Christmas always has its share of sensory explosions for me and this year was no different. From the deliciously decadent cinnamon rolls that my wife makes every year for Christmas morning to the joyful craziness of having numerous family members pop their Christmas crackers that night, the day left me overly and wonderfully full. But there was a distinct sound of the day that particularly sticks with me.
I took this picture Christmas night after we got home from our suburban Christmas dinner. It was a still evening, I was walking the dog, and I took the chance to enjoy once again the beauty of the Chicago skyline that we enjoy from our neighborhood. i didn’t take the picture for the view, though. I took it because of what I heard. You can’t see it in this picture, but I heard the distinct noise of a rusty “Squeeeeak” and then five seconds of silence and then another “Squeeeeak” and so on. Someone was swinging high on the swing at the local school playground, vaulting themselves into the air, tethered only by some chains that hadn’t had much of a workout recently.
I stood there for a minute and marveled at what may be the perfect way to end Christmas Day. I have no idea who the person was, but he or she was giving a perfect example of living out the incarnation.
Incarnation is a fancy theological word that essentially means God made flesh. It’s why we celebrate Christmas, to marvel that God came into our world in the flesh and had a blast while doing so. Jesus walked, taught, laughed, drank, ate, argued, healed, and prayed. And probably a lot of other things that the gospels don’t communicate. He took full advantage of being incarnate, of being fleshy. The person on this swing did the same thing, feeling the rush of traveling up and down, hearing the satisfying squeak of the chains holding him or her up and then allowing gravity to pull him or her down. The person was incarnate and that may be one of the best things any of us can be in 2016. Be flesh. Rejoice in fleshness. Remind at least one other person that they are flesh, too.