CRN.Info and Analysis

When I fart in Wittenberg they smell it in Rome.

Although it nice to know I’ve got such a dedicated following.

I admit that I am not been a big fan of most Christmas carols.  It started with an analytical bent that wondered if Jesus really didn’t cry in the manger.  Seminary pretty much sealed the deal when it was confirmed, for example, that we don’t know how many magi there were, they certainly were not kings, and if we use them in a nativity set, they should be put in the other room.  But there is one that I really, really like: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!  And as far a I am concerned it speaks directly against the ODM notion that we are not to contextualize the Gospel, not to make it relevant, that we should not seek to translate Christianity across cultures and times.

First let me dispense with the annoyingly obvious responses such as: “We don’t make the Gospel relevant, it is relevant.” and the many permutations.  I agree, all things God are ontologically relevant, but just like our own salvation stories – it never became relevant until someone explained it.

Now, back to our carol.  I particularly like this phrase:  

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

Veiled in flesh… - if this is not contextualizing; nothing is!  That which is spirit took on flesh… ‘tis a mystery for sure, but what was once not flesh, became fleshy.

The second member of the Godhead condescended to incarnate himself.  “Incarnate” – kinda sounds like carnal doesn’t it? 

Pleased as man with men to dwell. – as man… with men.  That’s contextualizing, that’s making himself relevant.  It pleased him to leave his heavenly estate and become like us.

…our Emmanuel - God literally pitching his tent next to ours…

Of course, he did all this without taking on all the theological baggage of sinfulness and the lot.  In his advent, in his incarnation, Jesus gave us the model on how we are to take the Gospel to others.  And the first thing he did was to contextualize – keeping the core of truth but allowing it to be communicated in the likeness of the recipient.

So, the next time some ODM, or anyone else for that matter, starts snarking about not contextualizing the Bible, about how atrocious an offense it is to try and be relevant – direct them to Luke 2.