We are preparing to celebrate Christmas.  This is a pretty big deal. It’s a big deal throughout most of the world. Why is that? Why is the birth of Jesus such an occasion? Jesus’ birth took place in a moment. Though this moment passed with no pomp and circumstance, no ceremony, largely unnoticed by the world, this moment changed everything. Our very calendar revolves around this moment. History has since been divided into the era before this moment, and the era after this moment.

Things changed when Jesus Christ entered our world.  He came on a mission to change the world and He did just that. His mission was to bridge two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. You see, man’s sin caused a separation between the two. Man could not repair that. God had to repair that and He did so by meeting us where we are. He took on the form of man and entered our fallen world to restore the relationship between the Creator and His creation.

His mission was clear. We first heard of His mission from the prophet Isaiah. Seven hundred years prior to Jesus’ miraculous birth, the prophet said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”(Isaiah 7:14) Months before His birth, when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, an angel came to Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father and said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) Jesus’ mission was to be God with us. He was sent to serve the role of Son of God and Son of Man. He was uniquely qualified. No one else could serve these two roles. He accepted and lived His mission to be “God with us.” We know this by His own words – “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) He lived for this and He died for this. He was tried and crucified for blasphemy. That is to say, He was sentenced to death for calling Himself God. He didn’t deny his deity, because He couldn’t. He couldn’t deny His nature because He truly was God with us.

As we celebrate His birth this Christmas, I pray that we remember His life, His death, and His resurrection. That was His mission. He came to live a life we couldn’t, die a death we deserve in order to give us abundant life we could never earn.