"Incarnational"

In the 1st chapter of John's gospel it says: "So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father."

I have also heard it paraphrased "God (in Jesus) pitched his tent in our backyard" (a little campy for my taste, but you get the picture). In many of my readings, missional churches are often described as "Incarnational". One way to interpret that word is: "believers that practice incarnational living".

I found this little blurb on a web site: "Without giving up His divine qualities, Jesus became fully immersed within the culture of the people to whom He brought the Great News. He was part of the culture, yet transcended it. He lived happily within the culture, yet was an agent of transformation. The incarnation is a challenge to understand and live within the world of the unchurched culture. We must make the Great News culturally relevant to them, and take it into their world.
Outreach to the unchurched must consider the issues of incarnation by going where people go, and living in their world. The methods we use to reach them must be based upon developing relationships that are authentic. We must model a lifestyle of Christ-likeness in the context of friendship. The church must meet the needs of the unchurched within the world in which they live."

Some questions for us:
- What should "incarnation living" look like for those at Parkwood?
- Should this be a way of life that is talked-about, and witnessed-to in all we do?
- What are some ways to effectively get this to permeate the thinking of a congregation of believers?

Your thoughts on 'incarnational living'? ...do you have another way of seeing it??

Gracism

I know nothing about it - so I'm not promoting it - but the marketing preview for this book piqued my interest... Click to see it >>> Gracism

Our thinking (believe) drives our actions (behave)

Being a product of the 'intsitutional church'... I like (and look for) language/expressions that counter my institutional thinking. I stumbled upon this one:    "It is not the church of God that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a church in the world." (Got one...? Thoughts?)

first post

This is a blog... short for weblog

Many people find that it is easier than email and that it helps to develop thoughts and conversation. This may be a form of communication that you enjoy or it may be a waste of time. I will try it out and if the team likes it then we will use it if they do not then we will scratch it...

I would like for you to please log in and post to this site as soon as you can so we can get everyone to think about this mode of communication