With all of the enchantment of the Christmas season, it's easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. And no, I'm not just talking about "the reason for the season." It is, of course, vital that we remember Jesus as central to this whole season, but I think we stop far short of the true significance.

On the first Christmas, God himself was born to human parents in the form a tiny baby named Jesus. This was God's ultimate gift to humanity. In Jesus, we find our sins forgiven, our relationship with God restored, and our hope of eternal life secured. So Christmas is all about God giving us the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Yet those profound truths don't account for everything that was happening on Christmas Day. God was actually giving us the pattern for true mission when Mary laid her baby into the manger.

We refer to the birth of Jesus as the Incarnation. The Latin word means something like "enfleshment." This is where God took on flesh. It's staggeringly difficult to think about. At root: Jesus amounts to nothing less than God becoming one of us. As John says: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (1:14). So it's not just the reality that Jesus secured our redemption. It's also the reality that Jesus came to be with us. To live amongst us. To be one of us. Rather than lifting us up from above, he came to be with us and to raise us up from that location.

It makes all the difference in the world.

So when we think about Christmas, let's also remember John 17:18: "As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world." This is Jesus praying to the Father. It's a remarkable prayer. At Christmas we celebrate the fact that the Father sent Jesus into the world. We should also acknowledge the second half of that sentence. The same Jesus who was sent into the world also sends us—his followers—into the world.

When you think about all of the hope that Christmas embodies, think about the fact that you are sent into the world *just as* Jesus was sent into the world. You are called to be an embodiment of that hope to the people around you.

John 17:18 means that Incarnation is something we are called to as well. It's somewhat different than Jesus' Incarnation, of course, but we are sent by Jesus to be the presence of Jesus to the people around us. He became flesh and dwelt among us. In the same way, we are given the calling and privilege to dwell among specific people. These are our neighbors. Our friends. Our coworkers. By dwelling among them, we have the opportunity to allow them to see what Jesus means to us, all the ways he is transforming our lives and providing us with hope in dark times.

My prayer is that we will drink deeply of everything Jesus means for us this Christmas season. We need it this year more than ever. But I also pray that we will take the challenge of Incarnation seriously this Christmas as well. I pray that we can find ways to demonstrate and offer hope to the people around us. Just as Jesus was sent into the world, so you were sent to your friends, neighbors, and coworkers. May the light of the world shine through you in all of your planned and unplanned interactions.

Mark Beuving has been serving in pastoral roles for nearly 20 years. After a decade in various teaching and administrative roles at Eternity Bible College, Mark is a pastor at Creekside Church in Rocklin, California. His books include ‘Resonate: Enjoying God’s Gift of Music’ and the New York Times bestseller ‘Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples,’ which he co-authored with Francis Chan.