advent journal: incarnativity
I was inspired by Sarah Bessey’s wonderful post on how we tell the Nativity story and this is where her words took me.
incarnativity
when I turn in my dictionary to define what pageant means there’s nothing revolutionary: a loosely connected set of scenes
our pageant is the Christmas Story an acted-out Nativity performed by all the little children-- incarnate creativity
the stage is filled with bathrobe shepherds angels graced with cardboard wings Mary, Joseph, and the baby ensconced in a menagerie
the pageant scene is loud and crowded a bit confused and filled with joy a heavenly--well, we’ll just say a host of hopeful hearts gathered ‘round the boy
we often have a different picture of the couple traveling far as though they walked along our highways and underneath our sky and stars
we describe the sheep and cattle crammed into a chilly barn Jesus’ birth in bleak midwinter woven into our cultural yarn
of a baby born in hardship left to wander all alone Horatio Alger as a Hebrew who rose to make it on his own
our little children tell it better that happy holy little herd a crowd of people were with Jesus with being the operative word
Christ was not born in a stable but in a room a family shared because the room for guests was taken so they gave up what was theirs
so the child would not be born in isolation, neither Mary all alone others would have gathered ‘round them to help them know that they belonged
from the start this was the message name the boy Emmanuel that very word means God With Us now there’s a story we can tell
in our pageant of existence our loosely connected set of scenes our hopes and fears of all the years, our weary roads and shattered dreams
gather shepherds, sheep, and angels, bring your broken hearts and wings we are all in this together that is what Emmanuel means
On the eve of the impeachment vote, and thinking today of so many I know who are hurting and struggling, God with us and us with God is as good a word as I can think to say.
Peace,
Milton
