Why Christ Came Down — and Why We Should Too
- tonytangebirah
- Dec 21, 2025
- 4 min read
I still remember the first time I met Maria* when bringing supplies to a barangay in a coastal community devastated by a typhoon a few weeks earlier.
It was mid-morning; the sun was just beginning to warm up the sandy beach.
I approached with a camera in hand — ready to “capture impact” — and immediately she laughed at me.
Not unkindly, but with the sort of frankness children have when they meet adults who don’t quite know how to speak their language.
“Why you take photo?” she asked in broken English.
I gave the usual answer: for awareness. For donors. For social media.
She blinked at me with that direct honesty only children have — “But why you help us?”
That question struck me because I realized: the story we tell ourselves about why we serve is far more revealing than the stories we post about where we serve.
In theology we call this condescension — but not the kind we usually mean. No, this is the Divine Condescension: the only begotten Son of God, equal with the Father, humbling Himself to become one of us for our salvation.
As Emperor Justinian put it in the 6th century, Christ “condescended for our salvation to be incarnate” — not from necessity, but out of love that descends rather than ascends.
This is the same mystery that astonished and bewildered angels — that God would choose to be born as a baby, vulnerable and human, rather than remaining in unapproachable glory.
Tradition even suggests that the fall of Lucifer was tied to his refusal to accept this divine condescension: pride objected to humility.
Christ’s descent was the scandal that became salvation.
And this Christ, this God-made-man, is our example in missions and in life.
A Call Beyond Ego — Towards True Condescension
Saint Paul gives the best example in Scripture of how a missionary should think about his identity: “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus…” — not Paul, the founder of this ministry or Paul, the accomplished leader.
He starts not with “my accomplishments,” but with surrender — I belong to Christ.
In our culture, we’re trained to highlight achievements — LinkedIn profiles, accolades, where we went for shopping, the fancy restaurants we dined at, expert curation of our experiences.
It’s not inherently wrong to share joy — but when our social media narratives center more on how well we’re doing than who we’re serving, we risk replicating the very self-exaltation opposite of Christ’s condescension.
True service is not about bragging rights.
It’s about sitting on the cold floor with someone who has nothing to brag about.
It’s about breaking bread with the poorest rather than eating behind tinted glass.
It’s about saying, “I belong to Christ, and I belong to the people He loves.”
Some volunteers are still on a journey toward this humility — and that’s okay.
Grace works not in perfection but in progress toward loving service.
But we must not mistake performance for participation.
Christ is at eye level with the marginalized, the forgotten, the vulnerable.
He came to be with everyone.
He came down not to be served but to serve. In doing so, He calls us not to the game of self-promotion or to be admired but to radical solidarity.
What Would Christ Do?
If Christ walked into our missions today, He might:
Sit on a handmade bench alongside a widow reciting prayers at dusk.
Eat the simplest meal with refugee families without complaint.
Hold the trembling hands of someone whom history has forgotten.
He would not need followers to post selfies — He worked without applause.
He would not seek special accommodations — He chose the manger.
This is the condescension that elevates everyone — not because we bow low to feel superior, but because we bow in love to lift others up.
Let us reflect that in our missions, in our interactions, and in our hearts.
Let humility be the trademark of our discipleship; let empathy shape our engagement; let Christ’s descent inspire ours.
If you feel inclined, please like, share or comment and connect and follow me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-tan-c-g/
I love hearing your thoughts on #ChristLikeService #HumilityInAction #MissionReflection #ServeDontShow #FaithInPractice #HumanitarianWork #EthicalVolunteering #ChristCondescension #GlobalSolidarity #ServeWithLove
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Forthcoming Missions:
Fang, Thailand – 19 to 23 Mar 26
Pamplona, Philippines – 19 to 23 Jun 26
Timor Leste – 7 to 11 Aug 26
Ashiya, Japan – 25 to 30 Sep 26
Tamil Nadu, India – 9 to 13 Oct 26
Hong Kong – 18 to 22 Nov 26
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