Representational Incarnation

The concept of 'representational incarnation,' as the cornerstone of progressive church theology, escapes most of us. It is a pretty fancy term, though its underlying conception is sinple. Let me see if I can't put it into more directly applicable terms.

Shiloh's theme for the season after Pentecost this cycle has been "Christian vocation is representational incarnation." Put more bluntly, we are the body of Christ. We are his physical representatives on earth, and our responsibility to him is to represent his faithful sacrifice with our own. We embody him.

The theme immediately begs two questions. Firstly, if we are the body of Christ, responsible for representing Christ in the world. who, then, is "we?"The answer is provided, as most every theological answer we face is, in the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ Jesus. Since Christ's sacrifice is effective and applicable for every person, then Christian vocation belongs to every person as well.Every person is part of the body of Christ, responsible for representing him on earth. Before we run too far afield, wondering if Muslims or Jews or Buddhists are included in the Christian vocation, I suppose that we need to better define that vocation. Christian vocation is to represent what Christ did in our own actions. Now, what Christ did is sacrifice himself for the benefit of every other. I firmly believe this act to be at the core of every world religion. The act of Christ unifies us all, despite the differences in words, practice and applications of our religious heritages. Therefore, the "we" of representational incarnation belongs to each of us. We are all called upon to sacrifice for the benefit of the other.

Secondly, if Christian vocation is representational incarnation, how is it that we come to represent Christ in sacrificing self for the sake of the other? Who would do that? Does not doing so fly in the face of everything that culture teaches us about individuality and personhood? Exactly the point! Working for ourselves has led to divisiveness, segregation, targeted and limited responsibility and sectarian violence, where 'we' protect what is 'ours' from 'those' and 'them,' who seek to make 'ours' theirs.' The only means of correcting the destructive paths of human culture is to embody the self-sacrificial Christ that lies at the core of everything that good spirituality, of whatever religious tradition, might call virtuous.Humanity practices that virtue in the power and presence of God's Spirit. The Spirit empowers, equips and enables us to live according to divine will. The Spirit compels us in self-sacrifice that benefits the other...all others.

Christian vocation is representational incarnation. Every person in empowered, equipped and enabled by God's Holy Spirit to reflect Christ's self-sacrifice in relationship to every other person. It is precisely in this universal vocation that we are unified. It is by it that humanity lives divine will on earth. Two things are necessary: 1. Discovering Christ and discerning opportunities for application of his ethic and, 2. Doing the work by which Christ's self-sacrifice is embodied. It does no one any good whatsoever to accomplish the first without engaging intentionally in the second. It makes as little sense to attempt the second without taking seriously the first. The two tasks must be held in balance, in a constant and continual process of learning and application.

Killings will continue to take place. Violence will continue to be reported. Hate will continue to spread, until we learn to live according to Christ's simple ethic, one that is reflected at the core of every religious tradition. The cure to our societal ills is simple, really, except in application. We, and that is every we, can practice the self-sacrifing vocation shown us in Christ, embodying acts that intentionally benefit every other.

Representational incarnation flies in the face of societal norms. But those norms have led to divisiveness, segregation, sectarian violence, and pocketed hatred, where we have learned to label, exclude, reject, criticize, and judge. It is time for us to embrace our vocation, repairing the damage done by embodying Christ's self-sacrifice. Two steps: 1. Discover Christ and 2. Do Christ's work.