Christmas Love

I had lunch today with three good friends of mine – all in vocational ministry.

One them is preaching regularly at a smaller membership church in rural South Carolina. Yesterday, he said, he preached on the topic of Christmas.

He said, “I told them that Jesus is not the reason for the season,” telling us that as he said those words the sanctuary got extremely quiet. What? You mean you don’t believe all those little stickers, signs and posters we Christians champion this time of year? Certainly, Jesus is the reason for the season!
My friend continued, “I told them that Jesus is not the reason for the season. You and I are the reason for the season; Jesus came for us.”

I like that.

You and I are the reasons for the season. Jesus came for us. He was and is the greatest Christmas gift there will ever be.

It’s like this:
Every man, woman and child is born separated from God and ticketed to a life and eternity apart from Him.

But, the Apostle John reminds us (directly quoting Jesus) in John 3:16-17 that “For God loved the world so much that He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” (NLT)

I like to call this Christmas Love.

God loved us so much that He . . . gave his son. He loved and He gave out of that love.

Doesn’t that just drip with what we long for at Christmas – to love someone so deeply that we just give to them sacrificially?
We always ask our boys for their Christmas wish list, but the gifts that provide Vicki and me with the most blessing are those not on the list. Those are the ones given out of love rather than want.

God’s gift to us – his son Jesus – was indeed a gift.

We don’t earn it.

We don’t deserve it.

We can’t steal it.

All that we do is believe in the gift – Jesus - and that guarantees a peaceful journey on this Earth and an eternity with our God.

But, it’s that believing that often gets us in trouble.

You see many will say they “believe” in Jesus, but what they are saying is that they believe He existed. That level of belief is not what John 3:16-17 is asking of us.

No, many will believe Jesus existed, but will not spend eternity with Him.

Believing goes deeper than acknowledging existence. Believing means that we trust Him, love Him, serve Him, seek Him, cry out to Him, talk to Him, and have relationship with Him.

Here’s a way to look at it. I believe that my son Richard exists. I see Him. He exists. But, this past weekend I believed in Him. I gave him a list of errands to run, and trusted him to be on task and not waste time, to manage my money responsibly, to drive responsibly, and make good decisions. I believed in Richard’s character and I believed in my relationship with him. I didn’t just believe he actually existed.

God’s gift us to requires that we don’t just believe – we believe.

Make the most of this Christmas week.

Begin or renew your relationship with our Lord, Jesus.

Live out faith by loving and serving others without condition. Be kind. Be encouraging. Be supportive. Be forgiving.

Be prepared to tell someone, anyone and everyone about your faith.

Experience Christmas Love.