John 15:9
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
John 20:21
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
“One way to summarize missional theosis is to say that participation in the divine mission effects transformation into the likeness of God, who is by nature love and thus missional… Those who believe and are baptized in the Spirit enter the divine family and begin the process of becoming like the Son, which means also becoming like the Father who sent him, by the enabling work of the Spirit… God’s mission is to engender a family of children who share in the divine ‘DNA’ (identity and behavior) and thereby participate in the ‘family business’ as a unified, holy community sharing in the unity, holiness, and mission of the divine family.” [Michael Gorman, Abide and Go: Missional Theosis in the Gospel of John, 180, 183]
To be a participant in the divine joy of the divine life is to also be a participant in the divine mission. It was the joy of the Son to be sent by the Father. In the same way, it is our joy to be sent by Jesus. Divine joy is inextricably tied up with participation in the mission of God. Our joy is made full when we experience the being sent, just as Jesus was sent by the Father. What divine joy it is when we participate in God’s mission!
Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, your joyful heart is a missional heart. We thank you for the opportunities to be sent on your mission, for in the sending we know your divine joy even more. In Jesus’ name, amen.
— ES