Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21 CSB)

Christmas is when God sent His Son into the world. By “world”, of course we mean planet earth. But we mean more than that. Jesus was sent into our broken world. The place where darkness reigns. The place of evil, suffering, pain, and despair.

Jesus came into this world in order to save it. He is the Light that shines in the darkness.

And before Jesus ascended back to His Father, He made this interesting statement— As the Father sent me, I also send you.

Jesus, the true light, sends us to be light. He has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation. We are His ambassadors, as if He’s making His appeal through us.

This has huge implications.

We are to enter dark places. We are to overcome evil in the world with good. We are to shine light on injustice. We are to offer hope to the hurting. We are to live with integrity, compassion, and patience.

Christmas is not passive. For us to truly understand and embrace Christmas, we have to lace up our boots. We have to go. Jesus is sending us, just as He was sent.

Where is He sending you? Where can you be light?

Go.