Your Endless Christmas

By December 26, the Christmas wrapping paper is thrown away and the last tidbit of fruitcake eaten. But what if our Christmas celebration could go on-and-on to build our well-being? When we explore beyond the tinsel and tidbits, we can discover God at work far beyond our imagination or the simple fact of a Jewish baby born in 4 BCE. Our lives and our world can be transformed by an endless Christmas!
Segments include:
The Incarnation Idea
First Incarnation: Creation
Second Incarnation: Consciousness
Third Incarnation: Jesus the Christ
Fourth Incarnation: Indwelling Spirit
Fifth Incarnation: Fulfilled Universe

CITED and CREDITS
Thomas Jay Oord, The Death of Omnipotence and the Birth of Amipotence. SacraSage Press, 2023.

Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ. Convergent Press, 2019. 

Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka, “How Did Consciousness Evolve? An Illustrated Guide.” https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/how-did-consciousness-evolve-an-illustrated-guide

Keisha N. Blaine, “'God Is Not Going to Put It in Your Lap.' What Made Fannie Lou Hamer’s Message on Civil Rights So Radical—And So Enduring.” https://time.com/5692775/fannie-lou-hamer/

Mallory Wyckoff, God Is. Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing, 2022.

Bruce Epperly, Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed. T & T Clark, 2011.

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Transcript

The crime was shocking. We awakened to look at the tree skirt under our Christmas tree, a handmade, embroidered, felt piece picturing the Nativity scene and characters. Somehow the depiction of the baby Jesus had been defaced, with little shreds of the holy infant scattered everywhere! Our investigation revealed the teeth marks of Shelbea, our dog. For whatever nefarious reason, she had gnawed apart the sequined baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. 

I’m Larry Payne, your host of Tracks for the Journey. I use decades of experience as a pastor, chaplain, and professional counselor to bring insights for your well-being. Thanks for joining me in this episode I call “The Endless Christmas.”

Even with the chewed-up Jesus, my Christmas spirit somehow survived. This year I will join billions of people to celebrate the Christmas season. We pay homage to the reality that a Jewish baby born around 4 BCE grew to change history. That Jesus lived and taught in ancient Israel is beyond disputing. Yet what it means today for your well-being may not be quite so clear. Shelbea found chewing on Jesus relieved some puppy anxiety, I guess. I think we can find some meaning that helps us thrive.

The traditional Christian theology holds, in simplistic terms, that Jesus was a unique hybrid being, both human and divine. The birth legends of Luke describe Mary conceiving without a man by the power of God. This is called “incarnation,” a unique moment in which God took on flesh. The Gospel of John says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14). The Christ hymn of Philippians echoes that idea, that Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). Recently, progressive theologians have expanded the truth of incarnation by recognizing that God’s work in the universe goes far beyond one baby in 4BCE. Such a larger work has profound meaning for how we live today. Let’s explore this to discover the endless Christmas story.

The first incarnation was the creation and sustaining of the material universe. Progressive theology teaches that God pervades all this complex and immense universe. Every energy measurable by science is an expression of divine energy. Thomas Oord writes that, just as humans are mental and physical, so is God. We can say this material universe is the clothing of the divine. Father Richard Rohr puts it this way, “This self-disclosure of … God into physical creation was the first incarnation… God joined in unity with the physical universe… as the light inside of everything.” (12-13). This captures the biblical truth from John 1, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:3). This foundational unity of the universe tears down the false wall between God and everything else. God is here and now, not up there and outside of time. This first incarnation 13 billion years ago means that everywhere you are, God is there, working in infinite creative energy. Even when our life is in chaos the energy of God is around us for something better. 

The second incarnation can be found in the emergence of consciousness. On our planet billions of years ago, simple creatures began to act with a degree of agency for their survival. The evolutionary process brought what some scientists are calling unlimited associative learning, meaning that a creature can consciously act, remember, and apply knowledge. In developing this way, creatures reflected the universal consciousness of God. Like God in the material universe, humans are a complex organism with millions of interacting entities which collaborate towards a purpose. The second incarnation enables creatures with consciousness to connect with God, others, and transcendent meaning. Because of this incarnational work, you are learning something at this moment, planning for gifts to be given, or hungering for some peppermint fudge. You can even be glad you are listening to Tracks for the Journey!

