When we allow God’s compassion to spill over into our relationships with others, we are engaged in incarnational ministry.

We had gathered to celebrate the opening of a new ante-natal wing for the maternity ward. I circulated through the room, interacting with people from all walks of life. They were clustered in small groups-businessmen, educators, clerics, village women and various ethnic communities. I was struck by the diversity of the group as it cut across not only professional and social boundaries but also across the difficult barriers of race and culture. But I was saddened when I overheard conversations containing foul language, whispered gossip and murmured disapproval, which questioned why certain groups were present.

Then something disturbed the crowd. Starting from the far side of the room, people began to move, to gather together. The atmosphere changed. I sensed a warmth of relationship that had not been there just a few moments ago. Sister Mary had entered the room, and her presence transformed the people. They focused on her. Their language and conversations changed. Their attitudes reflected the deep appreciation and love that each individual held for her and were now sharing in common. Amazing. Lovely.

What I experienced in that room was an example of incarnational ministry. It was as if Christ himself had joined us that morning. People were drawn together, made to feel included, valued and loved. That resulted in a transformation of the group dynamic. Not only did the atmosphere change, but people attitudes and relationships also changed.

Word Became Flesh
More and more congregations are asking: “What is incarnational ministry?” In seeking an answer, it’s important to begin with an understanding of doctrine of Incarnation as formulated by the Early Church. At that time, believers debated whether Jesus was human or divine. This culminated in a statement at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 that affirmed Jesus was “at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man.”

Our fourth doctrine is shaped by the statements agreed upon by those church fathers: “We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.”

Scriptural support for this doctrine is found in John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, 14)

Encapsulated in these simple phrases is the heart of the Christmas celebration. God desires relationship with us. He is not remote or removed, but near and intimate. He loved us so much that he came to live with us. That is indeed a reason for celebration. God with us-Emmanuel! That’s what we proclaim each Christmas as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. However, his coming is not only a call to celebration but a call to relationship.

Our founders were convinced that Scripture indicated God’s sole purpose and desire is to have relationship with humankind. He created us in his image but through the disobedience of our first parents we were separated from him by our sinful natures. Therefore, to have a true intimate relationship with us, God must cleanse us from all sin and transform us into his likeness.

In Romans 8:1-4, the Apostle Paul tells us that God accomplishes this through the redemptive work of his Son. The cross is not only a reminder of the act of salvation, the atonement for our sin purchased with Christ’s blood, it also reminds us of God’s desire that we should be a holy people. That is why, again and again in the writings of The Salvation Army, the term “full salvation” appears. It is not enough to be saved from your sins; you must also be separated and fully cleansed from your sins. This is God’s purpose and plan for your life: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

To Be Like Jesus
This expectation seems daunting, even unachievable, and would be if attempted in our own strength. However, alongside this call to holiness is the continual reminder that God is with us. We should not be afraid for he is a loving and compassionate God who provides a way for us to achieve our full potential. In sending his Son to live with us, God provides a living example of his holiness. Colossians affirms: “We look at this Son and see God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created” (Colossians 1:15 The Message).

That is why, when we sing a song such as To Be Like Jesus, we are not only expressing our inner desire “to be like him in word and deed” but affirming our theological belief that it is possible by God’s grace to do just that. Doctrine 10 reminds us that “We believe it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is what John Wesley referred to as “Christian perfection.” While he was uncomfortable with this phrase, which tended to cause confusion and consternation in the minds and hearts of his listeners, he felt it was unavoidable because it was based in Scripture. He preferred to explain holiness in terms of Christlikeness. In 1729, he wrote: “I saw in a clearer and clearer light, the indispensable necessity of having the mind which was in Christ, and of walking as Christ walked; even of having, not some part only, but all the mind which was in him, and of walking as he walked, not only in many or most respects, but in all things.”

Philippians indicates where this desire to be like Jesus will take us: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2).

Here we find the heart of Incarnational Ministry, “having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” with Christ. This is another great theme of John Wesley. When God indwells our hearts, he fills us with his love-not only to completion (see 1 John 4:12) but to overflowing so that it reaches others.

Overflowing With Love
What does it mean to be filled to overflowing with God’s love? Once again we must turn to Christ for the answer. Colossians tells us that he was filled with the fullness of God and therefore his every conversation and action was a reflection of God’s love.

• When confronted by the leper asking for healing (Mark 1:40) Jesus was filled with compassion-not sympathy or pity but a tenderness which was demonstrated by reaching out his hand and touching an unwanted, unattractive outcast.
• He took time to sit by a well in the heat of the day to talk with a woman (John 4:1) whose life was condemned by the people of her village.
• In the midst of his most hectic and demanding day, when pressed upon by children (Luke 18:15), he not only welcomed them but rebuked those who attempted to chase them away.
• Jesus invited himself to dinner at the house of the despised tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1) so he could share a meal and a conversation with him.
• He was prepared to meet with Nicodemus in the middle of the night (John 3:1) so that this rich ruler could find the answers to his questions.
• When confronted by the hunger of the crowds (Mark 6:32), Christ was moved to provide food for them. Over and over again in the life and ministry of Jesus we see love in action.

In many other places Scripture reminds us that, if we are filled with God’s love, it will result in similar works of love. These works or expressions of God’s love in word and deed are not capable of saving us-only Christ’s atonement can do that-but they are a result of the affective nature of God’s saving grace at work in us. In The Salvation Army we have captured this great theological truth in the simple motto “Heart to God, Hand to Man.”

A World in Need
God is very aware of our troubled world, a world of broken relationships. He has seen and heard the cries of the distressed and he has a plan to help and save them. As in the days of Moses (see Exodus 3:7-10), God’s plan is to send us, his people, filled with his love, to minister to a world in need.

God wants to work his plan of salvation through us. As amazing as that may seem it is a message repeated throughout Scripture. God wants to work in partnership with us to accomplish something wonderful by working and living in communities and expressing his love in our day-to-day actions. Regardless of our profession or status we are called to be his disciples, to be co-partners in his plan of reconciliation.

One the many stirring examples of Incarnational Ministry that spring to my mind is the testimony of Quakers who chose to live in rural villages during the Vietnamese conflict. In the midst of the ugliness of war and strife, their lives reflected the love of Christ. Their actions made concrete the words of St Francis: “Preach always, and when necessary use words.” I believe this is what we are called to-called to salvation, called to sanctification, called to incarnational ministry.

by Major Ian Swan, Associate Dean for Extended Learning, William and Catherine Booth College, Winnipeg, Manitoba