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Living as an incarnational expression cannot be done alone. If we as the church TRULY ARE (not just symbolically, but tangibly) the body of Christ in this world, then as a COMMUNITY we are called to live incarnationally. As this will inevitably bring great glory to God, living this way also produces several inherent problems. First, much like any kind of group work, it’s tough to get over the lethargy of an unintentional community. People who are at rest, tend to stay at rest. Leaders of faith communities will be charged by God with the responsibility of speaking to the dry bones, and encouraged by God to speak prophetically about what THIS portion of Christ’s Body could like in THIS context at THIS point in history. Brainstorming, dream casting and carving out opportunities to grow into a more missional incarnation will be essential for every group of God’s called-out ones. Plan a time to get together and draw up any number of wild, hair-brained ideas. Nothing is discarded at first, and everyone has something to contribute, because everyone who has accepted the Lordship of Christ has his Spirit living inside him or her. View this as a “holy experiment” and set a specific, time-bound goal (like experiencing a full day of Sabbath together for six weeks, or choosing to meet and worship at a local coffee house for the remainder of a semester). Find opportunities throughout the experiment’s time period to reflect on the incarnational praxis. Afterward, do an group discussion and evaluation. What sorts of things did we learn? What things would we do better, or not do next time? How can we tell others (who know Christ, and who don’t) about our experience together? A second problem arises when we see the “incarnation” as a “lowering of self”. It is at this point that the great analogy of the incarnation begins to break down. We, unlike Jesus, are not descending from our heavenly culture to the dirty, sinful culture of the “other”. We are learning to traverse cultural and parallel chasms, not descend holy mountain tops. We are just as marred by sin as anyone else, (even though our minds tell us differently). Most of the time, this can be done by allowing people opportunities to share their hearts honestly with people of the new culture. Hate and prejudice comes through fear, and fear comes through ignorance. Breaking down walls of separation through friendship (done in community) is essential for incarnational living. Holy experiments are essential to incarnational living. And going into those experiments with a humble mindset will allow the community to enter a culture as Jesus would: as a humble learner. Communal Living, Culture, Gospel in Action, Holistic Faith Missio DeiCommunal Living, Culture, Gospel in Action, Holistic Faith, Missio Dei
Original content at: http://www2.godgrown.net:8881/2006/10/12/how-to-live-as-an-incarnational-community/.
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