Just a Minute...I've Got To Put On My Incarnational Face

Living a meaningful life in our family, neighborhood, and world

S.E. Fairbanks

Aug 12, 2023

“And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly….God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.’

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In this article:

Story — Putting On My Incarnational Face
Photographic Art — East Timor Sunrise
What’s in that word? — Incarnational
Other links to Look At

a man standing next to a tree in a forest — Photo by hafid.js on Unsplash

Putting On My Incarnational Face

Action is always superior to speech in the Gospels, which is why the Word became flesh and not newsprint.
—Colin M. Morris
…we become incarnational witnesses, people who must use our own lives to "put wheels on the gospel.”
—Andrew Root

The story of Jesus’ birth centers around a key theological idea known as incarnation — the time when the “Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Incarnation, we could say, means that Jesus took human form and moved into the neighborhood of humanity in a way that had never been done before.

Jesus was born as a Jew and became a well-known Jewish Rabbi. Most of his time, however, was spent outside the Temple. More surprisingly, it was in the direction of the religious leaders that Jesus directed his sharpest criticisms. The vast majority of Jesus’ ministry was spent out in the streets with people in the places where they lived, worked, and rested. He spent his time telling people that the kingdom of God was near. He was not kidding. The kingdom was much, much closer than anyone could have imagined!

When teaching undergraduates at the Nazarene Theological College, where I was an adjunct professor for seventeen years, I often talked with students about what I liked to call Missional DNA — those foundational principles that help us to live like Christ in our world, making is possible to effect meaningful impact in the lives of the people around us.

One element of this Missional DNA is what I called the “Incarnational Face.” My incarnational face is found as I seek to genuinely identify with the people with whom I am trying to connect, to live a meaningful life in my neighborhood, and to love with Christlike love.

[If you need a quick refresher on the meaning of incarnational, scroll down to the “What’s In A Word” section below, then come back up here and continue.]

Putting on my incarnational face is not easily done when I spend all my time inside church buildings, locked fearfully inside my home, or hiding behind my self-centered goals and ambitions. Only the love of God, poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit, makes it possible for me to incarnate myself in the lives of the people around me, just as Paul said, “I have become all things…so that some might be saved” (1 Cor 9:19–23). The same is true for you.

Four key elements to this incarnational face — Presence, Proximity, Powerlessness, and Proclamation — will be briefly outlined below.

Presence—showing up

Jesus was God in the flesh; the God who moved into the streets and was found in the neighborhoods where people lived; a man raised by two parents in a particular culture with its particular and unique language, religious system, traditions, superstitions, history, and place on the international stage, as it existed at that time. He interacted with people from a heavenly perspective but in ways that were meaningful and appropriate for them in their location, time, and cultural and religious context. He interacted with them using their language, their idioms, and all the quirky features of their unique communication style.

Presence emphasizes the importance of relationships and authentic connections with people as we live with them in their world, not ours. In our daily routines of work, family, and rest, we are Christ’s ambassadors as people around us are watching, observing, and (hopefully) seeing something different in us. Being present is half the battle, and what a battle it is to fight!

It can be a daily struggle to resist the pressure to fall in line with the consumeristic expectations of our Western society that value speed, efficiency, and production above the slower process of building relationships, the inefficient task of being a part of a neighborhood community, and the unproductive time spent sitting, observing, listening, and learning. Slow, inefficient, and unproductive, perhaps…but also meaningful and powerful.

Application:

During our time overseas, before we were able to meet people, build relationships, and have the opportunity to share the reason for our hope in Christ, we had “show up” in the neighborhood where people live. We had to move into a city, find a home in a particular neighborhood, have a meaningful identity in that community, and (most importantly) learn the routines and rhythms of life in that place.

Their rhythms.

Their routines.

Their ways.

Before we had the opportunity to meet Ishmael — a Muslim man whose family became close friends — we had to first show up on the scene, be present, and intentionally make ourselves visible — wonderfully conspicuous, one might say.

Proximity—get a little closer

Not only did Jesus live in the same neighborhood as humanity, but he also interacted directly with people at every level of society. Being present is important, but it is far too easy to be in the neighborhood yet disconnected, nearby yet distant.