You may ask me, “I thought this episode was about Christmas.” I’m glad you asked. The third incarnation is focused on that baby in Bethlehem. The life of Jesus brought a new dimension of incarnation, uniting his collaborative volition completely with the work of God. In the words of Scripture, Jesus “emptied himself” (Philippians 2:7) to be a God-filled man embracing fully the divine mission of love and redemption. His willing sacrifice of love brought Jesus a spirituality and cosmic power which will never be repeated. Rohr writes perceptively, “Instead of saying that God came into the world through Jesus…it would be better to say Jesus came out of an already Christ-soaked world” (15). Emerging from death on Easter in a new evolution of matter, Jesus can truly be called the “only son, himself God,” as John proclaims. This Christmas incarnation unlocks dimensions of divine life for us that had never been possible. Through fidelity to God, we can be transformed. We can thrive in ways that build personal and community well-being by following the lifestyle of Jesus. 

Fannie Lou Hamer lived the lifestyle of Jesus. She led the Black residents of Mississippi to claim their constitutional voting rights. This child of sharecroppers suffered physical beatings, murder attempts, jail, and vicious public attacks to raise up a generation that would strike down the oppression of Southern Whites in the 1960’s. How could she do it? Her faith in Jesus was a mighty energy of vision and resilience. She knew God was on the side of justice and freedom even through the bloody fight for rights in the South. She said, “You can pray until you faint, but if you don’t get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.”

Her story and the testimony of millions lets us know the work of God continues in the what I call the fourth incarnation. This became real at Pentecost, where the energy of God infused the disciples with a dynamic new meaning for life. Each of them sensed they were connecting with God at their deepest being, surrendering to a divine presence within. This action was a starting point that continues in our lives today! This fourth incarnation is described by the Apostle Paul as the Spirit of God “dwelling in you.” As we turn toward the way of God, we become a channel for the continuing expression of the divine in our corner of the world. As a father is inseparably within a child, so God is in us, embracing us as the divine children. Mallory Wyckoff writes, “God has never been stingy with God’s self. Rather, God is willing to… reside within bodies.” This is the work of God now, bringing incarnation in you and in me and billions of others. Talk about thriving with well-being! Everyday can be a wonderland of life with the divine interwoven in our daily experience.

We can further the endless Christmas even more. With the fifth incarnation, we hold the deep hope that God has more in store. Ultimately, the divine love energy that pervades the universe will lure every creature and entity to the maximum wholeness and unity possible. The physical universe is expanding, yet according to the Bible, God plans to “gather up all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). The Christ of Revelation says, “I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). We can believe universal redemption will be marked by human solidarity, united spirituality, ecological health, and perhaps even a highly evolved humanity. The cosmos will be in perfect harmony with God and our well-being perfected. As Bruce Epperly writes, we will be “creators with God of our future and the realm of Shalom.” Incarnation will be complete as the Omega phase becomes reality. We can’t comprehend how the creatures and humans who have existed across billions of years and billions of galaxies will exist in a living organism of love. But we can try, can’t we? 

Let me summarize by saying the five incarnations actually are one single, continuous process in which the all-pervasive love of God energizes the universe for abundant life. What we call Christmas has existed since the beginning and will carry on to the end, God ever incarnate in all things. You and I are included in this divine work. I can say this even includes our dear departed dog, Shelbea, who disrespected the baby Jesus years ago. So, merry Christmas, now and endlessly!

CITED

Thomas Jay Oord, The Death of Omnipotence and the Birth of Amipotence. SacraSage Press, 2023.

Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ. Convergent Press, 2019. 

Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka, “How Did Consciousness Evolve? An Illustrated Guide.” https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/how-did-consciousness-evolve-an-illustrated-guide

Keisha N. Blaine, “'God Is Not Going to Put It in Your Lap.' What Made Fannie Lou Hamer’s Message on Civil Rights So Radical—And So Enduring.” https://time.com/5692775/fannie-lou-hamer/

Mallory Wyckoff, God Is. Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing, 2022.

Bruce Epperly, Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed. T & T Clark, 2011.