This is love.
More than any other time of the year Christmas is when I find myself reflecting on “love”. Not during Valentine’s Day, my anniversary, my children’s birthdays or even Easter. Nothing stirs love in me more or pulls back the curtain of love’s truth like the Incarnation.
All the elements of the story are powerful.
Newlyweds struggling to support and trust each other in the midst of unprecedented circumstances.
Angelic voices finally unleashed to deliver a timeless proclamation.
Blue-collar “everymen” given a glimpse behind the veil of Heaven and entrusted with the simplest of commands—go and worship.
And finally, the Creator-Father-God-King denying His infinite power and position, emptying the cup of His unfailing love, and entering as an infant into the turbulent stream of human history.
This is love.
Every sacrifice Jesus made, every cruel punishment He endured, every mile He walked, every miracle He performed, every Truth He taught, every life He transformed, and every sin He forgave, were all first made possible by the love He revealed at His birth.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10
May you feel powerfully and personally loved this Christmas.
Love is why He did it
Love was worth the pain
Love is why He came down
Love was poured out for our gain
Love is where the heart lies
Love is from above
This is Love.
Joel Thomas
