Accepting the idea of god as man

A habit of mine is to watch "Prime Minister's Question Time" on Wednesday mornings. C-Span carries the proceedings of this weekly ritual of the British House of Commons live at 6 a.m.

It is enjoyable to watch the give-and-take between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition party. It's always extremely partisan, and the comments of each man are echoed by loud cries of "Hear, hear" or the sounds of derisive laughter. It's fascinating to watch a head of state be grilled by lawmakers.

This week, I only had the chance to watch the last 10 minutes of the normally 30-minute proceeding. In that brief time, the word "scheme" was used at least a dozen times. In Great Britain, apparently, the word "scheme" is not used pejoratively. In that nation, "scheme" seems simply to mean "program."

But in our country, to be involved in a "scheme" is to be connected to some nefarious, perhaps illegal, activity. In the last few days, "scheme" was used by U.S. newscasters to describe the recent alleged actions of Rod Blagojevich. As you may know, the Illinois governor has been arrested and accused of, among other things, trying to sell the open U.S. Senate seat (vacated by president-elect Barack Obama) to the highest bidder. As governor, Blagojevich gets to appoint a temporary occupant if a senator resigns. "Scheme" is a word we Americans never seem to use positively.

This jousting over word meaning got me thinking about Christmas. Specifically, there is a particular word associated with the season that must be encountered. The church teaches that God became incarnate, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. God became flesh, incarnate, in other words, when Jesus was born. This is a hard concept to wrap a mind around. The Nicene Creed says that Jesus is "God from God" but is also "truly human." The two permanent candles on the Lord's Table are to remind us of the dual nature of Christ as "fully God, fully human."

No one understands how this dual nature works. It can't really be explained. It can, however, be accepted.

As we once again approach Christmas, we Christians hear and believe an outrageous story. A woman who did not have relations with a man gives birth to a son. The father is not a man but the Holy Spirit. The child, Jesus, has bodily form and is human, but he is also God. When he goes to the cross, therefore, and dies, a human being perishes, yes, and so does (hold on to your newspaper) God! Or at least a part of God. And this God-man Jesus takes with him to the grave the sins of all humanity forever and they will be remembered no more.

Incarnate is a pretty important word when it comes to Jesus. It can't be explained well, but it can be accepted. That's what I choose to do -- how about you?

Merry Christmas!

Jeff Long is pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Married with two daughters, he is of Scots and Swedish descent, loves movies and is a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.