Here is a story of the incarnation that has nothing to do with the Christmas stories. In Mark 6 the disciples are battling to row across the lake, sent by Jesus to reach Bethsaida against a stormy headwind, while Jesus prays on land.  In the early, darkest pre-dawn hours they are exhausted, scared and lonely.  God-like, Jesus sees their plight and walks across the water, meaning to pass them by.

Pass them by?  Why?! This seems to recall the story of Moses begging to see the glory of God, to which God responds with an elaborate arrangement that shields Moses while the glory of God passes by.  People cannot see the face of God and live, so Moses is allowed just to see the back of God.  It’s an odd story, but it is the best the Old Testament can do to bring God to meet a person.

In the Mark story Jesus acts like God, passing them by to reassure them that he has seen them and has the power he had demonstrated in the preceding events, including the feeding of the five thousand.  But their hearts were hardened and they did not understand. Instead they were terrified by this apparition.

So, in contrast to the episode with Moses, Jesus recognises their terror, does not show them his back, but calls out to them and then drops into the boat and settles down with them!  

In Jesus, God showed a face and became their companion in the middle of their terror.  And with Jesus in the boat with them, the storm subsides. Jesus does not punish them for their lack of faith or their obtuseness in not recognising what the feeding of the five thousand meant; he joins them.

Mark related this story after the death and resurrection of Jesus.  He must have been conscious of the symbolism in it.  His readers were in a socio-political storm of considerable proportions and had been sent by Jesus to row against this stormy wind in carrying out his mission.  They must have been scared and probably lonely.  How they must have wished Jesus was still with them . . . 

So the story tells them that Jesus sees, he passes by with the power of God, and then, if we are still scared enough, he pops in to sit with us and deal with the situation.  He is incarnate.

How is Jesus incarnate now?  As I understand the rest of the gospel story, Jesus lives with us through our fellow-followers of Jesus.  He promised to be present when two or three of us gather in his name.  And as much as we do anything for one of the least of God’s children, we do it to Jesus.  Presumably, then, when any other person stands alongside and helps us, we find Jesus is incarnate.

Storms blow and we feel abandoned, but Jesus is passing by with the unseen glory of God and does see us.  And if knowing that is not enough, if we really need Jesus and the reassurance that it is God that is in the storm and not some terrifying force we don’t understand, then we have the great advantage over Moses that we can reach out to Jesus in the form of other followers and have them pop into our boat.  They are Jesus to us.  Often we don’t even have to reach out to them – just recognise who they are when they arrive. You may be surprised at what they look like.

And today we may have the great privilege of being Jesus to some other terrified children of God.  We bring them the presence and indeed the power of God.  Look out for them.