Celebrate Christ’s Incarnation by Being Loving and Caring for Others

Dear Friends,

A QUICK REMINDER: None of the church staff — not me, not Fr. Logan, not Mtr. Paulette, not our ministry heads — none of us will send you an email asking for your help and then ask you to get gift cards, or send us a list of contact info, or anything like that. If you ever get an email that appears to be from one of us, but the request feels strange, please give us a call first and double check.

With Christmas being a time when people are feeling generous and kind — and church people especially are in tune to the themes of the season — there are always those who will try to take advantage for their own selfish gain. I know of at least one request like this that has been sent out recently; please be careful!

These scams only work because technology has enabled us to remove our bodies from our communication with one another. It’s possible now to have a conversational interaction with me — or someone pretending to be me — without ever hearing my voice, seeing my handwriting, or seeing my face. In fact, I’m doing it right now!

We have ex-carnated (out-of-bodied) our selves — which is the opposite of the incarnation (embodiment) we celebrate at Christmas, when the son of God became a baby. Don’t get scammed by relying on ex-carnate communication, particularly around the feast of the incarnation!

That’s my first exhortation. My second exhortation to you as we get near to Christmas is this: Is there some place in your life where you need to be with someone incarnationally — in person, or over the phone, or even a handwritten note — where you’ve settled instead for a text or email or Facebook message? Celebrate Christ’s incarnation by being embodied in the love and care you show someone today.

In Christ,
Fr. Andrew