As we approach the Christmas holiday festivities, most people, in and outside the faith, would primarily equate Christmas to giving. Especially as adults, that is what we spend most of our time doing. We give gifts, we give our time, and we give to the local food bank, all reflecting the gift given to us in the form of Jesus. Giving is the primary attribute of God we think about in the Christmas story as He gave us His son and the hope that God is making all things right. This truth is pivotal to what we believe about who God is, yet I invite you to zoom out and look at an equally true but often forgotten aspect of Jesus' birth and how it shapes who we are as His people.
The Mission of God
Also known as Missio Dei, the mission of God is the will of God to restore all things to His original creation. In particular, through the restoration of humanity, it is the central theme describing God's activity throughout all time. All of the great stories of scripture connect around this truth: if God is on a mission, so are His people, and just as God sent His son Jesus, He sends us.
The phrase "to send" is found over 800 times in the Old Testament alone, with 200 instances with God as the subject. Therefore, we can see that God is a God who sends.
Moses is sent to Pharaoh to demand the release of God's people from slavery:
"So now, go; I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." Exodus 3:10
The prophet Isaiah hears the call of the Lord:
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
wand the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified."
And then in Luke 4:18-19, bringing things back full circle, Jesus stood before the people in the synagog and read this same passage from Isaiah 61 as the pronouncement of the beginning of His ministry, speaking to the fulfillment of God's promise as well as attaching His presence on earth to the Missio Dei.
In light of all of this, I still encourage you to celebrate the gift of Jesus this season by living a generous and thoughtful life. Find every opportunity to look at the traditions of Christmas and let them be reminders of God, who is rich in mercy and gracious in sending our savior. And, I implore you to see Christmas through the lens of the mission of God and let it move you to join him in restoring all things to Himself. Live sent!