We must be meaningfully present and connected to the lives of the people around us; in their workplaces, schools, businesses, and playgrounds. Presence has some value by itself—even watching from a distance, people can see something different it us—but presence combined with proximity magnifies our witness exponentially, for good or for bad.

Proximity reminds us that we must be close enough to listen, hear, touch, and feel. Jesus ate with Pharisees as well as the tax collectors and talked personally with highly respected citizens as well as prostitutes and sinners. If we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we must also be directly, closely, and actively involved in the lives of the people around us. This means a commitment to scheduled times of interaction as well as seeing interruptions—those spontaneous and unplanned moments that come by surprise—as opportunities rather than distractions.

Application:

On the morning we first met Ishmael and his family, my wife had intentionally planned to go to the crowded walking track where she intentionally accepted Ishmael’s invitation to come and sit.

Later, after having met Ishmael myself, I had to make the effort to intentionally build a relationship with Ishmael by stopping by his drink stand, sitting with him (often longer than I had planned), and purposefully planning times for our families to interact, while also being willing to have my day interrupted when he reached out to us.

Moving in close only happens by intention. We must take the initiative, take the first step, and step out of the boat.

Powerlessness—level the playing field

Jesus, according to Paul’s letter to the Philippians, “emptied himself” and “took the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). Paul talks frequently of giving ups his rights for the sake of others and for the gospel (1 Cor. 9:12,15). Jesus, on the cross, became the ultimate symbol of intentional powerlessness, willingly taking on the sin and shame that was not his.

We must also must lay aside conventional forms of power, leadership, structure, hierarchy, authority, and management. “So those who are last now,” taught Jesus, “will be first then, and those who are first will be last” (Matt. 20:16), and “anyone who wants to be first, must be the very last, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

Power — whether real or perceived — messes things up. We will not get far when we rely on political influence, military might, legislation, Supreme Court rulings, or even our own personal rights and protections to be our witness and testimony to the world; the things for which we are known, and all too often, rejected. At the end of the day, the Jesus way is not the power play.

Jesus came to serve, not be served; to love more than to be loved; to lay down his life rather than to exalt himself. One way that we can practice powerlessness is to enter into new relationships as learners, listeners, and seekers of understanding. I have something, and know Someone that I know will make their lives better…but I also know that their decision cannot be forced, coerced, or manipulated. If I’m to love them like Christ, I love them before they ever come to know him…kinda like Jesus did me…you know, dying for me while I was still a sinner (Rom 5:8).

Application:

Anytime I visited Ishmael, I made sure to sit on the ground just as he did (despite his protests) and ask lots of questions, giving him the opportunity to be the “expert.” As a family, we visited their home and ate their food while also inviting them to our home and sharing our food with them.

We tried to get to know them for who they were, appreciate them for what they brought to our friendship, and look for opportunities to point in the direction of Jesus in ways that would be meaningful and understandable to them, hoping also that our words would be truly heard because of the foundation of trust that had been built.

Proclamation—meaningful and appropriate communication

An incarnational approach to life requires that we learn how to communicate effectively and meaningfully in understandable ways. We cannot simply rely on the standards of traditional “sermonizing” and well-worn evangelistic spiels, complete with illustrations, stories, and language appropriate only for people from a Christian background. This usually means casual conversation, discussing current events, seeking advice, praying for each other, asking good questions, and using the stories, illustrations, and styles of humor that are understood and appreciated by the people we hope to reach.

This can be a difficult process, especially for those who have been conditioned to recite, and at the earliest possible moment, a premeditated, memorized, persuasive evangelistic speech of some kind. I have done this myself and have seen the blank stare of disconnect and confusion.

There can be no real decision until there is some level of true understanding. To communicate in a way that is meaningful and understandable, we must first know and understand the person in front of us. If we are unwilling to invest ourselves in listening, learning, and understanding people, we will have little meaningful impact on their lives.

Proclamation is a partnership with the Holy Spirit — of this we must be sure — but this does not give us a license to carelessly say whatever we want and hope that the Holy Spirit will clean up our messes. It is the Holy Spirit that works in and through us always, but we must make every effort, as much as we are able, to learn how to share the deep wonders of the good news in ways that are meaningful and understandable to those who hear our voices and witness our actions.

