Word and Flesh

In commenting on the Evangelical church’s love affair with the spoken word over and against image, icon, and sacrament, Thomas Howard writes:

“[Jesus] spoke words of such power and glory that they burned into the hearts of men and kindled all of the skill and creativeness that was in them. His words did not spread a frost over human potential. They roused and vivified us and set us free to do all of our work for the glory of God, whether that work meant cups of cold water, prayers, building, baking, or typing. The Word became flesh. The word always becomes flesh. What is true in a man’s heart will take on the mantle of good works, or of stone, or of gilded illuminations around the border of a manuscript, or of well-baked bread.” (Evangelical is Not Enough, p. 64.)

This reminds me of an observation by a professor at Regent College. Loren Wilkinson noted that we’re told the Word became flesh. But in our religious practice so often our efforts focus on turning that flesh back into word.