We Accept!

A little girl came home from School with her Report Card …

It contained a Grade of "F" in Spelling. When her Mother asked for an explanation of the failing grade, the child answered, "Mommy, words fail me."

That’s exactly where we are in trying to spell out a logical explanation of Jesus’ Incarnation – mere words fail us. But the experience of God’s Incarnational Presence in our lives will not fail us.

The Apostle Paul has tried to help us understand that when the Incarnation becomes real to us, we can experience the wholeness of life that we all need and want. In Paul’s time and in our own time, there are those who say that the way to become a whole person is to reject your humanity – withdraw from the rest of the Human Race, wash your hands of the human drama. But Paul says an emphatic "No" to this sort of Religious elitistism.

The Incarnation means that your life now is good because God is in it. It means that the present moment is good because God is in it. It means that God is working in every area of your humanity – in your joys and in your sorrows, in your laughter and in your tears, in your hopes and in your fears.

It has been said that there is a genetic flaw in Western Christianity that actually prevents us from making a genuinely Christian response to God. And there is truth in this claim. We Christians in the West have been mightily influenced by what is called "The Age of the Enlightenment."

Among other things, "The Age of Enlightenment" holds that faith is something that goes on in your head. It holds that faith is figuring out what God has done and, if you can’t figure it out, and if you can’t prove it, there is something wrong with it.

We must, of course, give "reason" its due. These minds of ours are, after all, one of God’s beautiful gifts to us. We are not called to be an unreasonable people, but our faith does not rest on the use of our minds alone.

Jesus beautifully restated the Incarnation Message in these words:

"God so loved the World that He gave His only Son" (John 3:16).

Who can understand, who can prove how the innermost Essence of God’s being can be embodied so as to dwell among us?

Our Christian response to God’s Supreme Gift is not primarily figuring out the Incarnation Miracle, but accepting it, receiving it, being thankful for it – straight from the heart.

Ordinarily, in the church, we talk about the Spirit of Giving, and it is important to do this. But rarely do we hear any talk about the Spirit of Receiving. Rarely do we hear any talk about how to receive graciously and freely. Very often the elements of pride and arrogance get in the way. We don’t want to be obligated to the person who is giving. "Oh, you shouldn’t have done this," we say. Or, on occasion, when gifts are mutually exchanged, the thought flashes through our minds, "Oh my goodness, that’s more expensive than the gift I have for him" (or her). Consequently, while we are receiving the gift outwardly, inwardly we are rejecting it.

There is a true story about a little boy who lived in the Midwest. He was blind …

His family heard about an Eye Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital who had developed a new surgical technique which was related to the boy’s condition.

There was the possibility that if the boy could be sent to Boston for this Surgery, he might receive the gift of sight. It was very expensive. The people in the church contributed to the cause and so did some others in the surrounding community. Finally, all preparations had been made and the boy and his Mother were all packed and ready to go. As they were saying their "goodbyes" to the rest of the family the Mother noticed that the little boy had his Old Teddy Bear clutched under his arm.

The Teddy Bear had seen better days. Some of the stuffing was coming through a broken seam, one ear had been chewed and an eye was missing. The Mother said, "Why take this old Teddy Bear all the way to Boston. I’ll get you a new one when we arrive there." But the little boy didn’t want to go without his little treasure, so he took the much used, much battered, much loved Teddy Bear with him to Boston.

In the Hospital, the little boy had his Teddy Bear tucked under his arm through every experience, even in the Operating Room. Moreover, through the extended period of convalescence, the Teddy Bear stayed with him. Then came the day when the Doctor was able to remove the bandages from the boy’s eyes. Wonderful! He could see! Imagine what it must have been like for the boy to see his Mother’s face for the very first time! He had thought of it, imagined it, and now he could actually see it! And imagine what it was like for that little boy to see his Teddy Bear for the first time!

When the time came for the boy to be discharged from the Hospital, he was dressed in new clothes purchased for the occasion. His little bag was packed, and surrounding him were Nurses and other Hospital Personnel who wanted to say goodbye to this loveable little boy whom they had come to know so well during his long confinement.

The boy was sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching his Teddy Bear when the Eye Surgeon who had restored his sight came into the room for a last visit. The Doctor appeared busy as the often do when they’re trying to cover up their emotions, and before the Doctor could say anything, the little boy spoke. "Here Doctor, I want to pay you for helping me," and handed him the battered old Teddy Bear. The Doctor took the Teddy Bear into his hand, accepting it without reservation.

And for some months after that, if you had gone to the tenth floor of the White Building in the Massachusetts General Hospital Complex, you could have seen the Teddy Bear. The Doctor had put it in a glass case in the corridor. There it sat: one ear chewed, stuffing coming out, and one eye missing.

Under the Teddy Bear the Doctor has placed his professional calling card and below his name had written, "This is the highest fee I ever received for professional services rendered."

The Doctor had given a great gift to that little boy – the gift of sight. And the boy was so thankful that he offered to the Doctor his most treasured possession.

But that is not the real point of the story. The real moment of excitement in the story occurs when the wise and sensitive Doctor accepts his little patient’s gift offering. By graciously receiving the gift, the Doctor allowed the little boy to experience the joy of giving.

In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus identifies Himself as God’s Supreme Gift to humankind, saying, "I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51).

Because He loves us so much, God comes to us through His gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is for us to respond, saying, "Yes, God, we accept Your Tremendous Gift. Yes God, we accept this Supreme Gift of Your Love, and we accept it gratefully."

Thanks Be to God!!!!!

Amen!!!