God became a body in Jesus Christ. The Creator took on the flesh and bones, the physical/emotional/spiritual nature of a human being like each one of us! Not only is this a marvelous mystery, it is an affirmation of the very essence of our work in healthcare!  God cares about our our whole beings as bodies.  God has entrusted to us a ministry to and with other human beings as bodies.  Christmas is a celebration of “Word” becoming human flesh: visible, audible, tangible.  In Jesus Christ, God established a precedent for our relationships with each other as bodies created in the image of God.

I invite you to consider what difference the Christmas story, the story of Incarnation, makes in your own healthcare profession.  How do you extend the good news of the Son of God coming in the flesh through your profession?  How do you care for the whole person–body, mind, and spirit? May God bless the work of each of you as you minister in healthcare professions in the new year!

About the author

Paul D. Leichty, M.Div. was the first Executive Director of Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship (MHF), serving from Sept. 2011 through May 2020.  Paul has served as a pastor, church musician, computer support person, disabilities advocate, and administrator/organizer of a number of church-related ministries. In addition to responsibilities at MHF, Paul is Executive Director of Congregational Accessibility Network and was formerly Director of User Services at Mennonite.net.  He is a member of Agape Fellowship of the Mennonite Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania where he lives with his wife, Twila Charles Leichty.