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Christmas: God’s Ultimate Mission
I always ask myself, “What is mission for me? Am I moving in the same path Jesus has called me?” As I ask this question, He leads me to the question, “What is mission for Jesus?”
The answer lies in the story of Christmas. In the nativity, Jesus abandoned His personal rights. As Philippians 2:7 says, He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men.” He forgot His Glory. He neglected His right to be born in a comfortable home, accepting rather animals to welcome Him. He continued His life by serving every minute without rest, without home, without honor, without money to the point He had to borrow money to pay His due tax. Ultimately, He even gave His own life for us. St Paul calls this “emptying Himself” for a great purpose. For Jesus, mission was accepting slavery in order to save us from the power of sin and grant us His heavenly glorious life.
“What is mission?” Mission is forgetting your life and abandoning your rights. Mission is living for a great purpose - offering Jesus your life, living to heal others, serving His little brothers and sisters. This is the meaning of Christmas and the meaning of mission. 2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us “We do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” In Christmas, Jesus lost His glory in order to gain us. In mission, we are called to lose the temporary in order to gain the eternal. Philippians 2:9 shows us the outcome of this self-abandonment, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.”
The Nativity season shows us that Christ had to lose so we can all gain. Mission is the same way. You will have to lose the comforts of your daily life. You will have to lose your own desires. You will have to lose some friends. You have to be willing to lose in order to gain. You will gain by what God will do through you and others will gain because you are bringing Christ to them.
Are you willing to follow the example Jesus gave us in mission by leaving your comfort to go and serve others? You might feel you are losing a lot, but in essence you will be gaining something unlimited and eternal. Are you willing to start your mission today?
