“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life..”
Reflection
What words communicate these essential truths more clearly than this verse from the Gospel of John? These words call to us from the prophecies of the Old Testament, in their fulfillment in the birth of Christ and through his eventual death and resurrection. This common thread of God’s love stretches through the entire message of scripture and reaches out to us in the most essential attributes of who God is. God is love. And his love is revealed in its purity through Christ.
Love is an all encompassing emotion; bringing both the
greatest of joys and the deepest of pains. It’s no wonder that God uses love to illustrate who se is and what his
Kingdom is all about. In divine
dichotomy, Jesus’ life on earth represented the pinnacle of pain and suffering,
and the deepest illustrations of the purity of love. But as we celebrate this final Sunday of Advent, in the quiet of this
moment, let us reflect not on the sufferings of life, but on the inexpressible love of Christ. The love that he calls us to reflect to all humanity. Reflect on
that moment when God broke through our earthly realm, descended from his heavenly
dwelling and made himself a fellow human being. In the
first breath that he drew from his lungs, the love of God was revealed in a humble infant. The essence of love was revealed and became
an earthly reality.
Prayer
Most Loving God of all creation, as we celebrate this final Sunday of Advent, let us remember the deep love that you have for us. In the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ, we truly see the deep eternal love that you have for this world and all humanity. Let us remember that regardless of our circumstances, regardless of who we are, what we’ve done or will do; your love is eternal. Your love is true. Your love is real. Your love is You. You are love. Amen.
Peace, Shanti and Shalom to Us All
