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Friends United Meeting |
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December 1997
On Learning To Love the Incarnate Christ
By Tammy Martens and Deborah Suess
As the shadows began to dance on her closet door, eight-year-old Sarah got so nervous she called out for her mother. Sarah's mother took her daughter's hand, gently saying: "You know, Sarah, you needn't be scared. God is with you." And Sarah replied, "I know that, Mom, but tonight I need a God with skin on."
Isn't that the story of Christmas? Incarnation is the theological word for exactly what Sarah wanted from her mom-a God-with-skin-on: the Word made flesh. Every December we celebrate the Incarnation-God coming to us in the form of a newborn. No wonder we love Christmas! A baby is so easy to love.
We know that the story doesn't end with God-as-baby. Flip forward a few pages from Matthew 1 to Matthew 25. Here is another picture of incarnation-one that is, perhaps, much more difficult to embrace. Here, whenever we do a kind deed to someone who is poor, hungry, naked, sick or homeless, we are actually doing it to Jesus himself. Jesus comes to us in the disguise of the poorest of poor.
We have all heard this before but our question is: How on earth (literally) are we to DO this? How do we make the leap from loving Jesus as the cute baby to loving him as a homeless, hungry woman? You must know that as we write this we are both squirming in our seats, yet, we believe wrestling with this is essential.
I'll never forget my first trip to Berkeley, California. I decided to explore the downtown area, but I wasn't prepared for the number of street people who approached me. I didn't know how to respond-so instead of responding at all, I began to pretend they weren't there. That evening I asked my sister-in-law who worked with the homeless: "What should I have done?" Ann replied:
"Give them some change-or don't.
"Give them some food-or don't.
"But whatever happens, make sure you at least acknowledge them."
I am grateful for Ann and others who can help show us the way. Mother Teresa, who passed away, earlier this year, at age 87, is one such mentor. She gave her life to serve the poorest of the poor. Although there are legitimate critiques of her work, she has much to teach us about finding and experiencing Jesus in the poor. On his show on National Public Radio news, Friend Scott Simon said, "For millions of people living at the close of the 20th century, many agnostics as well as believers, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a glimpse of God they could recognize. She was the word of God made flesh."
Indeed most of us would say that Mother Teresa was a gift to our times. She was utterly convinced that Christ is found in the distressing disguise of the poor and understood this with every fiber of her being. She interpreted the words of St. Matthew to mean that in whole-hearted giving to the poorest of poor one is actually giving to Jesus himself.
Perhaps one of the most poignant stories that captures this understanding is found in her book, Loving Jesus. The Missionaries of Charity were asked to go to the country of Yemen. When they arrived there, they were given the job of taking care of the lepers. When Mother Teresa smelled the stench and saw the neglect of their bodies, she cried, "Jesus, how is it possible to leave you so neglected and foul-smelling?" Somehow she was able to recognize Jesus in the body of a leper.
But How?
The passage from Matthew 25 troubles me. As a wealthy and comfortable North American, (yes, even we Quaker pastors are extremely wealthy compared with most of the citizens of the world) I would much rather spend my time in a seminary learning about Jesus than walk the streets of the poor finding Jesus. It is easy to rationalize: "Well-we aren't all called to be Mother Teresa." This may be true but the words of St. Matthew are nevertheless very clear. No matter our calling, we will all be judged in this way: "Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done to me." Jesus will either invite us in or send us away according to how we treated the poorest of poor.
So what are we to do? We can begin by responding individually right where we are. In fact, Mother Teresa suggests we start at home by saying something kind to those we are closest to. "Begin by helping someone in need in your community, at work, or at school. Begin by making whatever you do something beautiful for God."
An Indian supporter of Mother Teresa's work had "business cards" printed up for her that summarized in five lines her approach to spirituality and ministry.
The Simple Path
The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE.
"The Simple Path" is not simply linear. We can jump in at any point-whether it be at silence or at service. And like the ancient labyrinth this simple path will always lead us back to center-to prayer-and back to our God-with-skin-on: Jesus.
As we move through this Advent and Christmas season, we offer this prayer:
Jesus, you come to us as God-with-skin-on to show us the way. This season help us discover You anew as we gently touch those around us. Amen.
Tammy Martens is pastor of the Valton (Wisconsin) Friends Meeting. Deborah Seuss is pastor of the West Branch (Iowa) Friends Church. Tammy and Deborah are in their second year as co-clerks of Ministry and Counsel of Iowa Yearly Meeting (FUM).
Copyright (c) Friends United Meeting 1997
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