Why did Jesus come to earth?

Jesus didn’t come to earth so individuals could get into heaven when they die.

His focus was much more immediate, much more collective, much more political.

The poor, the captive, the blind, the oppressed.
The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned.

Jesus didn’t come to save us to join a kingdom of heaven somewhere else in the future.

He came to save us to join a kingdom-of-heaven movement—
right here, right now.

A movement toward the poor, on behalf of the powerless,
for the good of the oppressed.

The Good News

And the good news is you don’t need special qualifications to enter Jesus’ kingdom and join the movement.

All you have to do is believe in the One who was placed in a manger—the One who taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

God’s Kingdom

God’s kingdom isn’t about protecting our personal freedom, our guns, and our tax breaks.
It’s about using our freedom to serve the least, the lowest, the sick, and the stranger.

God’s kingdom isn’t about forcing our version of morality on others.
It’s about looking into the eyes of the broken and the outcast, and saying, “Where are your accusers?”

God’s kingdom isn’t about defending a version of capitalism that benefits the rich and oppresses the poor.
It’s about voluntarily sharing what we have with those who don’t.

God’s kingdom isn’t about expanding our influence around the world through military power.
It’s about a radical commitment to using our power to elevate the powerless.

Life in God’s kingdom—a life of deep connection and shared mission with our Creator—will never cease. 

Saved to Participate

You have not been saved when you believe in Jesus to be admitted into heaven.

You have been saved when you believe in Jesus to participate in bringing heaven to earth.

You are not simply a recipient of God’s love toward you. 
You are an active participant in God’s love toward all of us.

The Right Now Message of Christmas

This is the message of Christmas—a message of sacrificial love come to life in flesh and blood … first and foremost in the person of Jesus … but also here and now in you and me.

It’s a message for right now—food for the hungry, clothes for the naked, care for the sick, and freedom for the truly oppressed.

May we, following Jesus, abandon our positions of power and our individual rights to serve as living, breathing, flesh-and-blood conduits of God’s provision to meet every need.

May we cross the seemingly un-cross-able distance between “us” and “them” such that we don’t even see a “them” anymore … 

we only see an us.

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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18-19 / Isaiah 61

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty andyou gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick andyou looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Matthew 25:34-36