LOVE -- FOUTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT


LOVE
John 3:16-17



















As a small child, I learned "Silent Night, Holy Night" by heart.  In verse 3, I heard and sang, "Son of God loves pure light."  It's been only recently, that I've really looked at the printed lyric and realized that it's "Son of God, love's pure light."  What a difference that apostrophe makes.  Without that apostrophe, it sounds as if Jesus came into the world to find the pure and perfect.  With the apostrophe, Christ is described as a gift of God's unconditional, perfect love for us.  "“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."  (John 3:17)

Today we're going to open that gift of God's saving love.


Christmas mornings at our home when I was a child was agonizing!  My sister, Paula, and I were under strict orders to stay in our room until we heard Mom out in the kitchen.

With the first clatter of pans, we shot out of our rooms to discover our stockings filled with nuts, candy, and an orange.  Underneath the tree were presents from both Santa and my parents and family members.  Santa brought us toys, but from my family came practical gifts like new pajamas and robes, slipper socks from my uncle and aunt in Canada, and Grandma Ola made us something to put in our hope chests every year like embroidered tea towels, hand tatted lace-edged pillow cases, and one year, a quilt.  Those are the gifts I remember, because after we grew tired of the toys or the batteries wore out, these were the gifts that reminded us year round that we were loved.

The toys were what we wanted, but the other gifts were what we needed, much like the gifts of love God gives to us.  We may want recognition by our peers, status and wealth or a new car or a designer home, but in the long-run, none of these last.  What does last is the gift of love's pure light -- Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us that he came that we may have life, and have it abundantly.  I believe our Savior is talking both about eternal life and our life here in this world.  What does abundant life look like for us?  After our material wealth is gone, it's the riches of hope, peace, joy and love that sustains us and makes life worth living.

God's love through Jesus Christ is truly the gift that keeps giving, long after this life on earth is over.  It's also the gift that is meant to shared.  The Apostle Paul reminds us in Acts 20:35 the Jesus himself said it's more blessed to give than receive.  Christ tells us this so that his joy may indwell in us and our joy and our lives may be complete.  (John 15:11)  That is why he gave us a new commandment, "... love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12) which takes loving our neighbors by sharing the gift of Christmas all year round to a higher level than loving them as we love ourselves.

So, this Christmas, let's remember why we give presents.  We give, because God first gave to us the greatest expression of God's love for us.  Love's pure light is given to us in overwhelming abundance and without conditions.  In gratitude, that our joy may be complete, let's resolve to share the gift of love as Christ has loved us every day of the year.

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