Mission (Not Yet) Accomplished

March 21, 2016 Year C (Holy Week)

Isaiah 42:1-9

I grew up in the Houston, Texas area near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Johnson Space Center is known as Mission Control, a place where people work to help astronauts on their missions in space.

The time to watch NASA’s Mission Control on television would be when they blasted off and when they landed. In the first part, when they blasted off, there is tremendous anxiety to see that the Space Shuttle will make it into space. You hear the countdown, and then you see the Space Shuttle. You hear the words: “Blast Off.” This is the first part of the mission.

When a team on the space shuttle finished their work in space, they would land in California or Florida. When they landed, you would hear the words from the Johnson Space Center Mission Control “Mission Accomplished.” The is the second part of the mission.

In between these two words, “Blast Off” and “Mission Accomplished” is the work of the space shuttle crew. In the same way, Jesus came during His first coming (Isaiah 42:1), when He “blasted off” His Mission. During His second coming, Jesus will hear the words: “Mission Accomplished” (Isaiah 42:2-4).

In space, the space shuttle has a mission to accomplish. They may repair or install a satellite. They may do a secret mission for the United State military. In either case, the space shuttle crew does the work of Mission Control from Houston. They have a purpose and then they land back on Earth.

Like the Space Shuttle crew, as Christians, we have a purpose (Isaiah 42:6). We do the work that God has us do. Jesus blasted off our mission, but won’t return until the mission is accomplished. God has declared it and predicted that the mission would be accomplished (Isaiah 42:9).

Prayer: God, I want you to help me accomplish Your mission. Thank You for the “Blast off” of Your Son. Help me finish the mission before Your Son calls “Mission Accomplished.”