Christian Leadership as Incarnation
As we continue our journey through Advent, reflecting on the incarnation of the Son of God, take a moment to consider an ancient and somewhat strange idea of incarnation as a way of considering how Christ continues to be incarnated in our lives and in the mission of the Church.
Christian Leadership as Incarnation
As we continue our journey through Advent, reflecting on the incarnation of the Son of God, I want to take a moment to consider an ancient and somewhat strange idea of incarnation as a way of considering how Christ continues to be incarnated in our lives and in the mission of the Church.
Maximus the Confessor, a seventh-century monk and theologian, once wrote about the incarnation of Christ in a fashion that would seem bizarre to many modern ears. In his work, the Ambigua, Maximus begins by pointing to the concept, found in John’s Gospel, of Christ as the Word (Logos) of God become flesh. The term Logos was well known in the ancient world, used by philosophers to describe the rational structure that underlies all reality. John’s Gospel applied this concept to Christ; it is Christ who is the underlying structure at the foundation of all creation. And, according to John, this Logos was made human. This is what makes the incarnation so astonishing, that in Christ the foundation of all reality becomes a particular thing in that reality: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world … the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.” (John 1:9-10).
Maximus took this idea and suggested not only that the Word (Logos) is incarnated in Jesus Christ, but also that it is always incarnated in all of creation as “words” (logoi). These logoi are manifestations of God that fill all reality. In a sense, the whole of creation is an incarnation of the Logos, all existing in and participating as “little words” in that one Word which is Christ. “The One [Logos] is many,” Maximus says, such that when we look at the things that exist in creation, we are looking at expressions of the Logos.
This probably all seems rather academic. Maximus, though, seems to have thought this was quite practical. When we act virtuously, he says, the Logos (Word) is displayed in our acts. We participate in God and become “portions of God” in the world. That is, God’s presence can be incarnated in our lives and in our actions. Maximus says it rather beautifully: “For the Word of God … wills always and in all things to accomplish the mystery of his embodiment.” In other words, Christ the Logos is always looking to be embodied—to be incarnated—in all things, especially the faith and life of those who call Christ “Lord.”
All of this has important implications for Christian leadership, among innumerable other things. For one, Christian leadership must begin from a vastly different starting point when compared to leadership in our world. Whether in politics, business, or culture, leadership is generally seen as the ability to move people from A to B, regardless of what is A or B. The substance of leadership is secondary to the sheer ability to affect change. The reduction of leadership to the mere ability to influence people has generated a rather terrifying focus on leadership as techniques to get what one wants. This is discernible in everything from the rise of Trump-style politics to the phenomenon of the “influencer”—people whose life and career ambitions involve nothing more than being famous for moving people from A to B (again, regardless of what is A or B).
Christian leadership, though, starts with the Christian vocation to incarnate or embody Christ in the world. It isn’t focused on techniques, much less on working out how to get what we want. Christian leaders must seek to live in such a way as to become the living presence of Christ, and to help others do the same. This will mean both living as expressions of Christ in places where Christ is not known, and recognising the ways in which Christ is already being incarnated in our neighbourhoods and in our world and cultivating those things.
Join Us for Incarnate 2025
To help our church to grow in this kind of incarnational leadership, Uniting Mission and Education is launching a new project called Incarnate. Incarnate will consist of gatherings of lay leaders in different parts of the Synod which will focus on equipping the church to make God’s word and life real in our communities. Together we’ll deepen our theology and practice of worship, witness, and service. And, we'll nurture friendship and solidarity with others who share the joys and challenges of church leadership in the Australian context.
Our first Incarnate gathering is happening on 28 February and 1 March in Sawtell, near Coffs Harbour, in partnership with the Mid North Coast, Far North Coast, and New England North West Presbyteries. More gatherings are planned, so stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, let’s continue as a church to discern the virtues to which Christ calls us to incarnate his presence, and the ways in which Christ is always being incarnated in our world.