Providing the Way to Change

The destiny of Jesus was to inaugurate a new Way of doing things, to institute a plan that would give good news of hope to everyone, including the marginalized, the poor in spirit and poverty-stricken of the world. The "good news of great joy" which the angel announced to the shepherds (see Luke chapter 2) was "for all the people." The intent of Jesus was to guide us into the way of peaceful existence.

Most everyone is familiar with the details of the arrival of Jesus. He was not born in a palace. His family was not one of great influence. He entered the world in humility. Drawing on that humble nature, he asks those who believe in him to be of the same mind as he is: to love all and put the needs of others ahead of our own. He asks us not to seek merely for personal gain, but to share what we have, our time and resources.

The teachings of Jesus are meant to draw people closer to God, closer to the things of the spirit: patience, kindness, love, joy, gentleness. Jesus was not born to drive people away from his kingdom, and he calls his followers to be living expressions of his message of hope, of compassion, each of us living in a manner which attracts people to The Way he came to establish.

Believing in Jesus, being a follower of Christ, a Christian, is only the beginning of our work here on earth, just as the birth of Jesus was a starting point, a transformational moment in time, with great possibility wrapped around it. What Jesus asks of us requires a shift in our natural thinking, in the way we behave and how we treat others. And that change does not happen automatically. It is a choice we make every day, a decision to embrace what is best, to opt for an honorable path and the way of peace.

Let us look at the celebration of the birth of Jesus as our call to action, a challenge to examine our beliefs, with an eye for putting aside old, worn out ideas and looking at the world with a fresh vision for helping steer the course of the future down a path with less hate and more love, better opportunities for all. It doesn't necessarily seem accurate to say Jesus was born to change the world. Rather, his teachings show The Way for us, his followers, to revolutionize everything.