As we arrive in the Advent season, my thoughts turn to the blessing of having a Savior who Himself came as a missionary, being the first Christian Missionary. The very word, “Advent,” means “the arrival of a notable person or thing.” And Jesus is the most notable person to ever walk the earth! He left the place He dwells and came to earth to show us the way home.
As I think about His coming, I’m thankful for several things that the Scriptures point out be we may forget during this also hectic time of year. The first of these things is why He left to come and be here: to show the world the Father. It’s a profound example that He has set for His Church/His people. According to John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus’s advent has shown us the glory of the only Son from the Father! I’m reminded of what my presence here on earth should accomplish therein. His Advent embodies an intentionality, a purposefulness, that transcends simply arriving. He came with a goal: the redemption of mankind through the revelation of the Father. In John 14, Jesus reminds us that He only does what He sees the Father do, revealing to us what the Father’s will is. In Luke 19, Jesus sums-up His mission: to seek and to save the lost!
I want to challenge you this Advent season to not miss the missionary work of Jesus, but to also align your life on earth with His, being a purposeful and intentional missionary declaring God’s glory to a dark and unreached world! When we live this way, we engage in a profound life, which is the second thing I think about this time of year.
The Advent season has many metaphors for light in the darkness with which the season is associated. Living in Europe, we are seeing the sun set around 3:45p this time of year, which is a profoundly long and dark night (about 16 hours of darkness). But with this season come the Christmas Markets and decorations, which shine spectacularly in the dark season, and are visual reminders of what our lives should be like. As Christ’s incarnational presence in the world, we are to be the agents of illumination bu which the lost find their way home. We are cities on hills who are not hidden in bushels. And, just as Jesus came to illuminate the way for us, we are to live intentional, purposeful lives (Romans 10, 2 Cor. 5) that follow Jesus’s example of mission Dei living.
I’m praying for you this holiday season to have a joyous season, but even more so that you would dwell richly in His presence as He dwells richly in you leading you to be the messenger who delivers the news of His Advent to a world lost in darkness.
Merry Christmas!