Chili Con Jesus?
How do you remember what “incarnation” means?
Well, according to Mark Bates, our pastor at UPC, it goes something like this…
It’s very easy to remember what “incarnation” means, theologically.
First, you break down the word into parts.
“in” meaning, “in”
“carnation” which comes from the Latin, “carne”
This should be a very familiar word to most of you…”carne” as in “Chili Con Carne” which means, of course, chili with ________(little pause as congregation says, “Meat!”)
Right! Meat!
So “carne” means “meat” or “flesh”! “Incarnation” then, means that Jesus is God in the “meat” or “flesh”…
Sitting directly next to me is MFA (my friend Anna), who teaches Latin to Middle Schoolers. As I’m trying to figure out if it’s just me that is finding this whole meat-thing mildly amusing, I look over at Anna who turns to me and says stone-faced,
“Mmmm. Jesus.”
Filed under: General, Catbird, Like a fire, Random Thoughts on April 30th, 2006
I would love for everyone to think I’m quick on the draw like that, but really, it was because I had a friend say the exact same thing to me once when our former worship pastor described Jesus as a Ruth’s Chris steak, as opposed to say, one from the buffet line of Ponderosa. (This guy, dear to me as he was and is) had a knack for memorable, if not profound, analogies.) Anyway, I figured if I could manage to say it to Cathy without laughing, she would start laughing, and amazingly, I succeeded! :o)