LOVE

What are some favorite memories of traditions you share with family at Christmas?

For most it is a time when love is expressed. Christmas is a time when w

e celebrate LOVE. God is LOVE. It’s always been about LOVE. He gave His son for us because He desired to reconcile our relationship with Him.

John 3:16-21

16 “For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has n

ot believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

But how many of you have questioned His LOVE? What about when things get

tough? Have you heard the question how can a God who loves you allow suffering? I know a lot who have suffered greatly, much more than I ever have yet they still believe in this LOVE. This LOVE sustains them. LOVE is their strength and their shield in this dark world. It is LOVE that shines through the darkness.

There were some hard years where honestly I didn’t want to take part in Christmas festivities. This year was a little difficult too. I felt the sting of loneliness as I began preparing my decorations and tree. I attempted to call my church family and friends to see if they wanted to come over to help to no avail. Many were out of town or already celebrating with others. Last year I had a houseful and we made cookies and it was so nice. This year though it was if God wanted me to face my emotions and let me know He was with me. He wanted to show me that LOVE is present. I sat in the chair just staring at the boxes of ornaments. I sipped on a cup of hot cocoa but I didn’t feel like starting off this year with the Carpenter’s Christmas album followed by Bing Crosby and Charlie Brown Christmas as tradition would have it. Instead I sat quietly with the Lord and He asked me to remember some of my favorite memories of Christmas. We reminisced together. One was lighting the advent candles. There were five in our household. Dad, mom, my brother, myself and grandmother. Each one of us had a reading from the scripture and a candle to light each week. My mother was very crafty and created her own advent book out of construction paper and markers. She still has it and shared a photo with me at my request. The woman has the most amazing cursive handwriting and calligraphy! Her creativity made birthdays and holidays so much more memorable. There was LOVE in her creativity. I’ve learned to appreciate her talents even more as I’ve grown older. I realized I wanted to worship, not just listen to the fun Christmas tunes. I began singing Christmas hymns acapella. As I placed each ornament on the tree, there was LOVE and joy in the memories. Some ornaments were from family vacations, my childhood, gifts, and ones my children made. I shared those moments with Him and I thanked Him for each one and I realized in that moment I was surrounded by His LOVE.

I posed some questions to my advent study group. How do you explain the love of God through difficult seasons, or when horrible things happen? Has your theology ever been wrecked? What are some things that you have been through that shook the foundations of your understanding of God? How do you understand Him as a loving God

when prayers are not answered or tragedy strikes? How did your relationship and understanding of God change? Are you still processing a situation like this? Has God pulled you through this season and how is your relationship with Him now after this season?

There was an overwhelming response. There were difficult family situations, extreme losses, divorce, marital issues, financial disasters, unexpected health concerns, some dealing with suicidal family members, some lost family members to suicide, death of loved ones, children left without parents, and loss of a spouse. All these are real stories. They are happening around us right now. How do we respond to these situations? Life can be tough and we tend to cover up those things that look messy. Some might turn away because they don’t know what to say or do. Have you ever tried to appear okay and maybe be strong for the sake of others? The best response is LOVE. Be present. Actively listen.

When His LOVE is in us, we demonstrate it to others. LOVE is near even when we don’t feel it. LOVE isn’t an emotion, it’s an action. LOVE is a being. LOVE is expressing truth in action. The English definitions for love are weak and extensive but the biblical definitions for love are few and clear. We see a great example in 1 Corinthians 13. Oh how the world would be a better place if we would LOVE each other.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not LOVE, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not LOVE, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not LOVE, I gain nothing. 4 LOVE is patient and kind; LOVE does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 LOVE never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.

Why is the most important commandment to LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind? LOVE is obeying the ways of the Father. It’s how Jesus responded, in LOVE toward the Father.

Words might harm more than heal if we are not careful. So before speaking to someone in those intense seasons weigh your words in LOVE before releasing. Grief is a natural process. If you have not been able to let go of grief after many years and it affects your quality of life, you may need intervention. For example, a death that sends someone into holding onto material things or developing a fear of not letting go. Those things sometimes need intervention with different methods. I realize not everyone will agree with me but I’m willing that the majority who have experienced sudden loss or extreme difficult situations might agree that a listening ear and just having someone sit with you and not try to give answers is much more healthy, especially in the beginning phases of grief.

I speak from experience. One of the most difficult seasons I walked through is losing my cousin/best friend and her daughter in a car accident. I remember getting the phone call and being in shock. They could barely get me off the casket at the gravesite. It was too painful of a reality to accept. She was only 28. She had an entire future ahead. Her daughter was just over a year old and they were buried in the same casket. There are aspects of God I will never understand fully. I felt anger. I felt numb. I had difficulty talking to God. I felt disconnected. I heard one Christian after another spill out what they thought was comforting yet left me confused. It took a while to get my grounding again. God had to reveal himself to me on a deeper level. I realized my theology had been skewed and people often spewed out idol words. In those intense times, it’s not words that mean anything; it’s LOVE in action that breaks through the depths of grief.

I’ve come to understand that even when I don’t understand God’s ways, LOVE is constant and stable. LOVE cannot be removed from us.

Romans 8:31-39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who LOVED us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the LOVE of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

LOVE was demonstrated for you and for me. LOVE is powerful. LOVE is in us and works through us.

1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in LOVE but perfect LOVE casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in LOVE.

Jesus came as LOVE, not to condemn us but to set us FREE once and for all!

John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.