Life itself is a journey from birth to death, and for the Christian, life is a pilgrimage from baptism to death, the entrance into eternity. In the waters of Holy Baptism the Christian gets death over with as he or she dies and is buried with Christ and is reborn to new life in Christ that never ends. It is in Baptism that the Christian, putting on Christ, enters the incarnational life. With the cross as our victory and suffering, we feed on Holy Words and eat Holy Food, spiritual and sacramental food that sustains us on our journey. The goal of our journey is to live in Christ’s presence forever and to feast at his table for eternity. The Christian pilgrimage is an incarnational life in Christ.
What does it mean to live an incarnational life in today’s world? To live incarnationally is to bear witness that Jesus Christ is present in our world through his salvific grace, through his holy word by which we are led to the truth, and through his flesh given to our flesh as food and as a sign of his presence among us. Our incarnational lives testify that Christ's presence in the world transforms the world, its people, and its creatures and makes all things new. Christ is present in the world through grace, through us, and he is present for the life of the world. So many people today are searching for something to fill and satisfy them. What they desperately seek, we already richly experience in our spiritual lives! The question those seekers who have not yet found Christ are really asking is, “How can I live the incarnational life?” Our response is in word and action, "We live Christ who lives in us!" And then they will ask, "What does this mean and how is it done?" And then we can invite them, "Come to St. Paul’s Church and receive the gifts of Christ's flesh in hearing the Gospel and feasting at his banquet. And then go out into the world and be what you have become in Christ!" This is the incarnational life! Fr. Al Jewson