So often at this time of year we hear the phrase “He came to save us from our sin” or as Michael W. Smith’s song so poignantly says, He “lived to die, rejected and alone…” While it’s true that Christ knew his life was on a trajectory toward his redemptive crucifixion, still there was purpose for every day he lived prior to that moment. He was born to die, yes, but He was also born to live.
In Jesus’s life we have the perfect example of how to be all we were created and called to be.
We were created to know and enjoy God. Between the three persons of the Trinity God experiences perfect love, harmony and joy. Out of that love and prompted by His goodness, God created us so we also could join in fellowship with Him, experiencing that same perfect love, harmony and joy. Living as a man on earth, Jesus showed us how to nurture a close relationship with God. He walked in obedience, trusted the Father’s love, depended on the Holy Spirit’s power. He did nothing on his own but humbly lived to honor and glorify God.
We were created for community. As we gather around God, we enjoy community with one another as well. We were made for community, not isolation. Jesus lived in community with his disciples and others, loving those around him, serving all who crossed his path and thereby experiencing joy himself and fostering joy in others. He did nothing out of selfish ambition, but lived for the good of those around him. In the same way as we live in harmony with one another we enjoy the fellowship of community.
We are called to participate with God in his mission to redeem and restore the world. Jesus shows us exactly how to do that: trust God’s plan. Live a life of faith in front of others. Show the nations what is like to belong to a gracious and sovereign God. As we live in loving community together rooted in our joint affection for God, we become witnesses to the goodness and grace of God who created us to enjoy Him forever.
I’m so very grateful Jesus was born to live a life I can emulate. His life gives me hope every bit as much as his death gives me life. Praise be to God for this unspeakable gift.
A journey of the heart 