks about resurrection -- how when she has a good medical report, she feels resurrected.  At this point, on Christmas Day, however, she writes about incarnation.

Incarnation -- the embodiment of God in some earthly form. 

I most often think -- in fact, I think I have only considered incarnation to be the birth of Christ in human form.  Jesus, completely human and completely divine.

Her blog post considers something different.  God in us.  God, as Holy Spirit, inhabits us.  Different, of course, from the birth of Christ.  Still, though, God is with us, among us, in us, part of us, dwelling in us.  We are Holy Ground.  And that Ground may be muddy and not very beautiful.  We have parts of ourselves we are willing to share with anyone, and parts of ourselves that we would rather hide, not sharing.  There are parts of ourselves that are presentable, beautiful, lovable.  And then there are parts of ourselves that are ugly, sinful, and worthy only of disdain.  God dwells in all places.  He lives among us, in the beautiful and the ugly.  He inhabits both the lovable and the places of scorn. 

Because we have been rescued by a loving God, we have been re-created.  We have been transformed.  Even the parts of ourselves that we would never claim are claimed by God.  Inhabited by God.  What was ugly is made beautiful by God's presence.  What we hate about ourselves is made lovable by the love of God. 

Every corner, even the most dark, is inhabited by God.

Him there is no darkness at all;
The night and the day are both alike
The lamb is the Light of the city of God
Shine in my heart Lord Jesus.
(Refrain from "I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light"