Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 

This passage is quite possibly the most famous in all of scripture, although it’s not traditionally part of the telling of the Christmas story. On Christmas Eve, we usually focus on the narratives that describe what happened on that night long ago. We talk of the baby in a manger, the shepherds in the field, and the wise men bringing gifts. We imagine the scene of the long‑awaited Messiah coming not as royalty but as One who had no place to lay His head. We are captured by the beauty and the simplicity of how it all came to pass. It’s a story that resonates with us no matter how many times we hear it. That’s the genius of the gospel. It’s so simple yet so rich that we can plumb its depths for a lifetime. While the birth narratives in Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us how it all happened, this one line from the Gospel of John clearly tells us why it happened.
 
God loves us, all of us, the entire world, and because of that love, He kept his promise to make a way for us to come back to Him. He focused the hopes of generations on this one small child for one simple reason: His unconditional love for each and every one of us. No matter how many times we hear the Christmas story and sing the carols, it’s still hard for us to comprehend that kind of love. It’s easier for us to imagine that God came to earth to make us follow His rules, to make His love conditional on our performance because that’s the way of the world.
 
We wonder as did the Psalmist, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” However in the Christmas story, we are once again reminded that love is not just a human emotion but is at the very heart of who God is. God is love, and in the birth of Jesus we understand that perfect love does not come in power or with strings attached but in vulnerability and grace. So on this Christmas Eve, let us embrace this kind of love and reflect it to a fearful world.

For Reflection

In what ways have you experienced the love of God during this Christmas season?
How might you reflect His love to others in the days ahead?

Prayer

Lord, we thank You for Your extravagant love for us. Forgive us for the ways that we take that love for granted and fail to demonstrate it to others. Lord, in this difficult Christmas season, help us to experience the reality of Your love for us and to love others unconditionally.  Enable us to live into the truth that Your perfect love casts out all fear. Amen.