The Savior Who Comes Near

 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

 Have you ever been on a mission trip? Even just a short term one for a week or two? It is life changing, not just for you, but for the people you visit. My friend, Sackie, was the head of operations in Liberia for Serve the Children, a ministry that our family has been involved with for more than 20 years. He came to the US to visit one time in the early 2000s and spoke at our church. Afterwards I felt a tug on my heart to go on a trip to Liberia, to experience what he talked about, to do something. But, and this will not likely come as a surprise to you, I recognized that travel to Africa is expensive and I wondered if my personal contribution to a mission team would be worth what it cost. Would me giving $3,000 be worth more than me showing up for a couple of weeks and playing with some kids? So, I asked him. I said, “Sackie, would it be better for me to go on a mission trip to Liberia or donate the money it would cost?” Do you know what he said to me? He said, “Yes.” At first, I was taken aback by this. He didn’t tell me what to do. He didn’t answer my question, in my estimation. Or did he? You see, Sackie’s point was that I should do both. By donating money to the cause, I would be investing in it, but by going myself I would become invested. Once I had put my feet on the ground in that terrible, beautiful country, my heart would be forever changed, and it would now become a part of who I am. Now, my future investments in the mission were basically guaranteed. Liberia became a part of me and I of it.

 This morning, I am seeing Jesus’ visit to earth in a different light. Could He have sent us forgiveness? Maybe. I mean, He’s God, He can do what He wants. But He knew that ultimately, in order for us to really get it, He had to bring forgiveness to us. In order for us to understand Him, He had to be one of us. What we needed couldn’t be written on a check and mailed to us. We needed Jesus in flesh and blood, God with skin on. We needed the forgiveness that could only come from Him, but we also needed Jesus Himself. We need a Savior Who Comes Near.

 Did I care about the people of Liberia before I went there myself? Definitely! I had even embarked upon the arduous journey of adopting one of them to become a member of my family. But breathing their air, eating their food, seeing with my own eyes the devastation their war had wrought, not just on the city itself, but on the people – that changed me. If you ask anyone who spoke to me in the year or two after that trip, they’ll tell you that practically every conversation I had would involve some statement like, “Yeah, but when I was in Liberia…” To this day, over 20 years later, it is frequently top of mind. It changed how I see and understand everything in this world. I can’t help but believe that Jesus spending 33 years on earth affected Him as well.

Here's the Thing: Did He love us more afterward? I don’t know that that is possible, but I would be curious as to if He loved us differently. I’m so thankful for a Savior Who Comes Near!