Written by Lawrence Rabone (UK)

Christmas is a time for us to consider afresh each year the mystery of the Incarnation. We marvel at how the eternal word of God, Jesus Christ, took on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Just as Christ has made our hearts alive, so every year the dark nights of winter are lit up with brightness as we celebrate the glorious birth of the light of the world. And woven throughout the Christmas story, we discover God’s heart to reconcile all peoples to Himself. Christmas is therefore a great time to talk about mission!

Today, let us focus on what the Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) tells us about world mission. Simeon was a righteous and devout man who had spent a lifetime in the holy city of Jerusalem waiting for the coming of  the Christ. What is more, Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit, who had told him that before he died, he would see with his own eyes the long-awaited Messiah.

What a day then it must have been for Simeon when, eight days after  His birth, the baby Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to be circumcised. On this special day, Simeon knew as soon as Jesus passed by that the      appointed time had come. All his hopes of consolation and redemption met as he gazed upon Jesus. Simeon could not contain his joy, and clutching the infant he blessed God and declared:

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32 ESV)

Every line of this song is important, but I want to emphasise how Simeon proclaims that Jesus has been ‘prepared in the presence of all peoples’. The NIV translates this: ‘prepared in the sight of all nations.’ Meanwhile, the NLT emphasises that this salvation has been ‘prepared for all people.’

Clearly then, Simeon, inspired by the Spirit, declares that Jesus is a Saviour for everyone (see also 1 Timothy 4:10). The Christmas story speaks to us emphatically about God’s heart for all nations. Jesus is a light for the Gentiles, and the glory of the people of Israel. No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote triumphantly in the Book of Romans: ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek’ (Romans 1:16).

Furthermore, Simeon’s contemporaries would have heard in his reference to a salvation ‘prepared in the presence of all peoples’ an allusion to an ancient prophecy about the Servant of the Lord foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1-7). Simeon’s prophetic utterance was not novel, but rooted in Old Testament revelation. In Isaiah 49:5-6 we read:

And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength- he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

In this prophesy, the Messiah has a two-fold ministry: both to bring the people of Israel back to God, and to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. Simeon echoes this passage in Luke 2 as he declares that Jesus is this promised Servant of the Lord.

Furthermore, the church is now entrusted with this holy calling of bringing God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. In Acts 13:47, Paul and Barnabas quote Isaiah 49:6 during a synagogue service in Antioch in Pisidia. After many Jewish leaders reject Paul’s witness, Paul and Barnabas declare:

It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

The Lord has commanded us, you and I, to be a light to the Gentiles, that we may bring his salvation to the ends of the earth!

Here in Britain, we have known about Jesus and His royal birth in Bethlehem for centuries. Christmas has become one of our strongest national traditions. But there are today 3 billion people in the world who cannot celebrate the birth of our Saviour this year, simply because the gospel has never been proclaimed to them. There’s a desperate need for believers to go with intentionality to these people with the contagious love of Jesus.

But how can you be involved? Here are five steps that you can take to begin to proclaim his glory among the nations:

1. Invite an OM speaker to your church to share what God is doing around the world today: uk.om.org/om-speakers
2. Join OM’s monthly Global Prayer Meeting and intercede for the nations: uk.om.org/events
3. Give generously this Christmas to support those taking the gospel to the toughest places on earth: uk.om.org/give
4. Go in obedience to your Lord. Be it training, sailing on our famous ships, or going on short-term outreaches to Turkey or Ireland this spring, OM have so many exciting opportunities for you to go and reach the lost. Will you carry the presence of God to those who have never met a follower of Jesus? You can even go as a church group: uk.om.org/go