John 1:1–18, Incarnation—Embodying Your Self

John 1:14, “So the Word became flesh; he came to dwell among us, and we saw his glory, such glory as befits the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

In reference to the birth of Christ in the man Jesus, the Book of John says, “The Word became flesh…to dwell among us.”

“To dwell among us.” “Became flesh.” Feel into the power and substance of dwelling in your flesh. This is what Incarnation means.

To incarnate is to become human. The path of becoming human is to embody our essence—the Divine nature that is the substance of who we are. The Self/God Within dwells in our bodies. God Within manifests in every aspect of who we are. We need to become conscious of what goes on in our bodies as information from God Within.

Many of us were taught the body is sinful. We learned to mistrust and condemn the body. We were told that the instincts of hunger, sexuality, movement, self-reflection, and creativity were bad. Our emotions and sensations were often met with disapproval and judgments. These responses thwarted the flow of the life force in us. We internalized the faulty perceptions and meanings that disconnected us from conscious awareness of our body. Disembodiment, not incarnation, was the result.

We have to accept that the body is the temple of God to incarnate fully. This means accepting all that arises within our body is a manifestation of God Within. Our instincts, our emotions, our sensations, and our intuitions are an expression of God Within. They can be expressed in service of life or against life.

In the process of hearing what God Within is saying through our bodies, we develop discernment. We do not act out every impulse or phantasy we have. We live in conscious relationship to them. Conscious relationship allows us to find the life-giving, healthy expressions of our emotions and impulses. In the process, we open our personality as an expression of “the grace and truth” of God Within.

With the grace and truth of God Within, we cultivate attitudes, feelings, and actions that express the truth of our Divine nature. Our reflexive, automatic responses shift to fuller, more authentic expressions of God Within. This is a gift that comes from living in our bodies.

As adults on the spiritual path of Incarnation, we need to relate to our bodies as expressions of God Within. Imagine responding to whatever you’re experiencing by asking: What is God Within saying to me through this? How is it informing me to move with myself in the world? How might I act on the body’s information in a life-giving way?

We affirm the central act of the Christian faith—God becoming (hu)man, The Word made flesh—when we live in our bodies. Incarnation happens. We know others and ourselves as living, moving, creating manifestations of God full of grace and glory.

Inner Reflection
What do you believe about your body in relationship to God Within? What stops you from living in conscious relationship to what happens inside of you? What supports you in knowing your body as the temple of God? Write an affirmation or statement of belief as your sacred intention for incarnating—letting God Within manifest in and through your body and all its expressions.