We are called to be icons of Christ. This means more than imitating Jesus. We are to actually incarnate Christ in our lives. This means that we should be willing to give up things—even give up our very selves–as Christ gave up the full intensity of his divinity. The incarnation means that Jesus became not only a sacrament of God but also the sacrament of what it means to be human. All of this came from his kenosis, his self-emptying (Phil. 2:7). ‘Tis the season of candles. As you light a candle, perhaps the fourth one on your Advent wreath tonight, reflect upon yourself as a candle. When you share Christ’s light, you are consumed. You are emptying yourself of yourself. There’s less of you and more of Christ. Sort of like John the Baptist who decreased so Christ could increase.