The mission Jesus was on went way beyond starting a church. Jesus came as a part of God’s mission to love, bless and save the whole world. Jesus was there when this mission began, at the very beginning of creation.
John put it this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1–5) And when John said “the Word,” he meant Jesus.
Keep reading: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Jesus will be there when God’s mission is fulfilled, too. In Revelation 22:1-4, Jesus is referred to as the “Lamb.” From beginning to end, Jesus is at the very center of God’s mission to reconcile, justify and make all things new.
Tomorrow: In, with, and for the world
This message was adapted from “Act Boldly for Mission” by Kelly Fryer that appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.