Application:

Before I could establish an authentic relationship and engage in meaningful conversations with Ishmael, I had to invest time in:

(1) learning his language, so that my words were understandable and intelligible;

(2) learning his culture, so that I did not offend him before I said my first word,

(3) understanding something about general Islamic teachings and worldview, so that what I shared was appropriate and meaningful to his general view of God and the world, and

(4) know him on a personal level — including his questions, fears, struggles, and life circumstances — so that what I said to him was relevant to the unique circumstances in which he lives.

Final Thought

Living incarnationally means living the humble life of a lifelong learner and creating space and margin for the people that cross our paths each day. Meaningful interaction and times of spiritual transformation cannot be scheduled and will frequently not wait until the Sunday service at your local church.

The Holy Spirit is always working and often moves in and through the everyday moments of life — anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. We must be willing to talk, walk, and allow our lives to intersect with others in rich, meaningful ways. When living in mission — and seeing the people in front of us — becomes part of the rhythm of our everyday lives, we make progress in the development of our Incarnational Face.

[Today’s story is based on an excerpt from Beautiful Grace: The Heart of Transformation]

All true friendliness begins with fire and food and drink and the recognition of rain or frost...Each human soul has in a sense to enact for itself the gigantic humility of the Incarnation. Every man must descend into the flesh to meet mankind.

—G.K. Chesterson

Photographic Stories and Art

“East Timor Sunrise”

Sometime in 2013, I led a Work and Witness team on an early morning hike up to the top of Christa Rei on the outskirts of the capital city of Dili. It’s actually more of an extended stair climb than a mountain trek, but it does require one to be in at least moderately good physical condition.

It is highly recommended to begin this hike and hour or more before sunrise, mostly in the dark, because viewing the sunrise from the top is an unforgettable experience.

It’s true.

The sunrise from the top is breathtaking in its colorful beauty.

[See additional versions of “East Timor Sunrise” here.]

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What’s in a Word?

“Incarnational”

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a key theological concept in Christianity. John’s gospel describes it succinctly — “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14, NIV) or as Eugene Peterson puts it, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, MSG).

The incarnation of Jesus Christ means that the “not-human” God became human. God became like us.

Incarnational is a word that finds its basis in the Latin word incarnatio. The word, or its equivalent, is not found in Scripture. The concept, however, as we see above, is a foundational part of the Scriptural testimony about Jesus.

Here’s what the word means, in four parts:

“in” = in or into

“carn” = flesh, body

“ation” = a suffix that transforms a verb into a noun (the verb “incarnate” becomes the noun “incarnation”)

“al” = a suffix that transforms a noun into an adjective (the noun “incarnation” becomes the adjective “incarnational”)

So, there we have it — IN-CARN-ATION-AL — an adjective describing something that has become flesh and blood, a human body. Jesus’ life and ministry can be described as incarnational because he is believed to the God who became human, born of Mary.

Our lives are incarnational in that we embody the purpose and mission of Jesus Christ and, as a result, are sent out into our world to incarnate ourselves into people’s lives in order to shine light, hope, and peace.

In a Christian context, living an incarnational life means:

Faith lived out in practical ways in everyday life—showing love, compassion, forgiveness, and kindness to others, just as Jesus did during His earthly ministry.
Embodying Christ's presence as a visible representation of grace—just as Jesus was God's presence in human form, being incarnational means being Christ's presence in the lives of others.
Being a meaningful presence in the world—being engaged and present in the lives of others, especially those who are marginalized or in need.
Empathizing and understanding the people around us—identifying with the struggles, pain, and joys of others and being sensitive to the needs and perspectives of those we interact with.
Selflessly serving others for the sake of Christ—stepping into the messiness of people’s lives to minister to them for the purpose of promoting shalom, their overall well-being.
Reflecting Godly character in our lives—our words, actions, and attitudes, mirroring God's love, grace, mercy, and justice to the world.
Entering into people’s lives on their turf—meeting people where they live and breathe, learning their rhythms and routines, and speaking their language, both literally and metaphorically.