Love Came Down at Christmas

We lit the second candle of Advent this past weekend: the candle of Love. The Love candle centers on the love of God and how that love transforms us to love others.

We light this second candle as a symbol of God’s light shining in the darkness.  The Light has come into the world.  As we are told in the first chapter of John, the darkness has not understood it.  But the darkness will never overcome it.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being  in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.      John 1:1-5

I'm sure there are many things I could quote about love (love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love...), but instead I keep returning to this thought of light shining in the darkness.   Jesus came as a light in the darkness full of grace and truth.  God in the flesh, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born without sin.  Emmanuel—God with us.  Born, as the angel of the Lord told Joseph, to “save His people from their sins.”  

Jesus was born to live a sinless life and born to die a cruel death.  A death He willingly went to in order to give us a relationship with God that we could never earn.  Jesus came with love.  He cared for the hurting; he cared for the oppressed and the outcast.  He encouraged his followers to love as well and to show others love. 

Over the next week, think about ways that you can shine the Light of Jesus’ love to someone.  You know, Mother Teresa was asked once how she was able to feed so many thousands of children over the years.  Her response was, I did it one by one by one.  She did it one child at a time.  Think of a person who needs God’s love showered on them this week.  Reach out to the person that God places on your heart this week.  Be Christ to that person.  Bring His Light and His love in your words and deeds.  Sometimes the smallest gift of love can change a life!  Love is a powerful gift.

Here is a wonderful song sung by Ali Mathews "Love Came Down at Christmas."   May the love of Christmas touch your heart anew this week.

Christmas Love,

Pastor Carol