God did not just sent Jesus

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17 (NASB)So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." John 20:21 (NASB)God loved, God gave, God sent his Son. I like that, I amazed by that. God is easy when he is loving, when he is giving, when he sends his Son not to judge us but to help us. It is the kind Christmas we like, when we can laugh about naughty or nice because it really doesn’t make any difference, when we can, for however brief, suspend the ugly realities of life. The very realities God did not ignore in his love but instead chose to address them head on because his love could neither ignore nor bypass them. He didn’t just wrap up the gift of his Son so we would think, “Maybe everything will be okay after all,” so we would not give up on human kindness and some timely generosity, so we could have some good memories. No God loved, gave, and sent in the face of our brokenness, sinfulness, and impotence. We deserve judgment but we need redemption, that is why God, compelled by his love, opted for giving and sending his Son.Let’s keep it superficial, not just Christmas, but also God, and the truth about us. Let’s do some timely charity, some serious family and friend gift-giving, and add some Holiday niceness. Let’s send out some cards (preferably with a religious tone if you are serious about being a Christian). Let’s hope the preacher stays upbeat, we are not after conviction, spiritual indictments, and twitches of guilt. Come on! It’s Christmas, a designated time of cheer, a season of joy with decorations and beautiful lights. Yup, the preacher should be peppy, lead the holiday cheer. This is not a time to talk about senseless killings/mass murder, lies, the abuse of political power, or about those for whom we can find no room, or spiritual emptiness and apathy, and certainly not about perishing.I wish Jesus wouldn’t have said that, “As the Father has sent me so send I you.” He said that to those who had believed in him. He is saying that to me, I have believed in him. God sent Christ to redeem, to save. Christ submitted himself to be the gift of God to people, to address that which is most broken, most desperate about humanity. In being sent Jesus fully embraced God’s love for the world, he completely submitted himself to God’s will not for his own good and peace but for the world, and he totally committed himself to be God’s servant, not seasonally, not occasionally, not when convenient, or only when it was appreciated. How much did being sent cost Jesus, not just in the end, but upfront? How much will it cost you and me? How much of me am I willing to let God wrap up to give for redemption’s sake? How much will you?Froehliche Weihnachten. Love you, Pastor Hans