The Love of Christmas
Christmas Eve Advent Reading
by Rob Shelton
Over this season of Advent, we have seen how God’s plan to provide for the salvation of his people has unfolded. The perfect peace and love that God and humanity enjoyed in the Garden was shattered with the first sin, but even then God provided hope by promising a messiah who would one day make things right. God then chose a people through whom He would work and reveal His messiah. This people, Israel, learned to be faithful by coming to God at His temple and looking forward to the day of the messiah. Then, when the time was fulfilled, the day of promise arrived in a little town named Bethlehem where the peace that God had promised took on flesh, and angels announced with joy the birth of the messiah. God had come to His creation as one of us. He did not merely love from on high, but humbled Himself by becoming part of His creation—that is the message of Christmas.
However, this love does not end there. The love of Christmas is not mere sentiment over an infant in a manger. On this Christmas day, let us remind ourselves that the love of Christmas is meant to continue in us. Before that first Christmas day, the people of Israel saw the glory of God meet them in the temple—they saw heaven meet earth and they knew that God loved them. On that first Christmas day, heaven met earth in a tiny baby and those who would hear the glad tidings knew that God loved them.
Today, we who declare that Jesus Christ, the messiah, is Lord are the temple of the living God. Like the temple of old in Jerusalem, we are now where heaven meets earth. The love that was demonstrated in the temple and then in the manger is now to be shown in us, not just individually, but corporately.
We…here…now…the assembled people of God who follow His messiah and declare Him Savior and Lord… we are the dwelling place of God on earth. The peace that was destroyed in the garden so long ago has been remedied and God’s great love for us is to be shouted throughout His creation. The angels declared the good news on that first Christmas. Today, we are to be that declaration—we must take His love from here and out into the world. Through our love, may people see in us Emmanuel…God with us.
by Rob Shelton
Over this season of Advent, we have seen how God’s plan to provide for the salvation of his people has unfolded. The perfect peace and love that God and humanity enjoyed in the Garden was shattered with the first sin, but even then God provided hope by promising a messiah who would one day make things right. God then chose a people through whom He would work and reveal His messiah. This people, Israel, learned to be faithful by coming to God at His temple and looking forward to the day of the messiah. Then, when the time was fulfilled, the day of promise arrived in a little town named Bethlehem where the peace that God had promised took on flesh, and angels announced with joy the birth of the messiah. God had come to His creation as one of us. He did not merely love from on high, but humbled Himself by becoming part of His creation—that is the message of Christmas.
However, this love does not end there. The love of Christmas is not mere sentiment over an infant in a manger. On this Christmas day, let us remind ourselves that the love of Christmas is meant to continue in us. Before that first Christmas day, the people of Israel saw the glory of God meet them in the temple—they saw heaven meet earth and they knew that God loved them. On that first Christmas day, heaven met earth in a tiny baby and those who would hear the glad tidings knew that God loved them.
Today, we who declare that Jesus Christ, the messiah, is Lord are the temple of the living God. Like the temple of old in Jerusalem, we are now where heaven meets earth. The love that was demonstrated in the temple and then in the manger is now to be shown in us, not just individually, but corporately.
We…here…now…the assembled people of God who follow His messiah and declare Him Savior and Lord… we are the dwelling place of God on earth. The peace that was destroyed in the garden so long ago has been remedied and God’s great love for us is to be shouted throughout His creation. The angels declared the good news on that first Christmas. Today, we are to be that declaration—we must take His love from here and out into the world. Through our love, may people see in us Emmanuel…God with us.
posted by DrewDog at 12:13 AM
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