As we celebrate the Christmas season – Advent, I’m reminded of the second candle on the Advent wreath. This candle symbolizes the profound love of God and the love that Christians are called to share with one another, especially during the Christmas season, when the birth of Jesus, who is seen as the embodiment of God’s love, is celebrated. It serves as a reminder of the love that’s central to the Christian faith and the message of Christmas.
Christlike love, Christian love, often referred to as “agape” love, is selfless, unconditional love that reflects the love of God as described in the Bible. Christlike love involves showing love, compassion, and care for others, even in the absence of personal gain, and is considered a central virtue in Christianity. God abounds in this love.
God’s love for His people is expressed throughout the entirety of the Bible, yes, even the Old Testament. Consider this verse in Jeremiah 31:3, “The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” God’s Chosen people were in exile. They were probably wondering if God had abandoned them. Could God’s love reach them outside the Promised Land? Through His prophet, God speaks to those in exile and affirms that just as He led Israel into the wilderness, protecting them from the sword of the Egyptian armies, so His lovingkindness will support His people in Exile.
We, too, live in exile. We are somewhere east of Eden, desiring to return to paradise. But here’s the good news. There is no place we can go; nothing we have done is beyond God’s loving reach. As the psalmist proclaims, Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds” (Psalm 36:5). God draws us to Himself through His lovingkindness. When we have fellowship with God, we emulate these qualities.
When we think about God’s love, especially during the Christmas season, we often turn to the Gospels, and rightfully so. However, the explanation of the magnificent impact of Christ’s coming is found throughout the New Testament. For instance, we discover these words in 1 John 4:9-10, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
God has shown how much He loves us by sending His Son. God, understanding we could not reach Him, reached out to us through the coming of Christ, who humbled Himself, taking upon His divinity humanity and modestly being born in a stable. Further, Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins.” Through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, he has released us from the guilt and penalty of our sins, which is death. Think about it. God Himself paid the price for our salvation.
When we repent, turn from doing life our own way, and receive Christ as Lord and Savior, we are given eternal life. What greater love could there be? John does something interesting in His letter. John links believing in Jesus with love for one another. It’s through knowing God’s love in Christ that we are empowered by His Spirit to love others. Here’s the good news. There is no place we can go; nothing we have done that’s beyond the loving reach of God and His ability to use us to share His love with others.
Experiencing God’s love in a broken world, particularly during Christmas, can be challenging due to several reasons. There’s suffering and pain, commercialization, expectations and stress, distractions, changes in family dynamics, as well as doubts and questions about faith, making it challenging to fully embrace God’s love. Also, there is comparison and envy. Comparing one’s own circumstances to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and envy, hindering a sense of God’s love and contentment. Overcoming these challenges often involves refocusing on the true meaning of Christmas, engaging in acts of kindness and service, seeking support and community, and spending time in prayer and reflection to connect with the message of God’s love through the birth of Jesus Christ.
The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus all serve as profound demonstrations of God’s expectant love. Through these events, God shows His unwavering desire for a loving relationship with each of us and His eagerness for our reconciliation, redemption, and eventual reunion in His eternal presence. There is no place we can go; nothing we have done that’s beyond the loving reach of God and His ability to use us to share His love with others.
Imagine a child eagerly awaiting Christmas morning. They’ve expressed their wishes and dreams. Each day leading up to Christmas, they look under the Christmas tree, expecting the arrival of their gifts. Their eyes sparkle with hope and joy, knowing something wonderful is coming. This child represents each of us, and Christmas morning represents the birth of Jesus. The child’s hopeful anticipation mirrors the expectant love we can experience through Christ’s coming that first Christmas.
Here’s the gospel truth. Just as the child’s excitement is based on the belief that something extraordinary is on the way, our expectant love at Christmas is rooted in the belief that through Jesus, something extraordinary has already arrived. It’s the love that was born in a stable, lived a life of compassion and grace, died on the cross, and rose from the grave to offer us eternal hope and salvation. The expectant love we experience at Christmas is a reflection of the profound hope and joy that comes from knowing that Christ, the embodiment of God’s love, has entered our lives, and through Him, we find a love that surpasses all understanding as well as the ability to share it with others. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!