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| Defining Incarnational |
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There's been a lot of talk around our church about making our church more missional/incarnational. My problem is that I don't really understand what most of it is trying to say, it's like a swirling confusing mass to me. So, in an effort try to break it down into bites I can handle, you know the how do you eat an entire elephant thing, I'm going to start by trying to define incarnational. Maybe if I can get my head around what it means, I can then think about what it might look like. That will be another post.
So in my simple academic way, I started with a definition from Webster's. Online, incarnational isn't a word. You have to go with incarnation. Please correct me if I'm wrong, (it's been a long time since grammar class!!) but adding the "al" to the word makes it a adjective. So if I'm incarnational, I have the characteristics of incarnation. So, a definition of incarnation. Looks like 3 of them might fit. They are:
1. The act of clothing with flesh, or the state of being so clothed; the act of taking, or being manifested in, a human body and nature.
2. (Theol.) The union of the second person of the Godhead with manhood in Christ.
3. An incarnate form; a personification; a manifestation; a reduction to apparent from; a striking exemplification in person or act.
As I think about this, it seems that incarnational as we talk about it is definition 3, with the "form" in question being definition 2. So how do I say that in a way I can comprehend??
Let me give this a try...
If I am incarnational, I am the incarnate form of Jesus, a manifestation of His character, a striking exemplification in my person and actions of Jesus.
What do you think? Help me refine this. Then I'll try to tackle a bit harder task, what it might look like.
Choose Joy! |
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| To add a comment to "Defining Incarnational" |
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| June 09, 2008 |
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Below is a definition I lifted from the book, "The Forgotten Ways." Subscribing to the missional definition only, we are being sent into our mission field (wherever we may be that day and season in our lives). If we stop there we have not gone about accomplishing the "mission of God", which is to go and then embed the gospel in the cultures in which we live and function. The incarnational piece is the point at which we endeavor to become like Jesus and do as he did, and that was to insert himself into the culture (to go, as he was sent by The Father) and then embed (teach, mentor, model) the gospel in those cultures. So, in accomplishing the mission of God (missio Dei) we are sent as God sent His son and we are to relate to and influence (teach, model, mentor) our host culture by planting the gospel into it not just broadcasting "the seed" on hard, dry ground.
Hope this makes sense. I'm still trying to get an understandable handle on it myself.
Missional/Incarnational – is the mission of God (missio Dei). Missional being going or being sent and incarnational as embedding and deepening the Gospel and church into host cultures. Relating to and influencing the host group within its own cultural forms and expressions. |
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| June 09, 2008 |
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Ok, this helps. Granted, I'm not sure I get or even buy all of this, but within the definition you provided, I'm looking at the relating and influencing part of it However, I think that if you are influening a "host group" you eventually will make changes to the culture and there are plenty of warnings and examples (Jesus overturned tables in the temple is hardly working within the cultural norm) in the Bilble of not buying into the cultural norms. Relating is different than buying into, so I think that is a critical to keep in mind. It seems that relating a big piece of missional. Incarnational is the influencing and "deepening the Gospel". Yes/No?? So let me wrap my brain around refining my definition of incarnational -
As a striking exemplification (in my person and actions) of Jesus I should be influencing others to deepen the Gospel. I do that in a missional manner by relating to the culture I'm working in?? |
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| June 10, 2008 |
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Incarnational is embedding the gospel into the culture not "buying into the cultural norms" as you put it. It is, as Jesus did, taking the gospel into the culture. Remember that all of this hinges on one very important premise and did in the first century and that is - Jesus is Lord.
Missional is the idea of being sent. Think of it as a mission trip everyday. We are being sent into the world everyday we live - "as you go..." |
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| June 12, 2008 |
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| O.K... am I having a blonde moment here? But isn't this what we're supposed to be doing anyway? I was raised to believe that I am to be someone people want to be like. We had a sign in our church over the door and one in our house as well over the door that said "you are now entering the mission field". Perhaps I'm more nuts & bolts than theory? Just a thought. |
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| June 13, 2008 |
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"If I am incarnational, I am the incarnate form of Jesus, a manifestation of His character, a striking exemplification in my person and actions of Jesus." This is certainly one of the better definitions I've ever heard of incarnational. I'd go with that one...but then, I always did like keeping things simple! Or how about this one...be like Jesus! |
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