There's an online trend that caught my attention recently. For fun, kids call an aunt or uncle or grandparent with a big ask to solve a big problem. Here's the set up. They just got a bad grade on a test. Now, the teacher wants a signature from their parents, but they don't want to face the music. Their big ask is: Will you sign it for me instead?
As you might expect, people respond differently. Some family members laugh and say they'll do it. Others lay down the law and tell the kids they have to own up to what they did.
But one video got me. One kid called Grandma. Grandma wasn't going to let them off the hook, but she did offer something else. She said she would be there when the parents got home and saw the grade. She'd be there to support the child, and "stand up" for him.
When Grandma said she'd be there, I balled. That's presence. That's love. That's incarnation. And that's everything.
We often think of freedom as the ability to do and say what we want. To go where we want. But the apostle Paul spoke of his freedom in a different way. His way shows us how to follow Christ faithfully. Now, he's free, for sure, but he's free to serve.
Again, we think freedom means "nobody tells me what to do," but Paul saw true freedom as choosing to serve. For the sake of the gospel, he chose to serve all people. You can't become all things to all people without first coming to them. That's presence. That's love. That's Jesus. And that's incarnation. Serving and showing up for each other in the flesh.
Incarnational ministry is a letting go of our need to be the star so Jesus can be the center. When we show up, Christ becomes real to everyone.
Stay blessed...john | 
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